Frankie or Danni

[Writerlythings]

Okay so not for a baby but for a character so I hope that's okay mumsnetters as I love the names forum.

I want a name for my female character who is a tough cookie and quite stand offish but witty with it. She's a DI in an English force. I wanted a unisex name that she's chosen though her real full name is feminine. Ive been playing around with

Danni (short for Danica or Danielle)
Frankie (Francesca)
Lenni (Helena)

What do people think/see when they hear these names. Surname wise I was playing around with colours such as Grey or Green or something Irish like Farrell Or Flynn

Please don't take this badly but is it not a bit clichéd to give the tough cookie a unisex name?

Having said that I do know detectives called Frankie and Danni and neither are wallflowers so maybe the stereotypes hold

Those do seem very 80s, cliched names (especially the Danni spelling).

Maybe something like Jim (for Jemima?) or Tom (NOT for Thomasina, something else 🙂) would achieve what you're after? Smarter, more contemporary, less of a whiff of bubble perm?

I agree - wouldn't a very feminine name be a nice contrast with a steely tough personality?

Or even a 'normal name' - see Harry Potter. the 'normalness' of the name contrasts aainst his unusual circumstances and extraordinary powers. It wouldn't be quite the same if he was called Cornelius Lightninghand or similar.

Why would she want to 'cover up' her femaleness? Often in the Police Service people are introduced to the public by their suname, e.g. DI Green. Why would a female DI be so desperate to cover up the name 'Helena'? Lenny is a bit of a stretch, there must be some backstory behind it. If the book is set in the present, then being female shouldn't be too much of a disadvantage.

What do I see when I hear those names - um, a really cliched novel?!

Sorry, but that just sounds SO old hat. It would be so much better to just have a normal name! It's really not going to add anything to the character except to make her sound as if she's in an 80s cop drama.

YY to bubble perm! Who remembers 'The Gentle Touch'?!!!

It depends how old she she is.

Stevie (Stephanie)

You could give it a twist with a female name that is shortened to a usual male shortening. Like Davina to Dave/Davie or Edwina to Ed/Eddie or maybe Samantha to Sam/Sammie?

Yes to the Harry Potter point.

The name is really important - and to make the name somehow try and scream out something about the character is a real misstep, I think. Really amateur!

Find the right name though. Something classic-ish, maybe slightly unusual surname.

to make the name somehow try and scream out something about the character is a real misstep, I think. Really amateur!

Tsk. You wouldn't say that to Thomas Hardy 😄

Or go the absolute whole hog and call her -

Albert
Dominic
Michael

None of this unisex stuff! Her mother wanted a boy and called her Michael and MADE her go into the police force. But it backfired because she loved it and got to the top and had her mum ARRESTED for crimes against naming babies.

Serf Terf

had her mum ARRESTED for crimes against naming babies.

😂

Achwm. We'all behave now OP. Honest.

Are we being any help at all?

Harper sprang to mind
Or Robyn

Gwendoline Mary Coltrane?

Viv or Vic

Ha yes and I love the Gentle Touch reference. I agree with a lot of the comment. In this case i don't have a free hand it is a specific scenario. Given the comments it suggests I'm on the right lines. There are likely to be bubble perms :)

Aha I see...!

Lee instead of Leonie?

Charlie instead of Charlotte?

Is it UK or America? You could have:

Hank short for Hankrietta

Chip short for Chippina

Butch short for Butcholetta

or maybe not

Not sure Danni was an 80's name.
Born in 71 and full name is Daniella shortened by people to Dani but still seen as an unusual name when I was a teenager.

Ah that's interesting as I was 80s and there were 3 in my class. All Danielles

I'm a 70s child and the only common easily shortened to a boys name I can think of was Samantha. Unless you use Ray for Rachel or Lee for Lisa.

Andy for Andrea.

If it's set during the 80s then the character would have been born in the 60s so you need a name that was popular then. Jacqueline was very in then,you could have a Jack, Jackie or Jaks. Not Jax though, superfluous x s were a 90s thing.

If it's eighties set, I really like Charlie/Charlotte or George/Georgina.

Actually scrub that. Toni is the ultimate bubble perm name.

Katherine (Kit)
Wilma (Will)
Christine (Chris)
Harriet (Harry)
Bryony (Bry)
Georgina (George)
Henrietta (Henry)
Alison (Al)
Victoria (Vic)
Leanne (Lee)
Michelle (Micky)
Olivia (Olly)
Roberta (Bertie)