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

[OkayHazel]

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!

I love Ffion, Frances, Piper and Lois.

There is a Freddie in my dd's class, not sure whether it's just her nickname, though.

Fearne to me doesn't sound girlie, either.

Jan
Gael
Carey
Mishal/michal
Ashling
Daryl

Stevie.

Zetta
Tara
Billie

I love boys names for girls too.
My DN is called Rory :)

Fern
Beth
Cooper
Elin
Harriet(nn Harrie)
Jude

Seren
Erin
Tegan
Megan
Morag
Ffion
Rhian
Jane
I love Morgan though

Innes
Charis
Simone

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!)

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.

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

Marit
Ingrid
Manon

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.

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

Taking inspiration from celeb city:
Blake
Paris
Harper
Harlow
Janis

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

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.

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?

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

Love violet and like jude.

Olive
Robyn
Lois

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

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

Cody

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

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

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.

I like Cameron. As in Cameron Diaz

Cameron
Mirren
Agnes
Margo/Margot
Arran
Autumn
Peta