Hi everyone!
I think I’ve finally managed to come up with my top 15 girls name combos as well as their meanings to me. Credit goes to @MargotAbeline for the format of this post.
Wilhelmina [name_f]Alice[/name_f] ‘protected by nobility’
Summary
Wilhelmina is my absolute favorite name. It’s strong, elegant, has a nice meaning, and it’s familiar without being too popular. It honors lots of great [name_m]Williams[/name_m] in my life. It’s also royal and has an undeniably Victorian feel to it. [name_f]Alice[/name_f] means noble which is a great virtue. It is a family name, and I am in love with the idea of carrying the tradition. Also, [name_f]Alice[/name_f] in Wonderland has always been one of my favorite books. Altogether I take the combo to mean ‘protected by nobility’.
Dorothea [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] ‘mighty gift of god’
Summary
Dorothea means ‘gift of god’. I love all of the royal namesakes it has and all of the nicknames it offers. I am also very fond of the work of [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] Lange. [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] is a literary name, like [name_f]Alice[/name_f], and I just love it! It makes me think of a strong, independent, well rounded girl. The meaning is nice too: battle mighty. I hope that my little [name_f]Dorothea[/name_f] will always understand that she is the most mighty gift of god.
Louisa [name_f]Georgiana[/name_f] ‘warrior of [name_f]Earth[/name_f]’
Summary
Louisa honors a very important person to me, my grandmother [name_u]Louise[/name_u]. It’s timeless, serious, and feminine. The meaning ‘renowned warrior’ is so beautiful as well. [name_f]Georgiana[/name_f] is a more recent love of mine, but as soon as I saw it I knew it was perfect. I love the sophisticated sound and of course the namesake of [name_f]Georgiana[/name_f] [name_u]Darcy[/name_u] from Pride and Prejudice. [name_f]Georgiana[/name_f] means farmer which I take to mean relating to the [name_f]Earth[/name_f], hence the meaning of this combo ‘warrior of [name_f]Earth[/name_f]’.
Henrietta [name_f]Jane[/name_f] ‘god’s graciousness rules’
Summary
Henrietta, the feminine form of [name_m]Henry[/name_m], is so royal and I love the meaning: ‘ruler of the home’. I think strong [name_f]Jane[/name_f] balances the frilliness of [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f] nicely. I also love the connection to [name_f]Jane[/name_f] [name_u]Austen[/name_u]. [name_f]Jane[/name_f] means ‘god is gracious’ so I take the meaning of this combo to be ‘ god’s graciousness rules’.
Bernadette [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] ‘strong when god is my oath’
Summary
Bernadette is a name I’ve liked for a while for its sound and meaning but found it hard to make a combo for. I think it pairs perfectly with soft, classic [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f].
Anne [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] ‘feminine [name_f]Grace[/name_f]’
Summary
Anne is a name often overlooked for being plain and boring, but one that I really love for its gorgeous simplicity and long history. The meaning ‘grace’ is important to me as [name_f]Grace[/name_f] is a name that my mom loves, and I think it’s a lovely virtue to give a child. [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] meaning ‘feminine’ or ‘petite’ has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I love that it’s a feminine form of [name_m]Charles[/name_m] so has a subtle link to [name_m]Charles[/name_m] Dickens, whom I admire very much.
Cornelia [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] ‘strength’
Summary
Cornelia is a name associated in Ancient [name_u]Rome[/name_u] with [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f] Scipionis Africana, who is remembered as an example of womanly virtue. It’s very old fashioned and rich in history, which I love. [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] is another name with great history, as it’s the name of a few saints and many royals. Its meaning (‘strength of a spear’) and [name_f]Cornelia[/name_f]’s (‘horn’) I summarize as ‘strength’.
Beatrice [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] ‘blessed and blind of self beauty’
Summary
Beatrice is a name that took a long time to grow on me, but I love it nonetheless. It is said to mean ‘bringer of happiness’ or ‘blessed’ which is lovely. It’s grown-up sounding and classy. It’s literary and Shakespearean, and it was used by [name_f]Queen[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f] for her daughter. [name_f]Cecily[/name_f], the feminine form of [name_m]Cecil[/name_m], is one I’ve always liked, but the meaning is considered to be ‘blind’, which was very unappealing to me. I’ve recently found a source that says it actually means ‘blind of self beauty’ and I like that much better.
Edwina [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] ‘gentle friend’
Summary
I don’t see [name_f]Edwina[/name_f] mentioned a lot, and I think it deserves more attention. It’s sweet and vintage sounding and offers the nickname [name_f]Winnie[/name_f]. The meaning is ‘friend’. [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], the feminine version of [name_m]Clement[/name_m], is an old royal name with an elegant sound. It means ‘mild, merciful’ which I summarize as ‘gentle’. I think it grounds [name_f]Edwina[/name_f] nicely in this combo.
Margaret [name_f]Ernestine[/name_f] ‘pure determination’
Summary
Margaret is a sturdy classic. I love its strong sound and wide variety of nicknames. [name_f]Margaret[/name_f]’s meaning is ‘pearl’ and pearls have long been considered a symbol of strength and purity, hence ‘pure’ in the combo’s meaning. [name_f]Ernestine[/name_f] is the feminine variation of [name_m]Ernest[/name_m], and I love its “clunky” Germanic feel. The meaning of [name_f]Ernestine[/name_f] is ‘resolute’ or ‘determined’.
Constance [name_f]Leopoldine[/name_f] ‘loyal and brave’
Summary
Constance, a virtue name, is another more recent love, but it brings up such beautiful and proper imagery for me. It was the name of the queen consort of Hungary and [name_m]Germany[/name_m], [name_f]Constance[/name_f] of [name_m]Aragon[/name_m], and by now you can probably tell that I love royal names. The meaning is ‘steadfastness’ which can also be translated as loyalty or faithfulness. [name_u]Loyalty[/name_u] is an amazing thing and I hope my daughter will be very plentiful in it. [name_f]Leopoldine[/name_f] is the very rare feminine form of [name_m]Leopold[/name_m], meaning ‘brave people’.
Helena [name_f]Maximilienne[/name_f] ‘greatest shining light’
Summary
Helena (I’m pronouncing it hel-ENN-uh but I don’t mind any of the other pronunciations) means ‘shining light’ and children bring so much light into our lives. Combined with [name_f]Maximilienne[/name_f], another rare feminization meaning ‘greatest’, I think it sounds so regal.
Eugenie [name_f]Alexandrina[/name_f] ‘wellborn defender of people’
Summary
Eugenie honors my great uncle [name_m]Eugene[/name_m], whom I have fond memories with. I just think it’s so pretty, and the meaning ‘wellborn’ is stunning. [name_f]Alexandrina[/name_f] is the little-known first name of [name_f]Queen[/name_f] [name_f]Victoria[/name_f], a very notable namesake.
Josephine [name_f]Augusta[/name_f] ‘increasing magnificence’
Summary
Josephine is so elegant, classic, and distinguished. [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] was my grandfather’s first name, and while I barely knew him I’d still love to honor him for my mother because she loved him very much. [name_f]Augusta[/name_f] is a royal name and the name of a saint. Together the meaning concludes as ‘increasing magnificence’ and I know that my future children will make the world increase in magnificence every day.
Philippa [name_f]Antoinette[/name_f] ‘the friendship of a horse is priceless’
Summary
There were several early saint Philippas, and it was the name of [name_m]Edward[/name_m] III’s wife. [name_f]Philippa[/name_f], meaning ‘friend of horses’ is formal sounding, which I love, but also has the option of fun nickname [name_f]Pippa[/name_f]. [name_f]Antoinette[/name_f] (‘priceless one’) obviously honors [name_u]Marie[/name_u] [name_f]Antoinette[/name_f] and I just love the combined meaning of this combo!
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
