Strong girl names

[Embracethechaos]

As it's the centenary of women getting the vote I'd like a strong female name for my daughter political, musical or scientific name but not too unusual. My list included matilda Lydia Elza Jane Olivia Marie, aurora, lilly, lyra Anne, bess... Bodica? Too radical... I don't like the sound of matilda, could be tilly I suppose... I could have multiple middle names, but only want one, a family member as a middle name. Maybe I'll look up historical events around the due date, mid July and pick a name based on that.. Need to do some history homework...

'ee' names are OK for some children but some suit more old names. I know an Albert who's parents tried to call bertie, but he's a little old man and I think definitely more of an Albert. I like names that can be shortered.

I love the name zelda but zelda Fitzgerald was a nutcase

Zelda Kathryn is very nice !

Mathilda = Tilda = Tilda Swinton = awesome actress.

Margaret - of Atwood fame
Jane (Campion)
Judith (Kerr)
Zola (Bud)

Thousands out there!

Alice, as in Wonderland? Independent, sticks up for others (well, a pack of cards, anyway )

Alice (Walker)

Helen
Joan

I think 'nutcase' is more than the usual MH slur there Scabbersley.

Zelda Fitzgerald wrote 'Save Me the Waltz' in about six weeks while experiencing a mental breakdown, during the period, of many years, when husband F. Scott was writing and refining 'Tender is the Night'. Unsurprisingly his book is more polished but hers is really very good.

Saskia
Freya
Bess (from Elizabeth)
Harriet
Greta
Lois

Eve
Lara
Valentina
Leda
Cara/Kara
Natalia
Sophia
Zola
Kendra
Rosa

Zelda is great. Strong and everyone will know the name but few will actually know a Zelda.

Zelda Fitzgerald is an historical figure so I don't feel too bad about the word. She's not an actual poster on here.

No but what I mean is that, as well as being at the milder end of the general category of 'not nice pejorative terms', 'nutcase' as the one thing being said about her, does Zelda F a huge disservice, as she was an impressive novelist, amongst other things. Achieving that despite her health problems might be regarded as all the more impressive. It's the dismissiveness that bothers me.

Anyway, I think Zelda is a fab name. Quite like Zora too, though only came across it as a character, who wasn't especially awe-inspiring, in one of Zadie Smith's novels.

I love Rosa, Josephine, Emmeline and Katherine.

Fatima Whitbread was strong...

I like Matilda and Zelda!

I'm a fan of plain speaking and also love a good nutcase. I think psychiatry has a terrible past and has been very oppressive of women so Fitzgerald does not put me off. Nutcase = strong willed.

Zora Neale Hurston amazing author, amazing woman.

Rosa after Rosa Park, my friend called her daughter Rosa.

Tilly/Lily/Bess/Autora/Lyra don’t sound strong to me at all.

I think you need to decide if you want to name them after strong historical women or if you want a name that sounds strong?

Eg Elizabeth is a strong sounding name. Beth or Lilly are cute names. It is hard to reconcile a cute sounding name and a string sounding name and if you are going to use a cute nickname then you don’t particularly like a strong sounding name surely?

Xena
Boudicca
Victoria

Elsa
Thora
Hera

Valda

It means power, there was a well known Danish actress who was Valda Valkyrie! Her birth name was Adele though.

Emmeline was also the name of another prominent suffragette (and my favourite) Emmeline Pethick - Lawrence.

I think someone who thins Emmeline Pankhurst was too militant may not really be that into strong women .She was a force of nature. She scaled castle walls!

Constance Lytton was another remarkable suffragette.

I'm not much of a historian, but read she was a militant and generally antiviolence, looking for more underdogs, unrecognised historical women. I wouldn't want to name my child after a monk who set themselves on fire... too many women to chose from.. ...thanks for all the suggestions, I'll leave this thread now, I'm liking Rosa best right now.