I named my daughter [name_f]Viola[/name_f] inspired by the actress [name_f]Viola[/name_f] [name_m]Davis[/name_m] because my daughter is mixed-race and I wanted her to have a positive and inspiring black role-model to look up to and admire.
[name_f]Viola[/name_f]'s sister won’t be mixed race, but nevertheless I’ve been thinking of naming her after a feminist icon, maybe civil rights icon as well. It can be the name of an artist, musician, writer, politician, scientist, nobel-winner, suffragette… anything you can think of that belonged to a woman who was strong and inspiring.
I have been previously suggested [name_f]Gloria[/name_f], as in Steinem, but my husband vetoed it. [name_f]Mary[/name_f] Wollstonecraft could be cool, but [name_f]Mary[/name_f] is already [name_f]Viola[/name_f]'s middle name… It would be great to get fresh ideas.
I for instance love the names [name_f]Zelda[/name_f] and [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f], my front runners, but don’t think they have very positive namesakes in the feminist front. If you know of any, please detail below, would be very helpful!
My first thought was [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] for [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] Tubman. Maybe not exactly a feminist icon, but she definitely stood for human rights, black rights, and was a most incredible woman. Her birth name was [name_f]Araminta[/name_f], I believe, which would also be a great option.
This is a good list. http://www.stylist.co.uk/people/50-feminist-icons# I especially like [name_u]Bell[/name_u]. Some suggestions similar to [name_f]Zelda[/name_f] are [name_f]Zadie[/name_f] ([name_m]Smith[/name_m]) and [name_f]Zora[/name_f] ([name_u]Neale[/name_u] Hurston), and [name_f]Maya[/name_f] would be cute based on [name_f]Angelou[/name_f] from your signature.
There were a lot of great ones on that list that @sarah1800 posted. Additionally, I think of many strong and inspiring women who may not all be classified as “feminists,” but are inspiring female role models.
[name_f]Sonia[/name_f] (Sotomayor)
[name_f]Chimamanda[/name_f], could be called “[name_f]Amanda[/name_f]” ([name_f]Ngozi[/name_f] Adichie)
[name_f]Edwidge[/name_f] (Danticat)
[name_f]Christiane[/name_f] (Amanpour)
[name_f]Pearl[/name_f] (S. [name_m]Buck[/name_m])
[name_f]Helen[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] ([name_m]Potter[/name_m])
[name_f]Dolores[/name_f] (Huerta)
[name_f]Noma[/name_f] (Dumezweni)
[name_f]Ruth[/name_f] ([name_m]Bader[/name_m] Ginsburg)
[name_f]Indira[/name_f] (Gandhi… I can think of a thousand things she did wrong, but she was such a powerful woman)
[name_f]Sappho[/name_f], nn “Saphy”
Jesmyn ([name_m]Ward[/name_m])
[name_f]Angela[/name_f] (Merkel)
[name_f]Michelle[/name_f] ([name_m]Obama[/name_m])
[name_f]Eudora[/name_f] (Welty)
[name_f]Twyla[/name_f] (Tharpe)
[name_f]Isadora[/name_f] ([name_m]Duncan[/name_m])
[name_f]Marie[/name_f] (Curie)
[name_f]Florence[/name_f] (Nightingale)
[name_f]Rosa[/name_f] ([name_m]Parks[/name_m])
[name_f]Loretta[/name_f] ([name_m]Scott[/name_m] [name_m]King[/name_m])
[name_f]Mamie[/name_f] ([name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Chalmers[/name_m])
[name_u]America[/name_u] (Ferrera)
[name_f]Octavia[/name_f] ([name_u]Spencer[/name_u])
[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] ([name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m])
[name_f]Sandra[/name_f] ([name_u]Day[/name_u] O’[name_u]Conner[/name_u])
[name_f]Helen[/name_f] Fabela ([name_m]Chavez[/name_m])
[name_f]Shonda[/name_f] (Rhimes)
For the next girl, I think of [name_f]Arcadia[/name_f] (nn [name_f]Cady[/name_f]) for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_f]Cady[/name_f] [name_m]Stanton[/name_m].
[name_u]Poet[/name_u] [name_f]Edna[/name_f] [name_f]Millay[/name_f], either of her names.
[name_m]Painter[/name_m] [name_f]Berthe[/name_f] [name_u]Morisot[/name_u].
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f] or [name_f]May[/name_f] or [name_u]Alcott[/name_u].
[name_u]Germaine[/name_u] or [name_f]Greer[/name_f].
[name_f]Boudicca[/name_f].
[name_f]Angela[/name_f] (Merkel), [name_f]Indira[/name_f] (Ghandi), [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] (R and [name_m]Warren[/name_m]), [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] (Albright), [name_u]Hillary[/name_u] ([name_m]Clinton[/name_m]), [name_f]Michelle[/name_f] ([name_m]Obama[/name_m]), [name_f]Jill[/name_f] (Biden).
[name_f]Sojourner[/name_f] or [name_f]Harriet[/name_f].
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] ([name_u]Parker[/name_u]).
[name_f]Katharine[/name_f]/[name_f]Kate[/name_f] (Hepburn), [name_f]Bette[/name_f] ([name_m]Davis[/name_m]), [name_f]Barbara[/name_f] (Stanwyck).
[name_f]Ida[/name_f] (Lupino).
[name_f]Betty[/name_f] (Friedan).
[name_u]Simone[/name_u] (de Beauvoir).
Any strong goddess: [name_f]Hestia[/name_f], [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], [name_f]Athena[/name_f], [name_f]Vesta[/name_f], [name_f]Minerva[/name_f], [name_f]Diana[/name_f], etc.
[name_f]Miranda[/name_f] ([name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]).
[name_f]Helen[/name_f] or [name_u]Mirren[/name_u].
[name_f]Althea[/name_f] ([name_m]Gibson[/name_m]).
I love how [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and [name_f]Louisa[/name_f] sound or [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and [name_f]Arcadia[/name_f]/[name_f]Cady[/name_f], as well as [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and [name_f]Ida[/name_f] or [name_f]Viola[/name_f] and [name_f]Althea[/name_f].
[name_f]Viola[/name_f] is lovely! I actually think [name_f]Zelda[/name_f] is the perfect fit here. [name_f]Zelda[/name_f] [name_m]Fitzgerald[/name_m] was far from perfect, but she was a strong, interesting writer/artist/party girl who was full of life. Depends on how you feel about her though!
[name_u]Love[/name_u] the suggestion of [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] for [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] Tubman.
Other famous women in history:
[name_f]Angela[/name_f] for [name_f]Angela[/name_f] [name_m]Davis[/name_m]
[name_f]Lucretia[/name_f] for [name_f]Lucretia[/name_f] Mott
[name_f]Aphra[/name_f] for [name_f]Aphra[/name_f] Behn
[name_f]Margaret[/name_f] for [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] Sanger or [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] Atwood
[name_f]Frida[/name_f] for [name_f]Frida[/name_f] [name_f]Kahlo[/name_f]
[name_f]Greta[/name_f] for [name_f]Greta[/name_f] [name_f]Garbo[/name_f]
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f] for [name_f]Josephine[/name_f] [name_u]March[/name_u] from [name_m]Little[/name_m] Women
[name_f]Virginia[/name_f] for [name_f]Virginia[/name_f] [name_m]Woolf[/name_m]
[name_f]Ingrid[/name_f] for [name_f]Ingrid[/name_f] Bergman
[name_f]Michelle[/name_f] for [name_f]Michelle[/name_f] [name_m]Obama[/name_m]
[name_u]Billie[/name_u] for [name_u]Billie[/name_u] [name_f]Holiday[/name_f]
Here’s a list of suffragists/suffragettes, lots of great names to choose from!
It all depends on who you consider to be a role model, and whether or not you like the names, but a few that came to mind that haven’t been mentioned yet:
I could probably come up with more. I feel like I maybe went in a slightly different direction than most by including mostly performers, but with [name_f]Viola[/name_f] as inspiration I couldn’t help it.
[name_f]Betty[/name_f] [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] (Friedan) - [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] could also be a tie to [name_f]Naomi[/name_f] [name_m]Wolf[/name_m].
[name_f]Adeline[/name_f] or [name_f]Virginia[/name_f] ([name_m]Woolf[/name_m]) - her first name was [name_f]Adeline[/name_f].
[name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] (Plath) - another connection to [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]. Her daughter name is [name_f]Frieda[/name_f].
[name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] ([name_u]West[/name_u]) - she was born as [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] [name_f]Isabel[/name_f], lovely names.
[name_f]Angela[/name_f] [name_f]Olive[/name_f] ([name_u]Carter[/name_u])
[name_f]Marlene[/name_f] ([name_m]Dietrich[/name_m]) - or [name_f]Marie[/name_f] [name_f]Magdalene[/name_f], her birth name.
The Pankhursts have [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f], [name_f]Christabel[/name_f] [name_f]Harriet[/name_f], [name_f]Estelle[/name_f] [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] and [name_f]Adela[/name_f] [name_f]Constantia[/name_f].
[name_f]Coco[/name_f] [name_f]Chanel[/name_f]'s birth name was [name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f].
[name_f]Eva[/name_f] (Peron)
[name_f]Maya[/name_f] [name_f]Angelou[/name_f]'s birth name was [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] [name_f]Annie[/name_f] [name_m]Johnson[/name_m].
[name_f]Lena[/name_f] ([name_m]Dunham[/name_m])
[name_f]Emma[/name_f] or [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] ([name_m]Watson[/name_m])
The majority of my favourite names are inspired by strong women (sometimes fictional), so I hope these are of some help!
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] ([name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] Pankhurst)
[name_f]Sophia[/name_f] ([name_f]Sophia[/name_f] [name_m]Bush[/name_m])
[name_f]Maya[/name_f]/[name_f]Angelou[/name_f] (I had [name_f]Angelou[/name_f] on my list)
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u] ([name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_m]Blanchard[/name_m])
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f] ([name_f]Olivia[/name_f] [name_m]Benson[/name_m] from SVU)
[name_f]Octavia[/name_f] ([name_f]Octavia[/name_f] [name_m]Butler[/name_m] and the character from The 100)
[name_f]Isadora[/name_f] ([name_f]Isadora[/name_f] [name_m]Duncan[/name_m])
[name_f]Angelina[/name_f]/[name_f]Jolie[/name_f] (also have both on my list!)
[name_f]Malala[/name_f] ([name_f]Malala[/name_f] Yousafzai)
Thank you all so much for so many ideas and suggestions. [name_f]Indira[/name_f], [name_f]Agnes[/name_f], [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f], [name_f]Helen[/name_f] (perhaps [name_f]Helena[/name_f]?), [name_f]Sonia[/name_f] and [name_u]Bell[/name_u] really stood out for me. I think I might have to do my own homework now and research in more depth the stories of these women. Also, kudos to the suggestions of [name_f]Frida[/name_f], [name_f]Twyla[/name_f]/[name_f]Twila[/name_f] and [name_f]Mamie[/name_f] which long ago were guilty pleasures, it’s been nice revisiting them!