Naming girls

[NameHelpNeeded123]

Right, I am trying to name impending baby girl and have absolutely lost it. I’ve lost all sense and overthinking absolutely everything.

Got me thinking, naming girls feminised boys names - misogynistic? Patriarchal? Also trend for full on boys names on girls eg James. Taking us backwards right? Clothes, name etc do not make a woman. However I’m really put off by names such as Felicity and other super frilly names as 1) they wouldn’t suit me so unlikely to suit my child and 2) bit too princessy - which completely goes against my point that the name does not make the woman. Just suggested Billie to DH and thought, is it too boyish. Front runner is Gabriella but that’s just a feminised Gabriel (also a bit princessy)??

Sorry for rushed post, am just posting train of thought and this is the state of my mind right now 😄

I work with teenage girls at the moment, and they all seemed to be called Lily or Isabelle.

My best advice is printing out a list of names and going one by one with your partner that way you can quickly cross off the ones that don't sound right to you.

Your ideas about those names sound absurd to me personally, but what matters is what YOU two think and what goes well with your surname

Ermmmmm

I'm sure there's more than one Princess in IT !

Your ideas about those names sound absurd to me personally, but what matters is what YOU two think @grey12 well I did admit I’d lost the plot!

I didn't mean in a bad way, I know that once you start looking at naming your child suddenly you hate a lot of names

I have quite a few rules myself!! No1 is both me and DH have to like it, if one isn't sure then it's out, no matter how painful. No2 no names that sound bad in other language (3 languages in the family..... a cousin of DH has a lovely name that sounds just like "reindeer" in my language). No 3 no repeat names in the family it's a thing in my family and I hate it!

I actually think Billie is quite cute for a girl, tbh

What about Juno?

I agree with the choose a name that you can imagine her using in her high powered career.

I would just say I work in a professional setting with people of all cultures, as soon as you have worked with someone for 5 minutes you relate to them as a person not your prejudice about their name. I firmly believe people make their names meaningful, not the other way around.
I'm all for choosing a name that's not in the top ten, as having an often duplicated name is far more annoying than an unusual one. Likewise a well known name pronounced in a weird way - too much explaining.

It's not just girls with the ee sound at the end of their name what about all the Archies, Frankies, Alfies, Reggies etc etc

@Onlinedilema

It's not just girls with the ee sound at the end of their name what about all the Archies, Frankies, Alfies, Reggies etc etc

Yes true, that sound has migrated to boys' names as well. It will be interesting to see if this generation of boys with 'cute' names alter them en masse as they it their teens. Arch, Frank, Al, Reg etc.

I think I would have struggled to pick a girls name too.

I like the rise in classical names - I personally know of a little girl called Persephone, which I think is really cool.

Also I saw a little girl called Jet on a documentary, and I think that’s amazing.

Good luck! Let us know what you end up going with!

I think blooming trees' list is lovely, as are some of the Classical Greek names.

A tiny word of caution about the Ann/Anne/Anna triumvirate so beloved on Mumsnet for some reason. I am from generation middle name Ann/Anne, and find it so dull, as do all the many Ann, Anne and Annas who I knew growing up and still know (aged between 40-55 approx). Ditto Jane, Janet, and Susan. I know one Ann in her 40s who is still livid that her mum gave her such a boring name.

Jean feels more chic and modern somehow. Suzanne/susannah much better than Susan.

For some reason Mumsnet is and always has been obsessed with Anna as some kind of name perfection. It ain't. Princess is far better and sassier!

I think you need a powerful goddess/queen name.
I know a Zenobia (zena for short) and I love that.
Hera/Athene/Iris/Phoebe

how do yu fel about neutral names, Rowan, Robin, Chris, Pat, Kim ?

I'd stay away from virtue name like Faith, Patience and Charity (and of course the godawful Chastity!) because I see those as being gendered names. Clemency and Victoria aren't bad, I suppose.

I also think Anna is boring.

For 'frilly' but still strong girls names, I like Leonie/Leonora and Christabel.

Juno is great. I must admit I like Roberta even though it's derived from a boys name.

Jean feels more chic and modern somehow.

My mum's middle name is Jean. She has always absolutely hated it.

Erica
Phillipa
Nigella

Go for something totally bloodthirsty.

I vote Judith, it’s a brilliant strong name, and unusual now

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal

I work with teenage girls at the moment, and they all seemed to be called Lily or Isabelle.

You'll turn yourself into knots trying to find something strong, and unusual so she doesn't end up in a class full of girls with the same name.

We named one DD a name I'd not heard ANYONE use for years. My midwife, who had been working 30 years or so, said she hadn't heard that name for many years either but two girls that night (my DD being one) were being called this.

Now there are tonnes of girls with this name. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The moral of that story is choose a name you like but realise there will be a fair few parents thinking like you and it's impossible to name kids without some reference to names coming in and out of fashion.

@HavfrueDenizKisi is right, I was the only person with my name in my school and 15 years later it became SUPER popular!!

Harriet

I have a friend who named her daughter after herself, ala Lorelei Gilmore, although I'm not sure the Gilmore Girls were her inspiration!

I was going to suggest a nature name.
The ancient Greeks were also good at names, but it seems most of the ones I like are of women who were subjected to male violence or were traumatised in some awful way.

What about Catherine? Catherine the Great?
Or Ursala (little bear?)
Or Emmeline (Pankhurst)
Congratulations on your pregnancy! Girls are ace x

So many of these great suggestions already in use in our family. Final grandchild problems! But really helpful ideas, thank you.