A woman living with the name judged to be the most beautiful of 2022 has opened up about what it means to her - confessing she wished she had been given a more popular moniker growing up. Sofia Leadbetter didn't share the same name with many girls at her school, but it has since spiked in popularity in the UK, with many recognising its timeless beauty and historical connections.
Sofia is currently ranked the 23rd most popular name in the UK, while the Greek spelling of Sophia sits at number 12, just outside of the UK top ten, reports the Mirror. It is evident that a lot of people are fans of the name, which was recently dubbed the most pretty-sounding by linguistics researchers at the University of Birmingham.
The 27-year-old has grown fond of her name over the years, and feels her life has benefitted from her title, as, according to her, pleasant names "encourage people to think differently about you".
The PR professional said: "I think what I like best about my name is how it's pretty ancient and steeped in history. I believe it is an Ancient Greek word for 'wisdom'. I'm a big history lover so this makes it feel a bit special!"
Sofia's name was suggested by her parents after she had been born - making it a last-minute choice. Her mum and dad hadn't settled on a name before welcoming their child, and although Sofia doesn't know the back story as to how the name popped into their heads, she believes her Chilean father had been keen to include a Spanish spelling.
Her middle name is Alice, her mum's favourite. Sofia, who works for the PR & communications firm Lem-uhn, admits she was taken aback when she heard that her name had been voted the most beautiful-sounding. She added that she doesn't tend to keep in the loop with popular names, as having children of her own head is still a distant thought.
Sofia continued: "It just made me feel quite happy to hear because when I was a child, I didn't actually like my name that much because it wasn't very common and I didn't know any other Sofias.
"I think I wanted other names that were more popular, like Bethany maybe or something like that. But as I got older, and became an adult I really like my name. I'm happy now.
"I think unique names can encourage people to think differently about you. Think about the rich and famous and some of the unique and weird names you get there. I think that must contribute to some of their success perhaps."
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