In French, sosie means double – as in on dit que tout le monde a un sosie. (They say everyone has a twin.)

But Sosie Ruth Bacon, daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, is all-but-one-of-a-kind. Born in 1992, Sosie’s starbaby status failed to launch the name into general use – Sosie has never appeared in the US Top 1000.

I’ve found a few references to a French Saint Sosie from the 300s, a victim of the Diocletian persecutions. She also sounds like a logical diminutive for Shoshannah, the Hebrew forerunner of Susannah.

With Sophie and Sadie so popular – and Sedgwick and Bacon so steadily in the public eye – I can’t help but wonder: Sosie, yea or nay?

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

You May Also Like:

What do you think?

19 Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Yea for Sosie! I love Sosie. It is also an Armenian name meaning “plane tree”. I’m Armenian . Sosy is another spelling.