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Baby names

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

Original poster

Timeless, classic girls names

56 replies

MiracleBaby2022 · 14/02/2022 17:32

I'm still struggling massively with names... I think I would prefer a really timeless, classic name for our girl (and not too short as we have a short surname). A name that won't go out of fashion and doesn't have silly shortenings.

Any suggestions?

OP posts:
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gingerhills · 17/02/2022 10:08

Elizabeth
Katherine
Alexandra
Susannah
Imogen
Beatrice
Rosalind/Rosamund
Amelia
Emily
Charlotte
Rebecca

Hadtocomment · 17/02/2022 09:50

Amy
Lucy
Jane
Joanna
Julia and Julianne
Hannah
Cecily (prefer to Cecilia)
Rosalind and Rosamund
Catherine

Latenightreader · 15/02/2022 22:52

[quote MiracleBaby2022]**@Latenightreader* @Laurie01* we're considering Frances but really don't like the usual nicknames like Fran and Frankie... does your daughter get called by any of those or do people tend to stick with Frances for such a short name?[/quote]
She’s only three so currently gets the long version from everyone which I am very happy about. I have occasionally called her Francie but now I think about it probably not since she was a baby. It will be interesting to see what she chooses/her friends choose to call her at school. I don’t mind Frannie (long A) as a short, but for now I stick to Frances. Not a fan of Fran!

waltzingparrot · 15/02/2022 22:48

Sylvia
Margaret
Juliette
Harriet
Imogen
Ophelia
Thomasina

SingingSands · 15/02/2022 22:41

Sophie
Louisa
Emma

ODFOx · 15/02/2022 22:31

Elizabeth and Margaret are both classic names with lots of potential nicknames, but I don't know what you'd consider silly.

Mary is a classic name with no obvious shortenings, easy to spell and say for a small child. I had one. She was called Marley by a nursery friend and it stuck for most of primary school.

You cannot stop nicknames and shortenings I'm afraid OP. You can insist that one only is used within the family but as soon as they're teens they'll change it anyway. Just pick a name you like for the birth certificate and hope for the best! There are lots of lovely names on the thread already. Congratulations!

Mischance · 15/02/2022 22:29

My DD is Elizabeth - we chose it to give her lots of choice - and we never actually call her that.

TheVanguardSix · 15/02/2022 22:26

Veronica
Samantha
Miranda
Tabitha
Serena
Cassandra
Vanessa
Rosemary
Helena
Jemima
Dorothy
Tallulah
Clementine
Helena
Hannah

Ohyesiam · 15/02/2022 22:21

Queen’s name’s

HadEnoughOfBears · 15/02/2022 22:18

Laura

sageandbasil · 15/02/2022 22:16

@17caterpillars1mouse my names never on these things thank you!

sageandbasil · 15/02/2022 22:15

@MiracleBaby2022 if you like Francis buy not fran/frankie as NN what about Cece? It's nkt the obvious choice but it could work

sageandbasil · 15/02/2022 22:13

I think Juliet is absolutely beautiful

17caterpillars1mouse · 15/02/2022 21:49

Anneliese
Bethan
Christina
Emmeline
Matilda
Francesca
Laurel
Patricia
Natasha
Martha
Margaret
Hannah
Susannah
April
Rebecca
Colette

Liv999 · 15/02/2022 21:46

Alexandra
Charlotte
Clara
Caroline
Eleanor
Emmeline
Emma
Elizabeth/Eliza
Grace
Isabella
Louisa
Madeleine
Sophia
Victoria

CaffiSaliMali · 15/02/2022 16:22

Elizabeth is the ultimate classic, timeless girls name.

Otherwise I would think of names which have been in use for a long time e.g. medieval and Tudor names: Isabella and Isabel, Eleanor, Catherine/Katharine, Philippa, Bridget, Jane, Margaret, Matilda, Alice, Cecily, Amy, Frances, Anne, Dorothy and Emma. Some are currently popular, others less so.

There's also biblical names like Hannah, Sarah, Mary, Rebecca, Lydia, Leah, Susannah, Esther and Rachel.

Then there's names I associate with the post Tudor era like Caroline, Charlotte, Louisa, Georgiana, Sophia/Sophie, Harriet, Victoria, Henrietta and Marianne.

Plus classical and literary names like Cassandra, Helen, Rosalind, Penelope and Juliet.

babyjellyfish · 15/02/2022 13:03

Anna is my favourite. So simple and elegant.

Moonface123 · 15/02/2022 12:42

Juliette
Florence
Genevieve
Georgia
Alexandria

Original poster
MiracleBaby2022 · 15/02/2022 12:31

@Twizbe incredible... but good to know, thank you!

OP posts:
Twizbe · 15/02/2022 12:30

[quote MiracleBaby2022]@Twizbe whaat - my god that is hilarious! I mean, apologies for laughing, I know about the male/female thing, but you'd think a hospital would be able to know if their patient is male or female!! [/quote]
You'd think, especially as one of the operations she was having was gynaecology!

But no, that i and E confuses people all the time.

Original poster
MiracleBaby2022 · 15/02/2022 12:12

@Twizbe whaat - my god that is hilarious! I mean, apologies for laughing, I know about the male/female thing, but you'd think a hospital would be able to know if their patient is male or female!!

OP posts:
Twizbe · 15/02/2022 11:51

[quote MiracleBaby2022]**@Latenightreader* @Laurie01* we're considering Frances but really don't like the usual nicknames like Fran and Frankie... does your daughter get called by any of those or do people tend to stick with Frances for such a short name?[/quote]
I was going to say Elizabeth as it's a wonderful name (and mine so I'm biased)

Frances is my middle name. It's also my mums name.

I know one who shortens it to Fran pronounced Fraaan with a long ahh sound.

One thing to consider is that most people don't realise that Frances = female and Francis = male. My mum has lost count of the amount of times people have got her sex wrong because of that. Twice she's been admitted to hospital and placed on a male ward because of it.

Original poster
MiracleBaby2022 · 15/02/2022 11:48

Thanks all, lots of great suggestions!

OP posts:
Original poster
MiracleBaby2022 · 15/02/2022 11:47

@Latenightreader @Laurie01 we're considering Frances but really don't like the usual nicknames like Fran and Frankie... does your daughter get called by any of those or do people tend to stick with Frances for such a short name?

OP posts:
Mumofgirls2017 · 15/02/2022 08:17

Julia
Charlotte
Maria
Elizabeth
Sarah
Alice
Anna
Clara
Emily
Emma
Lydia
Catherine
Isabel
Beatrice
Louisa
Eleanor
Helena
Eliza
Juliet
Kate

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