Lilith?

[EThreepwood]

I really want a powerful feminist name.
I found this one yesterday.

According to the Kabbalah supposed to be Adam's original wife moulded out of clay at the same time.
Adam wanted dominance but she wanted equality. So she rebelled and left Eden out of her own free will. So the original feminist. (The good part of the name)

But the name also has bad connotations. Literally means night monster. She became a demon and the legend says steals babies?

What do you think? If you don't like it what strong names do you have?

[greentreesdream]

I was thinking of Angelou, although what a lovely meaning it has!

[WeArePregnant1]

Yael would be great imo. And you might like the biblical Yael...

I personally find the associations surrounding Lilith too dark and dire. Yes, some feminists have recently tried to reclaim her but the other traditions are much older and imo still quite pervasive.



"From the four specific references to Lillith in the Talmud, we learn that she is a wild-haired and winged creature with nymphomaniac tendencies (Eruvin 100b, Nidah 24b, Shabbat 151b). She is the mother of demons (Bava Batra 73a) and is said to "kill 100 of her demon children daily."

www.aish.com/atr/Lillith.html?mobile=yes

"The evil she threatened, especially against children and women in childbirth, was said to be counteracted by the wearing of an amulet bearing the names of certain angels."

www.britannica.com/topic/Lilith-Jewish-folklore

And this is the hasidic (well, Chabad) perspective. You obviously don't have the same perspective (perfectly fine and your right) but if you haven't already read it I'd personally advise you to at least have a looi
Simply because your child will meet many people with various ideas and worldviews.

www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/555601/jewish/Achieving-Man-20.htm

[runningtogetskinny]

I know some MNers view it as a bit twee but I named my daughter Emily after Emily Wilding Davison (who is buried about 30 miles from where we live) I also wanted a name that had a strong feminist connection

[whatausername]

You'll need to look up their bios but here are some different women to the usual examples given:

Agnes, Countess of Dunbar, badass!
Mary Bowser, fought against slavery at great personal risk
Victoria Drummond, early woman marine engineer (read her story, she wasn't any old engineer)
Josephine Butler, Suffragette and social worker
Andrée Geulen Herscovici, rescued ~1000 children during the Holocaust

Of course, who you shape her to be will be infinitely more important than any name. Even those who do amazing things will have done bad things or held unpleasant views too. But I understand the idea of giving your DD someone to inspire her, I used to google my own name to see what my namesakes had done.

[TrollTheRespawnJeremy]

Lilith just makes me think the parents are ageing goths

[greentreesdream]

Oi, nothing wrong with ageing goths!

[whatausername]

I've some South/Central Asian and a couple of Middle Eastern examples too if that's appropriate for you.

[Batfinklestein]

I love the name Lilith, even knowing some of the negative connotations.
I suspect a large portion of the general public wouldn’t know the background and would just think it’s a pretty name.

[Footle]

Boudicca/Boadicea

[Cam2020]

I like the suggestions of Emmeline and Christabel.

What about Margaret or Maggie (as in Atwood)?

[Cam2020]

I guess the key is to find a name that you like with a story that resonates with you. If that's Lilith, then go with it. People will always have personal opinions or preconceptions of any name.

[bridgetreilly]

I wouldn't use Lilith because of its meaning and origin story.

But also, it always sounds to me as though it's being pronounced by someone with a lisp.

[JE17]

I love Lilith.

I named a DC after a Frasier character, but not this one.

[CoffeeBeansGalore]

Another one who automatically thinks of Frasier .

What about:
Victoria
Bernadette - means brave as a bear
Millicent - means strong in work
Harper - I think of Harper Lee rather than the Beckhams
Bronte - Greek, means thunder
Imogen
Megan

[grumpypreggers]

This thread is great! Some fab ideas. Not too keen on Lilith but love Bernadette and Marina.

[ElephantAndButterfly]

@JE17 desperate to know which now! 😆

[ArtichokeAardvark]

Isn't Lilith the mother of all demons? Not a great association to saddle your daughter with, IMO!

It will also be shortened to Lily, which is pretty but not exactly strong.

[Disfordarkchocolate]

It's a fantastic name. I think of its later story as being a load of anti female bollocks often found in the bible. I say that as a Christian.

[Lumie123]

Ops wasn't meant to post the there. Sorry

[elfran]

I love Lilith, I think of it as an uncommon, feminist name and the negative Biblical associations don't bother me at all. (Granted, this is probably because I'm not religious at all, and keep in mind that anything in the Bible, even those stories with a grain of truth to them, has been transcribed by men and thus viewed through a lens that is often highly misogynistic ... anyway I digress. ) I really doubt anybody would have a negative opinion of your daughter because of this name - as soon as they know her, their primary association with Lilith would be your daughter, not a Bible story or a character from a sitcom which ended 16 years ago! (And fwiw, Lilith was a great character.)

Another feminist name I love, with a "negative" story/association that has been reclaimed in recent years, is Hester. It's a bit Marmite but perhaps more "obviously" strong/feminist than the subtler references like Emmeline, Maya, Margaret, etc, simply because it's less common.

[Immigrantsong]

I love Lilith. All the negative connotations is because she was not obedient to Adam and God kicked her out of heaven out of spite and then she supposedly became mother of demons. Sounds fair to me.

Other strong names:
Zenobia (BME super queen in Africa)
Antiope (Amazon queen)
Isabella (warrior queen of spain)
Hypatia (Grren Mathematian and astronomer killed by the Christ6mb for refusing to convert)
Olympia (Alexander the Great's mum and a massive strategist)
Marie (from Marie Curie)

[speedygo]

Love Lilith. My best friend is named this and she's mid 20s. Never been a Lily and always Lilith. Tbh Lily isn't common at all where we live so that might be it

[Hopeful57]

I love Lilith, I think of it as an uncommon, feminist name and the negative Biblical associations don't bother me at all

There are no negative biblical associations. Simply due to the fact that Lilith is not a "biblical" figure. It's a phenomenon quite exclusive to the Jewish religion and culture.

I'm not saying that non-Jewish people can't use it. But if they want to use it and also feel like they can just redefine old Jewish concepts to conform with their personal tastes and opinions? It's a bit problematic imo if I'm being honest...

[Hopeful57]

Isabella (warrior queen of spain)

Isabella the I?