The baby name Sosie fits right in with Sadie, Sophie, and Josie – but it’s very seldom heard.
Thanks to Jane for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME SOSIE MEAN?
In French, sosie means double – as in on dit que tout le monde a un sosie. In English, it translates “They say everyone has a twin.” More on that phrase in a bit.
The meaning of the name Sosie depends on the origin, and there’s more than one theory.
SUSANNA
Another possible theory: Sosie comes from Susanna. That means it shares the same meaning: lily.
If that seems like a stretch, remember that Susanna comes from the Old Testament name Shoshanna. The Hebrew root shoshan can refer to a lily, a rose, or maybe a lotus flower.
If Susanna – and Susan – seem a little too far from Sosie, then Shoshanna – and even Susie – might be closer and make the nickname seem more logical.
SOSIA, SOSTRATE, SOSE
The Latin name Sosia appears in a play by Plautus, titled Amphitryon, dating to around 200 BC. In this case, Sosia comes from the Greek Sosias, meaning savior, ultimately from a word meaning safe or whole.
Also worth noting: the Latin Sosia was a masculine name.
Greek names Sostrate and Sose are related.
The latter is pronounced the same as Sosie, and belonged to a nymph. Sose is sometimes said to be the mother of the god Pan, known for his flute-playing and wild partying.
A handful of references mention a French Saint Sosie from the 300s, a victim of the Diocletian persecutions. Saint Soteris may have lived in the right era; the feminine name Soteris is also related to Sosia and Sose.
LITERARY NAME
But it’s not Plautus that makes this name feel literary. Not exactly.
Plautus’ play remained popular into the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, inspiring adaptations. It was translated into English quite early.
Fast forward to the seventeenth century.
A French language take on Amphitryon written by French playwright Moliere debuted in 1668.
The play might’ve have been a thinly-veiled reference to the affairs of King Louis XIV. Or maybe it was just an update to a play from antiquity that remained known across the centuries.
In any case, Moliere’s Amphitryon became an instant smash hit.
The character Sosia became Sosie, and part of the story is that Sosie looks just like the god Mercury.
Hence, the phrase and the idea that Sosie means double or twin.
WHAT IS SOSIE SHORT FOR?
If not the Latin name Sosia, or another antique, Sosie could easily be short for Shosanna or even Susanna. It also could be a nickname for Josephine. It’s not a stretch to get from Josie to Sosie, and both Josephine and Sosie share French heritage.
But overwhelming, Sosie stands on its own.
SOSIE BACON
Born in 1992, the American actress Sosie Ruth Bacon is the daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.
The younger Bacon has had a number of roles over the years. Most famously, she played Rose Cotter in 2022 horror movie Smile.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME SOSIE?
Despite the name’s literary roots and Hollywood ties, Sosie has never charted in the US Top 1000.
In fact, Sosie debuted in the US popularity data in the year 2000, with just five births.
Peak usage came in 2023, when twelve girls received the name. Prior to that, eleven girls were named Sosie in 2008.
That’s quite rare.
It’s not really used as a given name in France, either.
SPARKY and STYLISH
If you’re looking for a baby girl name with the charm of Sadie and Chloe, but far less common, Sosie hits the mark.
While it’s very rare, it’s perfectly in step with the high-energy names we love now.
What do you think of the baby name Sosie?
First published on August 11, 2009, this post was revised on October 29, 2024.
Sosie is an ancient Armenian name, not very common these days, the name of Armenian queen, who was the wife of Aram II- latest was the king of Armenia around 3000 years ago. She was so beautiful that pregnant women believing the old legend tried to face her so they would give a birth of beautiful children. the queen was the mother of legendary Armenian king Ara the Handsome, who was killed by the queen of Babylon, Shamiram. Queen Sosie planted plane tree garden that was named after her in Armenian as sosi trees.
It is a very beautiful name, not a nickname as such described above. And the association with the beautiful queen should you all Sosie’s make feel proud and love it, as it’s Indo-European origin, you can meet it in France as a city and historical people and in Sanskrit as well.
this was/is my nickname. My first name is actually Shoshanna but sometimes people call me Shosh or Shanna. I will tell you that many people mispronounce this name and I was made fun of a tiny bit in grade school with this name. It is pronounced so-see you basically take the name “susie” and say it with an “o” sound instead. It is a cute nickname but I have been trying to dump that name since I was kid because people have such a hard time pronouncing it and they always ask me what it’s short for? In short, because of my own personal experience with my name I try to go by Shoshanna with anyone other than old friends and close family.
Sosie Fiona Pearl is the name I have chosen. I just adore this name
It’s not bad, but I just prefer the sweetness of Susie, Sosie is a lot harder to say for me.
I’d totally use it as a nickname for Susannah–Susie doesn’t do it for me–and Sosie seems so fresh and new!
I can’t see it as a full name, however. Far to nickname-y.
Yea for Sosie! I love Sosie. It is also an Armenian name meaning “plane tree”. I’m Armenian . Sosy is another spelling.