asking from the states about UK girls' names

Rowena- may well be upper class; certainly never come across one in the working/lower middle class circles in which I move

Harriet- older girls, not children now

Henrietta- again, not in our social circles

Maisie- yes, you do get those

Claire- somebody my age or a little younger; not a name I'd expect to hear attached to a child for the next 20 years or so

And the only Rowena I knew was a fat, ugly, miserable, emo teen who was in love with this guy who was screwing just about everyone else (well, he was rather good-looking AND French).

Funny Rowena is perceived as a posh name by so many - only Rowena I've ever met was from a completely ordinary background, not posh at all.

Rowena - unusual, wouldn't have a clue about age, class etc. Btw I much prefer the "Rowenna" pronunciation that beccagrace2 mentioned - never heard of it being said that way but much prettier! I would spell it Rowenna if you were going for that pronunciation.

Harriet - I know a few Harriets in their teens and 20s; it's quite popular while not ubiquitous. I know it's in the top 100 names atm.

Henrietta - stereotypically posh, feels very snobby and haughty to me.

Maisie - typical trendy little girl name. Quite like it but it just blends into a sea of Daisys, Mollys, Hollys, Tillies, Evies etc.

Clare - very 70s. Would certainly be uncommon an a little girl today. Clare spelling could be a pain as Claire is usually the default. What about Clara instead?

I had to share a summer camp cabin in France with an American Rowena once, but her mother was British. Her parents were academics at an Ivy League university.

And she was enormous and miserable about it and just miserable in general.

So everytime I think of that name, it puts me off.

But I live in W. Scotland so you don't hear any of those names on your list much.

hi my sis is called rowena, but its pron row enna, mnot row eena. she often spells it rowenna now so that people say it right, but is also known as ro to her friends and rose/ rosie to family.she is not posh either!

Rowena, Harriet and Henrietta are all 'posh girl' names. However, these posh, old fashioned names are making a comeback. Harriet has already become much more common. I foresee the other two following suit.

Clare is unusual for this generation.

Maisie - common. Lots of Milly/Molly/Tilly/Maisie/Daisy type names here in the UK.

Was at school with a Rowena. Occasionally referred to as Rowenta (as in maker of irons) but not often. Agree with others that Rowena and Henrietta quite 'posh' names. Harriet less so (and I prefer Harriet). Maisie - popular mouse books - sounds more like a nn. Clare was very popular in the 70s/80s - know a little Clara now.

Hettie is also a nn for either Harriet or Henrietta.

Rowena -- v. unusual in the US and UK; would expect Rowena to have a pony, maybe attend boarding school.
Harriet -- also unusual in the US, more popular in the UK, and more middle class than Rowena; nn 'Hattie', 'Harry'.
Henrietta -- has a sort of a Deep South Old Lady vibe in the US; I would say a little old-fashioned for the UK, less popular than Harriet; nn 'Hattie' 'Etta' 'Ettie', maybe 'Harry'.
Maisie -- Middle class chic name, it's sort of a nn in itself.
Clare (this spelling is less common in USA) -- Claire went through a popularity surge in the 90s in the US; Clare not so much, but it was popular in the 70s and early 80s in the UK.

Rowena, not often used probably because of the popularity of the slightly less ornate Rowan (unisex name)
Harriet - fairly popular but not overly so. Is lovely though. Know only one and her nn is Hattie.
Henrietta - a bit OTT, posh connotations, a bit dated even
Maisie - popular forerunner in the old lady chic trend, although actually don't personally know any. Pretty.
Clare - plenty of these over 18, dh's niece has this name with this spelling.

Really like Harriet and Maisie.

Maisie ways strikes me as an American sounding name. Don't know why.

Henrietta and Rowena are quite upper class names. Everyone I have met with these names ones a pony and plays lacrosse. I like both names a lot.

Harriet is a nice traditional name.

Claire is dated. V 1970s. Might be due a revival though.

Why are you intersted in UK opinions?

Rowena - lovely
Harriet - lovely
Henrietta - not so keen (considered v posh)
Maisie - sweet, and very popular
Clare - most Clares/Claires I know are in their 30s...don't know any small children with this name.

Are you thinking of moving to the UK? I moved to the US after my children were born and I might not have chosen ds's name if I'd known we were going to - most people have never heard of it and he gets some very odd pronounciations. But on the bright side, dd's name is slightly less ubiquitous here than in the UK.

But to answer your question, Rowena is very unusual but I think it sounds pretty, Harriet is fairly popular but not excessively so, Henrietta is a bit posh. Maisie is I think an old lady name that is becoming extremely popular. Clare is probably quite unusual for little girls, lots and lots of them my age. Claire is probably the more popular spelling.

I think all your names would work fine.