asking from the states about UK girls' names

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We're expecting a girl this spring and are debating some names that come up more in the UK than here in the States. I'd love to hear how these names are perceived across the pond - how popular, stylish (or not!), what you associate with them, nicknames you hear, etc. Thanks very much!

Rowena
Harriet
Henrietta
Maisie
Clare (this spelling is less common in USA)

Are you thinking of moving to the UK? I moved to the US after my children were born and I might not have chosen ds's name if I'd known we were going to - most people have never heard of it and he gets some very odd pronounciations. But on the bright side, dd's name is slightly less ubiquitous here than in the UK.

But to answer your question, Rowena is very unusual but I think it sounds pretty, Harriet is fairly popular but not excessively so, Henrietta is a bit posh. Maisie is I think an old lady name that is becoming extremely popular. Clare is probably quite unusual for little girls, lots and lots of them my age. Claire is probably the more popular spelling.

I think all your names would work fine.

Rowena - lovely
Harriet - lovely
Henrietta - not so keen (considered v posh)
Maisie - sweet, and very popular
Clare - most Clares/Claires I know are in their 30s...don't know any small children with this name.

Maisie ways strikes me as an American sounding name. Don't know why.

Henrietta and Rowena are quite upper class names. Everyone I have met with these names ones a pony and plays lacrosse. I like both names a lot.

Harriet is a nice traditional name.

Claire is dated. V 1970s. Might be due a revival though.

Why are you intersted in UK opinions?

Rowena, not often used probably because of the popularity of the slightly less ornate Rowan (unisex name)
Harriet - fairly popular but not overly so. Is lovely though. Know only one and her nn is Hattie.
Henrietta - a bit OTT, posh connotations, a bit dated even
Maisie - popular forerunner in the old lady chic trend, although actually don't personally know any. Pretty.
Clare - plenty of these over 18, dh's niece has this name with this spelling.

Really like Harriet and Maisie.

Rowena -- v. unusual in the US and UK; would expect Rowena to have a pony, maybe attend boarding school.
Harriet -- also unusual in the US, more popular in the UK, and more middle class than Rowena; nn 'Hattie', 'Harry'.
Henrietta -- has a sort of a Deep South Old Lady vibe in the US; I would say a little old-fashioned for the UK, less popular than Harriet; nn 'Hattie' 'Etta' 'Ettie', maybe 'Harry'.
Maisie -- Middle class chic name, it's sort of a nn in itself.
Clare (this spelling is less common in USA) -- Claire went through a popularity surge in the 90s in the US; Clare not so much, but it was popular in the 70s and early 80s in the UK.

Hettie is also a nn for either Harriet or Henrietta.

Was at school with a Rowena. Occasionally referred to as Rowenta (as in maker of irons) but not often. Agree with others that Rowena and Henrietta quite 'posh' names. Harriet less so (and I prefer Harriet). Maisie - popular mouse books - sounds more like a nn. Clare was very popular in the 70s/80s - know a little Clara now.

Rowena, Harriet and Henrietta are all 'posh girl' names. However, these posh, old fashioned names are making a comeback. Harriet has already become much more common. I foresee the other two following suit.

Clare is unusual for this generation.

Maisie - common. Lots of Milly/Molly/Tilly/Maisie/Daisy type names here in the UK.

hi my sis is called rowena, but its pron row enna, mnot row eena. she often spells it rowenna now so that people say it right, but is also known as ro to her friends and rose/ rosie to family.she is not posh either!

I had to share a summer camp cabin in France with an American Rowena once, but her mother was British. Her parents were academics at an Ivy League university.

And she was enormous and miserable about it and just miserable in general.

So everytime I think of that name, it puts me off.

But I live in W. Scotland so you don't hear any of those names on your list much.

Rowena - unusual, wouldn't have a clue about age, class etc. Btw I much prefer the "Rowenna" pronunciation that beccagrace2 mentioned - never heard of it being said that way but much prettier! I would spell it Rowenna if you were going for that pronunciation.

Harriet - I know a few Harriets in their teens and 20s; it's quite popular while not ubiquitous. I know it's in the top 100 names atm.

Henrietta - stereotypically posh, feels very snobby and haughty to me.

Maisie - typical trendy little girl name. Quite like it but it just blends into a sea of Daisys, Mollys, Hollys, Tillies, Evies etc.

Clare - very 70s. Would certainly be uncommon an a little girl today. Clare spelling could be a pain as Claire is usually the default. What about Clara instead?

Funny Rowena is perceived as a posh name by so many - only Rowena I've ever met was from a completely ordinary background, not posh at all.

And the only Rowena I knew was a fat, ugly, miserable, emo teen who was in love with this guy who was screwing just about everyone else (well, he was rather good-looking AND French).

Rowena- may well be upper class; certainly never come across one in the working/lower middle class circles in which I move

Harriet- older girls, not children now

Henrietta- again, not in our social circles

Maisie- yes, you do get those

Claire- somebody my age or a little younger; not a name I'd expect to hear attached to a child for the next 20 years or so

Rowena-bit staid
Harriet -bit horsey and posh, but I like that.
Henrietta- see Harriet above, but like Henrietta even more.
Maisie-too twee.
Clare- My name. OK simple and non offensive, but defibitely a women in her 30's name at the moment(in the UK).

Thanks very much for all these impressions - this has definitely helped to shorten our shortlist!

so what''s your shortlist now?!

Rowena - very posh/unusual
Harriet - lovely and classic
Henrietta - very posh
Maisie - very popular in the last couple of years
Clare - I think it's nice, very uncommon among girls born at the moment. Maybe due a revival?

Claire is NOT the default spelling!!! Its very clearly the WRONG spelling....

Seriously though, speaking as a Clare (which I always felt was boring when I was growing up but I like it now) I do think that Clare is much nicer than Claire.

Shoot me down and all that!!!

Rowena = my best friend at school (not posh), who now happens to live in SF, CA. Beautiful name.

Also like Harriet and Maisie.

Henrietta - not keen, but then I'm not keen on Henry as a name. Clare - know lots of clares/claires my age (mid thirties). Is very much a name of the 70s imo, though my 18 yr old niece also a Claire.

Not keen.

Rowena - lovely!
Harriet - bossy connotations for me as there was one in my class at school. She was Hazzie for short. I still like the name though.
Henrietta - pretentious and irritating.
Maisie - I always think of Maisie Mouse, very adorable for a tiny girl but can't imagine being a teenager with it.
Clare (this spelling is less common in USA) - echo the above opinions, I only know one little one with the name but lots of 30 somethings. As far as I understand it, Clare is the English spelling, Claire the Scottish, and there is also the French Clair option too. Not my favourite name, but solid and respectable.

Rowena - a bit elderly scottish lady wearing heather tweed
Harriet - It has grown on me recently
Henrietta - posh
Maisie - completely different to your other choices. Popular-ish now, but I'd only use as a nickname, as it's a bit twee.
Claire/Clare - nice name. Popular when I was a child (1970s), but due a resurgence, I think.

Claire is the French spelling (Clair for a boy, but that has never been as popular as the feminine form of the name).
Anglicised to Clare in England in the Middle Ages. BOTH are correct. That's it - one may be more popular than the other depending on the country but there's no "Scottish" form of the name.

I also live in the US and certain names that I like (Poppy, etc) are just not heard of here. (At least not in Minnesota.) I always want to say "well HMMPH, it's used in the UK!" :)

I like all your names. Rowena, Harriet, and Henrietta are pretty. I know a couple who each had a grandmother named Harriet. They wanted to name their daughter after their grandmothers but didn't like Harriet, so they reversed it and named DD Teirrah (pronounced Tee-AIR-uh.)

Maisie and Claire are both cute, a little more popular than your other choices.

I think Rowena is my favorite.

Henrietta would sound ludicrous even to the majority of British people. Mumsnet is not entirely representative of the entire UK. Mumsnetters tend to like names like Henrietta and Octavia and Augusta.

So if it turns out that you're moving to Croydon or Slough or..... Yorkshire ! then Henrietta might not be a great choice.

Rowena wouldn't be to my taste, but it's interesting and unusual. If you like it which you obviously do, then it's a good choic.

Harriet is ok, not to my taste but it's not awful.

Clare spelt like the county is often used in Ireland, but it was very, very, very popular in about 1970-1978. Most of my friends have a couple of claires in their circle so it just sounds so dated to me. I don't hate it though.

Maisie is very cutesy old lady chic. I prefer a lot of other old lady names. Edie, Maggie, Daisy all better imo.