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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Help me find a surname

154 replies

IAmSproutycus · 05/09/2018 20:33

I’d be glad of any ideas suitable for a surname for a woman who no longer wishes to be named after the men in her life. She would ideally like something three or four syllables (although would consider two), must not be a derivative of a male name (e.g. Oliver, Jackson, etc). It would be nice if it had some meaning associated with women, strength, resilience or similar, or something with a good female history. She would prefer to not have a surname at the furthest end of the alphabet due to publishing, but would be open to all suggestions. Sorry that I won’t be going into more detail than that, so will understand if people wanted more information before contributing, but for anyone up for a bit of free thinking fun, bring us your best! Many thanks collective womyn (this is like the ‘name my baby’ threads, but for an adult) 😊

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PurpleMac · 05/09/2018 20:35

Earhart!

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 05/09/2018 20:35

Athena?
Boudicca?
Ceres?

OliveBranchManager · 05/09/2018 20:38

Gillespie! I like the sound of it.but it means of the church.. so maybe too patriarchal.

Winstanley i like the sound
Seymour
Pankhurst 😀

OliveBranchManager · 05/09/2018 20:39

Costello
Kinsella

Skyejuly · 05/09/2018 20:39

Wildwood?
Venus
Ms smashthepatriarchy

OliveBranchManager · 05/09/2018 20:42

What about an icelandik format. But with her mothers name. Lindasdottir

IAmSproutycus · 05/09/2018 20:42

Skyejuly smashthepatriarchy 🤣. Definitely. Made me snort out my tea 🙂

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IAmSproutycus · 05/09/2018 20:44

Just to be even more greedy, would people mind adding the briefest origin to the less known ones if that’s ok? I can recognise Earnhardt and Pankhurst and some of the Greek ones, but embarrassingly I don’t get the others. Will start googling, thanks!

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arranfan · 05/09/2018 20:45

Frygga(s)dóttir

IAmSproutycus · 05/09/2018 20:46

I thought that, Olive, but sadly that relationship got broken so it’s probably not one in that case. Definitely have thought of it for my own girl though!

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IAmSproutycus · 05/09/2018 20:48

arran, just googled it. Old Norse derived from ‘Frigg’, which, where I come from is slang for a female rub 😳 if you catch my drift, as in, off for a wee frig. Mebbe not so much 🙃

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theOtherPamAyres · 05/09/2018 20:49

Aethelflaed "The Warrior Queen Who Broke the Glass Ceiling"

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-44069889

IAmSproutycus · 05/09/2018 20:50

OMG, inspired, but the spelling on the phone to the bank could break a sister.

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arranfan · 05/09/2018 20:50

I was thinking of Frigga - the goddess.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigga

Having said that, you have reminded me of a saying that I haven't heard outside the North but hadn't heard your version before. Blush

Blobfishlady · 05/09/2018 20:51

Penhaligon is my dream surname. I quite like Longshanks too. A friend of mine married a Swiss chap and her surname is pronounce Cockriser (although spelt oddly). I’d quite like to be a Cockriser.

auntyflonono · 05/09/2018 20:51

Attwood (Margaret)
Lovelace (Ada)

Fenick
Latimer

TheSpottedZebra · 05/09/2018 20:52

Booker? It's not literal, but you mentioned publishing.

On similar theme (paper.... wood.... trees....) there are lots of tree related names.
Ash, Blackwood, Lockwood. ..)

MacaroonMama · 05/09/2018 20:52

Angelou
Brönte
Hathaway
Duffy
Seacole

Could you have a woman’s first name as a surname? The way John, James, Clare, Francis etc can be? You could be Firstname insert fab first name here Would that work?

AwkwardSquad · 05/09/2018 20:53

I like Wildwood.

How about Astarte or Demeter?

Blobfishlady · 05/09/2018 20:53

Sorry, my suggestions aren’t particularly feminine.

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 05/09/2018 20:53

Oh, oh - Weatherwax. As in Granny. Or, for closer to the start of the alphabet, Aching.

(Both awesome women in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.)

Unescorted · 05/09/2018 20:53

I quite like not having a surname at all... It being a signifier of ownership.

IAmSproutycus · 05/09/2018 20:54

Oh I meant academic publishing, as in the odd paper where it’s useful to not be at the very end of a collaborating list - sorry was super unclear, although Booker is a great name!

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Turph · 05/09/2018 20:55

Is this a nom de plume? Or is it for daily use? If the latter make it easy to spell.

IAmSproutycus · 05/09/2018 20:55

Ooooooh, unescorted, I love the out of the box thinking. How would you deal with formal stuff like forms?

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