I’ve been frustrated by the lack of famous female surnames. I could name my son Salinger, Hemingway, Thurber, Cheever, Chaucer, Proust, etc. etc. Of course I could name my daughter those too, but I am looking for surnames from female artists/writers/actors, etc.
A few have popped to mind lately. Stanwyck and Hepburn I love for a girl. Morisot, Millay, Angelou. Cather, Pym, Bronte. Fonteyn, Bernhardt, Mirren. Nin, Stanhope, Callas.
Others are more problematic for me. I dislike Austen as a name at all. Alcott I prefer on a male for whatever reason. Christie and Sayers I dislike, though Tey is a possibility.
Wondering which surnames borne by talented women you would use for your girls and which not.
[name_u]Lovelace[/name_u] is a great one! Also love Hepburn, [name_f]Millay[/name_f], [name_f]Angelou[/name_f], [name_f]Bronte[/name_f] and [name_f]Callas[/name_f].
How about [name_u]Nightingale[/name_u] or Seacole? Also, my dad is a recently retired pilot and I have toyed with the idea of [name_f]Earhart[/name_f] to honour him
I’ve heard of Monroe and Bronte being used in real life. And I’ve read suggestions here on NB for Wells (after Ida B. Wells), Nightingale, and Wilder (Laura Ingalls Wilder) in the past.
I know a child with Angelou as her middle name. So lovely!
Truth would be a virtue name and a famous namesake (Sojourner Truth).
[name_f]Gish[/name_f] and [name_f]Garbo[/name_f] too. I don’t like the sound of [name_u]Monroe[/name_u] or [name_u]Harlow[/name_u] myself, though they would count.
[name_u]Morisot[/name_u] (silent “t” could pose problems)
Cassatt (this one feels “on trend”!)
After the impressionist painters
And [name_u]Kahlo[/name_u]! I’ve considered using [name_f]Frida[/name_f] because of [name_f]Frida[/name_f] [name_u]Kahlo[/name_u], but actually her last name could be pretty cool too!
Thinking of other surrealist women artists:
I’m more drawn to her first name, but [name_f]Leonora[/name_f] Carrington’s last name could be a cool choice too!
I agree. [name_u]Morisot[/name_u] is easy to say, once learned, as opposed to some Celtic names. Cassatt has a luxurious feel to it.
And then there are some known for their first: [name_u]Flannery[/name_u] O’Connor and [name_f]Eudora[/name_f] Welty - [name_u]Flannery[/name_u] and [name_f]Eudora[/name_f] say it all as name choices.
With [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] [name_u]Jackson[/name_u], neither name is distinctive enough, but I do love her character Merricat as a name, just as I love the Bronte’s [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] and [name_f]Villette[/name_f] and [name_f]Jane[/name_f] or [name_f]Eyre[/name_f]. In fact, [name_f]Shirley[/name_f] could honor [name_u]Jackson[/name_u] and [name_f]Bronte[/name_f].
These last names are great. I think of certain accomplished women whose firsts/middles would be more honorific too – Agatha instead of Christie, Ngaio instead of Marsh, Lucy Maud instead of Montgomery, even Louisa May instead of Alcott.
PS There’s also a great middle - for Elizabeth Cady Stanton that speaks to her far more than her first or last names. And could be a great nn for Leocadia or Arcadia/Arcadie.
