silly topic: Feminist Girls' names?

[blackcurrants]

I'm in a rather silly mood today - lighthearted topic time!

I mentioned on the 'which political parties' thread that my fabulously egalitarian DH has put a moratorium on my (mainly humorous) suggestions for feminist-heroine baby names. So sorry, Millicent Fawcett - no Millies in my house. Ditty Emmelines, even though Mrs Pankhurst was kinda awesome. Why? Cos his DS is Emily and it would be 'too confusing'...
Also no Florence (though Flo Nightingale's status as 'feminist' is a bit questionable), no Margaret.. basically, as he put it, 'no old lady names!'. Damnit, before I'd even suggested Edith!

So, which girls' names do you love that are strong, graceful, and sound like they could grow up to run the country/build their own empires in the future?

(Disclaimer: we might have a DS and that's ok, cos we've got a couple of boys' names that we mutually love. If it's a DD, though, the shortlist is rather less certain. No pressure, though - you're not actually NAMING our DD for us, I just like hearing cool girls' names, and if they're associated with strong, awesome women, all the better!)

Missus84 - fantastic! I don't claim to know enough about Theodoric to get his kingship right, sorry, but I'm sure DP could give us an essay - as could yours no doubt! I do like the stories about him once he got subsumed into legend. It's therefore got to be in there as an option, though other variants (Derek for instance) haven't struck the same chord as Theodore.

Blackduck - have seen various supporters of the name Aphra on other threads, lovely to see there is a small but noticeable minority who like it.

It's clearly time to give Aphra the comeback she deserves! She was a completely awesome woman, and gets a chapter of my PhD too.

Well, DH cottoned what I was up to pretty much straight away. I am RUBBISH at keeping a straight face, as I've mentioned, but still, it was amusing suggesting some of the names. He did grin at "Dungaria" ('Is that "Dun-garrrr-eee-aa" or "Dunga-reee-aaah?"' - a good question! )

Blackcurrents what was your PhD on??

it's still going on (and will take another 2 years, I think, what with the arrival due in July) - it's on the English Novel in the eighteenth century. So there's a bit about Oroonoko. Aaah, happy days!

Ahh...yes...didn't do anything on that (read it of course...)

Isabella (of Castile)

Hey, my dd is Aphra. She is 4. Definitely time for a comeback (she has a 4year old friend Aphra too - we met her in the park). Everyone seems to like it, unlike my ds's name .

My boy is Sky (Skyler/Schuyler). Just went for hippy route there...

(sorry to all of you who have read this before - just excited for support for dd's name. Gives me blind hope that ds's name will become popular )

My name is Christabel, don't forget Christabel Pankhurst.

DD's name will never be popular.

Our criteria were:

• "strong" meaning
• not from the bible
• can't have/be a "passive" meaning (no naming DD "Chastity"
• avoided family names due to extreme politics
• able to be shortened to something charming, and not shortened to something lewd

We ended up with, no joke: Aella. From wiki: "an Amazon in Greek mythology, (means 'whirlwind' in Greek) was known for wielding a double-axe and was slain by Heracles". Apparently with the dipthong, twas also a couple of kings by that name in olden times .

We are very modern and pretentious!

It suits DD as she was/is a VERY active child. Occasionally I doubt our choice, but then DD starts entertaining herself by spinning in circles / growling at me / biting [and tickling] the cat and I know it fits.

I know a grown up Aphra, I think it's a great name

My DD1 is named after Heloise (and Abelard). She was a medieval woman with attitude... she fell in love with her tutor, slept with him and bore his child. When her family demanded that he married her, she did not want this saying she'd prefer to be his whore than his wife. So she left him and went off to a nunnery where she became an abbess, very influential and wrote letters and did philosophy. Her letters show some real attitude

:D I grinned when I saw this title. I have an Emmeline! She is six months old and don't take no shit from nobody :D Emmeline Christabel Petra. DD1 is Marianne Catherine Isabella. Good strong, left wing, names

We did consider Mary for DD1 after Marys Wollstonecroft and Shelly, but settled on Marianne. Spirit of revolution and all.

Kerry (Katona)

Katie (Price)

Bridget (Jones)

Barbie (Doll)

Marilyn (Monroe)

OR

Julius (of Norwich)

Barbara (Castle)

I think Ada is my favorite so far. Lilith and Harper are also good.

Ooh, pregnant with no 1 at the moment and trying to think of girls' names... what a great thread!

What about Minerva (the goddesses of wisdom). Sophia means the same thing IIRC.

Boudicca is FAB. Dare I call a real girl that it 2010 though?

Has anyone said Eve? She's family you know ( ).

Elizabeth after Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to qualify as a doctor, or Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Angelina (Grimke)

Anna's a good name and one of the earliest known deities.

Adela (Pankhurst, not just a feminist but an Ozzie commie too)
Maebh (mythical Irish queen who took no guff)
Clementina Black wrote 'Sweated Labour and the Minimum Wage' and 'Married Women's Work'
Betty Friedan

bell (hooks)
audre (lorde)

this takes the biscuit six years later.

Christabel
Sylvia

Both the above are pankhurst names - i toyed with Theia too?

What about Alice (Schwarzer)? Not sure, but Alice doesn't sound like an old lady name to me.