Middle name - strong woman

[Misslemon01]

We’ve pretty much settled on the first name for our baby girl - it’s a traditional Victorian name, begins with E.

Now we’re looking for a middle name, after a strong woman in literature or history. So far we’ve considered:

• Simone (de Beauvoir)
• Marie (Curie)
• Sylvia (Plath)
• Helen (of Troy) - though not very strong!

Any other thoughts? Also open to Shakespeare characters, but not the rubbish ones who are accessories to men!

I always liked Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing.

Sally (Ride)
Margaret (Hamilton)
Sophie (Scholl)

Were a few that came to mind.

How about Mary (Anning), after the 19th century paleontologist? She was from a poor background, with no scientific training but changed how we see the past.

Lilith
Eve
Judith
Margaret (of Anjou)
Matilda (Queen of England...I think...fought with Steven if I remember rightly)
Catherine (of Aragon)
Portia (Merchant of Venice)
Julian (of Norwich, a woman who knew her own mind)

Joan (of Arc).

Freya
Athena
Marianne (George Eliot)
Sylvia could also be Pankhurst

I had similar thoughts to you when naming DD1, and went with Tanaquil as a middle name. (A certain amount of mickey taking from my parents ensued, since they gave us middle names like Jane and Andrew.)

I agree with Athena. How about Artemisia? Or Livia?

Harper (Lee)
Meg, Jo, Beth or Amy (from Little Women)
Emmeline (Pankhurst)
Florence (Nightingale)

Also would love to add Lisa (Simpson) - the longest-running feminist character tv has had, she is the voice of reason and a such good soul :)

Forgot to add that I prefer the spelling Silvia. Rhea Silvia was of course the mum of Romulus and Remus, if you're prepared to think of legendary characters as well as historical ones. Sylvia/Silvia is beautiful and I love the Pankhurst connection. Not relevant to you, but the last and loveliest form tutor I had in sixth form was a Sylvia. We clubbed together and got her a silver necklace with her name on it as a leaving gift. She was an older lady then (1995) so perhaps that generation's names are ripe for revival!

PS Even after the mickey taking that resulted from Tanaquil, I'm glad I didn't go with Isis. I nearly did. Imagine going through customs with that on your kid's passport.

Mythological? Artemis, Demeter, Hera/o, Morgan, Guinivere, Epona

George (Sand & Eliot), Colette, Katherine (Mansfield), Virginia, Willa (Cather)

Maya (Angelou)
Rosa (parks)
Rey (Star Wars)- kick ass female lead

Boudicca

Portia
Athena /Athenais (with a funny french I with 2 dots on)
Artemis
Medea
Freya

Just noticed first name trad Victorian so I would go with something from classical mythology.

Aphra (Benn)- one of the first English women to earn a living by her writing and she was a spy. Cool AF.

Thank you everyone!

@BabloHoney @victoire1208 I also really like Florence and Artemis as you suggested. I wasn’t sure about Florence as it would be an F after an E first name, but maybe that’s ok?? Re Artemis, I wasn’t sure if that was a bit wanky, but she’s an excellent Greek goddess.

Artemis is one of my fav names. I would have called my DD that if it wasn't too much of a mouthful with our French surname.

Amelia (Earhart)
Indira (Gandhi)
Joan (of Arc)
Helen (Keller)
Catherine (the Great)
Jane (Austen)
Rosa (Parks)
Anne (Frank)

@NinonDeLenclos may I ask who Colette is in history? It’s a really pretty name.

Amazon? They were strong women.

I like your theme ! :)
Rosa (parks)
Emmeline (pankhurst)
Frida (kahlo)

With strong women in mind.. I've always loved the name Bernadette because it means Brave as a Bear :)

Rosalind (Franklin)
Harriet (Martineau)
Mary (Wollstonecraft, and also her daughter Mary Shelley)
Edith (Cavell)
Emmeline (Pankhurst)
Sylvia (Pankhurst)
Sophia (Duleep Singh)
Emily (Davison)

Congratulations on your near arrival. As a mother of a girls army I already LOVE this thread - I'm massively invested in it! Sorry if I repeat any previous suggestions.

Literary:
Josephine (March) from Little Women
Scarlet (O'Hara) from Gone With The Wind
Celie from The Color Purple
Hermoine (Granger) from Harry Potter

Historical/Current affairs:
Sophie (Scholl) The White Rose Movement
Malala (Yousafzai) Female Education Activist
Valentina (Tereshkova) Astronaut

Annelies (Anne Frank's first name)
Emmeline (Pankhurst)
Mary (Anning)
Frida (Kahlo)
Diana (Princess Di & Wonder Woman's first name)
Rosa (Parks)
Beatrix (Potter)
Audrey (Hepburn)
Cleo (...patra)
Valentina (Tereshkova - first woman in space)
Bronte (the Bronte Sisters)

It has to be Olivia. You might get away with Olive though.

Katharine
Margaret
Elizabeth (if that's not the first name obv)
Victoria