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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Not 'girly' girls names. Might as well call her Geoff...

182 replies

OkayHazel · 12/01/2013 03:25

Help! I can think of loads of boys names, and could name about 12 sons given the chance, but I'm really struggling with girls names and am hoping for suggestions to add to my list.

I really like girls names with harder sounds. Lots of consonants rather than vowels and nothing too long - probably two syllables tops. This means nothing girly, cutesy, flowery, overly pretty (Aurelias, Olivias, Florences), ending in I, IE, Y, IA (you get the gist).

The general trend is one or two syllables, ending in En or El (or other 'finite') sounds. Nothing too popular would be fab, but I insist on using a 'real' name and not an improper noun as a baby name. Any nationality is fine by me - open to ideas. (Though Greek mythology probably won't suit me either).

Names I do like include:

Hazel
Bronwyn
Jude
Merle
Morgan
Olive
Violet (Probably bucks the trend, but I like the hard 'let' sound at the end)

I've also noticed that I really I like unisex names, but only for girls. The more masculine/androgynous the name for my baby girl the better. Any suggestions would be very welcome as I've not come across many yet.

At this point in time I'm so frustrated, Geoff is really seeming like a good idea - maybe choose something a little more appropriate with your help :)

Thanks and good luck naming your babies too!

OP posts:
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TheCrackFox · 12/01/2013 20:19

Edith
Sylvia
Margot

pixi2 · 12/01/2013 20:13

Sorry, as ds name ends in 'in'.

pixi2 · 12/01/2013 20:12

Quinn.

I love this. My nephew loves this too but we agreed not to tell dh as as (also nephews godson) name ends in 'in' too.

OkayHazel · 12/01/2013 20:08

LaCiccolina 'She' is still hypothetical. So I'd much rather choose a name I love, even if that act is 'about me', than choose a name I don't like on the assumption that my child 'might' be a girly girl.

She still might be a he. 'She' as far as I'm concerned doesn't really exist yet. 'She' will grow up with a name I love and no matter her traits, her name will be special.

I refuse to name a child on 'maybes' and 'mights' when what I know I love is solid.

OP posts:
BigGums · 12/01/2013 19:30

Wren

heidihole · 12/01/2013 17:52

Harper
Brooklyn
MacKenzie
Chester

mathanxiety · 12/01/2013 17:51

Morag goes far too far into non-girly territory imo. The Morag I knew hated her name and used to mumble when asked for it.

I don't like Merle or Jude for girls either. And Bronwyn makes me think of a brontosaurus.

The other names on your lists are nice. I like non-frilly names.

Suggestions:

Kendall
Emerson
Avery
Arden
Lark or Larkin
Devlin

Alix
Beatrix
Margaret
Honor
Harriet
Frances
Agnes
Edith
Greer
Elke
Juliet
Iseult/Isolde
Ines
Sybil
Colette
Kathleen
Noelle
Romy
Journey

Juno
Charis

Miriam
Judith
Ruth
Tamar

Niamh
Roisin
Angharad
Sigrid
Dagmar
Brunhilde
Hilda
Astrid
Mairead
Muireann/ Merryn
Maebh (Maeve) or better still Medb (very ancient spelling)
Elin
Eirlys
Kirsten
Kirsty

A-ending names that you might consider?
Mila
Vita
Vida
Una
Beulah
Dinah
Ursula
Elsa
Agatha
Saskia
Mahala
Eliska
Lida
Frida
Elfrieda
Magdalen(a), Magda
Aphra
Zytka
Irina

heidihole · 12/01/2013 17:50

I like Cameron. As in Cameron Diaz

Cameron
Mirren
Agnes
Margo/Margot
Arran
Autumn
Peta

LaCiccolina · 12/01/2013 17:50

If I were u I'd go for a long name that shortens. So Terran to Teri. Etc then if she ends up a girlie girl u have a name that suits her too.

This is far too much about you here and nowhere near enough about who she might be.

MadBusLady · 12/01/2013 17:45

I've always loved Joan, it sounds strong and sorted and glamorous, but realise I may be in a minority. Grin

I have a unisex name and would steer clear of them TBH. There's plenty of strong non-frilly unambiguous girls' names.

tacal · 12/01/2013 17:23

Cody

ChristineDaae · 12/01/2013 17:13

I heard today for he first time of a girl called Campbell. I love Hadley, Harper Addison, and Piper too

Startail · 12/01/2013 16:38

I love Hazel and Harriet

Rebecca (ok A at the end, but sharp sound, also if have loved a Becky, but DH went out with one and vetoed it)

Megan, I know two brilliant Meg's.

Helen, Bethan can somehow be strong or flowery to suit the DD.

Bridget
Tiegan
Lauren (which I hate for no rational reason).
Eleanor and Elizabeth
Esther

charlottehere · 12/01/2013 15:47

Love violet and like jude.

Olive
Robyn
Lois

HelpOneAnother · 12/01/2013 15:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Jasbro · 12/01/2013 15:40

Lois, Honor, Mabel, Greta, Iris, Dana, Jean, Frida, Joy

zipzap · 12/01/2013 15:32

My darling gran (rip) was called Olive and hated it - right the way up to her late 90s when she died, which has left me biased against it.

How about Hester for a nice but not girly name?

TessOfTheBaublevilles · 12/01/2013 15:18

badtime - I like Constance, which is another name that is obviously a girl's name, but isn't overly girly. Perhaps that's because of its meaning; steadfast/constant, so it doesn't seem flighty/frilly etc.

Queazy · 12/01/2013 15:15

I think Erin and Violet are really pretty. My faves are Martha and Scarlet though - not sure if they're a bit cutesy, but top of my list

Yika · 12/01/2013 15:08

Taking inspiration from celeb city:
Blake
Paris
Harper
Harlow
Janis

badtime · 12/01/2013 14:44

Now I have posted that, I realise that a lot of the virtue names, such as Faith or Hope are spectacularly ungirly.

badtime · 12/01/2013 14:42

I like the same kind of names. My hypothetical girls names are Rowan, Ellis, Robin, Morgan.

Other names I like that my partner would never agree to would include names like Hero, Leto, Fox and, oddly, Constance.

charlottery · 12/01/2013 14:07

I like these kind of names too, really like Hazel. How about

Marit
Ingrid
Manon

TessOfTheBaublevilles · 12/01/2013 13:53

I'm also a fan of non girly-girl names, but unlike you OP, I don't like androgynous names, and I loathe to see boy's names on girls; Cameron and James for example, are strictly all boy in my eyes and always will be.

I really like Hazel, Olive and Violet from your list, they're proper girl's names, but they're not super frilly like Isabella (for example).

My DD is Sarah, which DH and I opted for, because while it's clearly a girl's name it isn't girly-girl. It's just a solid sounding name. MIL was quite disappointed and lamented our choice, and wanted us to go for someone more 'cutesy', especially because her other two granddaughters are called Poppy and Kitty. She actually had the nerve to say, "Sarah doesn't seem as 'jolly' as Poppy and Kitty, I can see P & K doing the things little girls should like playing princesses, and Sarah will be the one reading a book in the corner." I gave her a wry smile and told her that's what we were going for. She's lucky I didn't smack her though.

I'm currently expecting our fourth (and last) child and the girl names we're considering are:

Mary
Margaret
Elizabeth
Lois

These fit mine and DH's criteria to a T. We also like Marianne but can't quite decide if it's frilly or not. I don't think so, but DH thinks it is.

I probably haven't been any help to you OP, but just wanted to let you know, you're not alone in wanting to avoid girly-girl names.

NB: I think my appreciation of non-frilly names, stems from the fact I myself have such a name, I'm just Tess. It's straight to the point/fuss free and I've always liked that.

SageBush · 12/01/2013 13:11

Rowan
Imogen
Tamsin
Erin

(I feel the same as you, OP, and dislike the very frilly, girly names which seem popular at the moment. The above are top of my list for the daughter I most likely will never have!)

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