Boudicca

[GlitterGlueGun]

...And other strong women's names.
Also like
Jekka
Hecate

Thoughts, suggestions?

Sorry but no to all of the above. There were many strong women in history who have more acceptable names such as Deborah and Judith. How about Ruth for RBG? Or Sylvia for the Pankhurst? I’m sure others will have more suggestions.

And how would you pronounce that? I was brought up being told it was Bow-da-cee-are and I think unless you are around 'young' people all the time that is how they would say it - heaven knows how you are supposed to pronounce it now... Bow-dicker?

I think they are a bit too much to be honest. I will add for consideration, Marie for Marie Curie and Maya (Angelou) but I there are loads of other strong women's names.

I don't particularly mind Jekka or Hecate, but Boudicca is a step too far. Or a leap too far in fact.

I went to school with a Boudicca, only she was always called Poohdicka . Now she is just Bea.

Hecate is associated with witchcraft and evil. As a character in Macbeth which LOTS of children study for GCSE she could be made well aware of that!

Agree with PP about difficulties with pronunciation of Boudicca.
I love the idea of naming your DD after a strong woman but IMO these are not great names.
Never heard of Jekka. But don’t dislike it.

What about Emmeline? After Emmeline Pankhurst?

Ada after Ada Lovelace?

Boo-dicka or Bow-de-see-a? Either way Boo/Bo are nice nicknames.

Hecate and Jekka are ugly sounds. Hecate to me sounds like an evil witch and I’ve never heard of Jekka.

How about Joan?

I like Boudicca but the teacher they all hate in the Horrid Henry books is called Boudicca Battle axe, so that would put me off using it for a child.

Awful

Boudicca is fine BUT only if you fit scythe blades to the wheels of her pram and buggy.

@Yesyoudoknowme

And how would you pronounce that? I was brought up being told it was Bow-da-cee-are and I think unless you are around 'young' people all the time that is how they would say it - heaven knows how you are supposed to pronounce it now... Bow-dicker?

That’s the Boadicea spelling. Boudicca / Boudica is pronounced Boo-dicca.

While she was one amazing woman, I don’t think I’d use the name nowadays.

God it’s awful. Please don’t do that to your child.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=svuoXcj9CkI

Watch from 2:25

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

Boudicca is fine BUT only if you fit scythe blades to the wheels of her pram and buggy.

This is a must! I can see a whole new range of prams being created as we speak!😂

NO! Anyway she had a bad ending - so not so great.

No to Boudicca, Jekka and Hecate. They’re all way too much.
Pp suggestions of Emmeline,
Ruth and Sylvia are good.
What about Millicent (as in Fawcett), Elizabeth (as in queens/Garrett Anderson), Victoria, Eleanor (of Aquitaine), Margaret (as in Thatcher/Bondfield)?

Thanks for the feedback

@KiriAndLou yeah! Come to think of it Dawn... stealthy.

It is Boo-di-ka I'm thinking of. Quite like kicking sounds I think.

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles that's a thought...

Emmeline And Marie are lovely but I was hoping for more oomph in the name itself.

There was a little Boudicca in the nursery near me - I worked out of their space over the holidays and her name was on a few drawings. I wouldn't, personally.

Hero? I'm not brave enough to use it see what I did there but it's a lovely girls' name.

Boudicca - the whole story with her daughters isn't exactly one I'd want associated with my daughter. Also, any name with 'dic' in it isn't one I'd use with my kids.

Hecate is a mythological figure rather than a 'strong woman' to me. Deity names tend to be a mixed bag to me.

No idea about Jekka.

I have a soft spot for Salome with Queen Salome Alexandra and her essentially mythical status within some communities (among other women who've had that name) though I'm aware she's more associated with Josephus naming the girl who in the Bible asked for John the Baptist's head that and the many things written about that character with that name since. The latter doesn't really put me off, but I'd use it as a middle name for my daughter's sake.

Honestly, I think with most names you can look up and find role models to fit (or to damn) them. I look into finding a broad range of role models and stories with a name (I enjoy giving my kids books with characters who share their name on their birthday, more awkward for some than others) than trying to find a name with one very strong association. I'd use Alexandra with the many possible choices of admirable woman over Boudicca where there were probably many with that name, but we all think of one.

Do you mean strong as in the sound? Or 'strong' women who shared the name?

Just because most women were deliberately excluded from the recording of history, especially the further back you go with older names... So I'd be inclined to take the view that there will have been strong and noteworthy women who shared the names even if we have been denied the chance to know about them. Any older, strong sounding name that you liked would connect to them.

But I am a bit awkward like that.

If I were looking for a strong name with a good story behind it for a little girl, I’d go with Eowyn (A-Oh-Win). It is a pretty old English name, and Tolkien it belongs to the beautiful and brave Lady of Rohan who rides (in disguise) into the Battle of Pelennor Fields and slays the Witch-King of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgûl - something no man could do. I know of one little Eowyn out in Australia and I thought it was a super choice.

We’ve just registered our baby. My DP’s first choice of name was Boudicca, and I admit I did love it too. The Boadicea pronunciation is apparently a result of a mistranslation, although a prettier sound, I think. What a woman! As tempted as I was to use the name for our daughter, I reluctantly decided it could turn out to be a burden for her later in life. While I’d love to be named Boudicca, I can imagine plenty of people would hate it. But if I met a baby Boudicca, I’d be overjoyed!

I love Hecate.

@Yesyoudoknowme

And how would you pronounce that? I was brought up being told it was Bow-da-cee-are and I think unless you are around 'young' people all the time that is how they would say it - heaven knows how you are supposed to pronounce it now... Bow-dicker?

BOO-dick-uh