I struggle with girl names. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve wished for all boys so that I never have to name a girl. (Luckily, I’ve got 2 boys so far! Haha)
When I see a list or hear of a new baby girl being born, my thoughts are almost always one of the following:
Boring.
Frilly.
Tacky.
Too popular.
Not a name. (The smooshing together of mom and dad’s names is big where I live. So is just making up new names with some Ys and Ks thrown in.)
Either there is some hidden category of girl names that I haven’t yet discovered, or I just need to accept the fact that I’m a total name snob.
I am the opposite - I find boy’s names super hard (as does my partner), but we have a huge list of girls names to the point where if we have a girl it will probably be painful having to pick one. I think it is normal for one style of names to come more naturally then the other. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t fret. If you have a little miss, I am sure you’ll do just fine at naming her.
I’m a fan of the non-frilly girls’ names myself, so I understand your feelings a little bit. Maybe it would help if you gave us a sample of what boys’ names you like and what girls’ names you can give for each description you gave?
My sons are [name_m]Beckett[/name_m] and [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m]. I’m definitely drawn to surnames, but I’m just more picky about the ones used for girls.
Classic names tend to feel boring to me. [name_f]Sarah[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Jane[/name_f], [name_f]Katie[/name_f], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f]… However, I have a niece named [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f] and I adore it for her, even though I wouldn’t use it myself. (I also have a niece named [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], but she is almost always [name_f]Lizzie[/name_f].)
Most -a/-ia ending names feel frilly to me. [name_f]Delia[/name_f] is a family name that grew on me for a little while, but it’s not a name I would actually use either. One exception might be [name_f]Willa[/name_f], but my husband hates it.
Once a celebrity uses a name it usually goes to my tacky or too popular list. I really liked [name_f]Harlow[/name_f] when I first heard it, but I can’t imagine giving the name to a kid now. I used to love [name_u]Harper[/name_u] for a boy, but now I wouldn’t use it for either.
I cringe when I hear [name_f]Sophia[/name_f] and every [name_f]Bella[/name_f] name simply because they are so popular. (And yes. Frilly sounding haha)
I shared a classroom with many a [name_u]Chelsea[/name_u]/[name_f]Chelsey[/name_f]/[name_f]Chelsie[/name_f] and I hated that the only thing that set me apart was my unique spelling, so popular names are a no go for me.
The site has a list of surname names here. I’ve also seen Greer, Darcy (Thor character and Pride and Prejudice associations, though), Blair (but with Gossip Girl character associations), Brett (a Sun Also Rises character), and Sloane (The Newsroom).
What about names like the following:
Astrid
Ingrid
Sigrid
Daphne
Margot
Juno
June
Eve
Ruth
Maude
Frances
Audrey
If you can’t find a surname name you like, maybe you can look up Germanic (Anglo-Saxon, German, Nordic, etc.) names–they tend to be less frilly (Adelaide is one).
Appellation Mountain also haslists (sorry for the repeats from my list).
Names like [name_u]Delaney[/name_u] and [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] might work, not too frilly and stick with the surname trend that you have with your boys.
[name_u]Sutton[/name_u], [name_u]Collins[/name_u] and [name_f]Anniston[/name_f] might work too.
I dislike [name_f]Willa[/name_f] because [name_m]William[/name_m] is becoming more and more popular for boys. I wouldn’t like my daughter to be a [name_f]Willa[/name_f] in a class with one or two [name_m]Wills[/name_m].
[name_m]Don[/name_m]'t sell yourself short on names that end in ‘a’ or ‘ia’ because some are too strong to be considered frilly.
[name_f]Edith[/name_f] with the nn [name_f]Edie[/name_f]
[name_f]Ethel[/name_f]
[name_f]Florence[/name_f]
[name_f]Maude[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]
[name_f]Marjorie[/name_f]
Other suggestions:
[name_u]Hollis[/name_u]
[name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] (too boring? I think it’s much more zippy than [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] and far less popular these days)
[name_f]Cecily[/name_f]
[name_f]Salome[/name_f]
[name_u]Tierney[/name_u]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]
[name_u]Morgan[/name_u]
What about word names:
[name_u]June[/name_u]
[name_f]Laurel[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Joy[/name_f]
[name_f]Amity[/name_f]
[name_f]Verity[/name_f]
[name_u]Valentine[/name_u] (tacky? Not a name?)
[name_f]Lark[/name_f]
[name_f]Mercy[/name_f]
Maybe you’d like tailored and unisex options like [name_u]Jude[/name_u], [name_u]Sloane[/name_u], [name_u]Wynn[/name_u], [name_u]Ira[/name_u] or [name_u]August[/name_u]. Most of those are used more often on boys but are not unheard of on girls. I think they’re very cool.
Thank you for your feedback, everyone! I actually do like a lot of unisex names. (However, I dislike the burning rage that so many people seem to feel about those names being used on girls.)
My suggestions would be:
Unisex names
Word names
“Strong” names (whatever you consider that to be)
I dislike names ending in -a for girls, and there are many ending in a consonant, -e or -o. Some -a names can feel strong too, eg [name_f]Zoya[/name_f] (Russian for “life”) or [name_f]Zora[/name_f] (Slavic for “dawn”.)
If you like classic, but not boring, how about [name_f]Lilith[/name_f]? Super strong name imo with intense meaning.
I would love [name_m]Arrow[/name_m] on a girl.
or if you like [name_f]Willa[/name_f] but it’s too frilly, [name_f]Willow[/name_f] might be better?
There’s not really a ‘burning rage’ for unisex names. Names like [name_u]Darcy[/name_u], [name_u]Delaney[/name_u], [name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_u]Hadley[/name_u], [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], [name_u]Addison[/name_u], [name_u]Madison[/name_u], [name_u]Emerson[/name_u], etc. There’s not much hatred for those at all. They are in fact truly unisex and most are well known for either gender. The ‘burning rage’ comes into play when parents use traditionally male names like [name_u]James[/name_u], [name_u]Elliott[/name_u], etc. on girls to make a ‘feminist statement’ or to ‘give her a strong name’, but refusing names like [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_u]Finley[/name_u] and [name_u]Harper[/name_u] on boys because they’re too ‘feminine’. I personally love [name_u]Darcey[/name_u], [name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_u]Morgan[/name_u], [name_f]Maddison[/name_f], and [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] on girls, but I’d also happily use [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_u]Finley[/name_u], [name_u]Mackenzie[/name_u] and [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] on boys. It’s more about balance and reason for giving a daughter a male name that causes the you’re talking about.
I’d suggest something that’s somewhat under the radar like [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m], but not too out there, like [name_m]Beckett[/name_m] (sorry for any repeats!);
[name_u]Adair[/name_u]
[name_u]Fallon[/name_u] ([name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_u]Fallon[/name_u]!)
[name_f]Cerys[/name_f]
[name_u]Flannery[/name_u]
[name_u]Ainsley[/name_u]
[name_f]Erin[/name_f]
[name_u]Corrie[/name_u] (I once knew a girl from the UK named [name_u]Corrie[/name_u], and one named [name_m]Codie[/name_m])
[name_u]Carmen[/name_u]
[name_f]Tamsin[/name_f]
[name_f]Taryn[/name_f]
[name_u]Kit[/name_u]
[name_u]Piper[/name_u]
[name_u]Meredith[/name_u]
[name_f]Keira[/name_f]/[name_f]Ciara[/name_f]
[name_u]Georgie[/name_u]
[name_u]Darcy[/name_u]
[name_u]Seren[/name_u]
[name_f]Niamh[/name_f] (Neev)
[name_f]Cara[/name_f]
[name_f]Nyla[/name_f]
[name_u]Tegan[/name_u]
[name_f]Liberty[/name_f]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
[name_u]Kendall[/name_u]
[name_f]Saffron[/name_f]
[name_f]Juno[/name_f]
[name_u]Juniper[/name_u]
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f]
[name_u]Everly[/name_u]
[name_u]Bobbie[/name_u]
[name_u]Stevie[/name_u]
[name_u]Billie[/name_u]
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] ([name_m]Zan[/name_m]-thee)
[name_u]Keeley[/name_u]
[name_f]Una[/name_f]
[name_u]Winter[/name_u]
[name_f]Eleri[/name_f]
[name_f]Holliday[/name_f]/[name_f]Holiday[/name_f]
[name_u]Holland[/name_u]
[name_f]Romilly[/name_f]
[name_f]Gemma[/name_f]
[name_f]Bronte[/name_f]
Some of these aren’t very wearable, and I am sure your taste is very different from mine. I’m sharing my list to encourage you to keep looking. Your favorite girl names are waiting for you to discover!
Okay. So, I’ve come to the conclusion that I really like a lot of nature names, but they’re automatically a “no” because hubby hates them all. =( I’ve also accepted the fact that I’m one of those dreaded people that likes boy names (mostly surnames) on both genders. Fingers crossed the names come easier if a real baby girl ever comes!
I love [name_m]Greyson[/name_m] for a girl. She can even go by [name_f]Grace[/name_f] or [name_f]Gracie[/name_f] when she’s older if she wants something more feminine. Other names for you to consider would be
[name_u]Wren[/name_u]
[name_u]Delaney[/name_u]
[name_m]Adrian[/name_m]
[name_u]Georgie[/name_u]
[name_u]Sloane[/name_u]
[name_f]Charlee[/name_f]
[name_u]Remy[/name_u]
[name_u]Drew[/name_u]
[name_u]Avery[/name_u]
I’d love to hear the names that have been mentioned that you are digging.
Maybe it would help if you gave us a sample of what boys’ names you like and what girls’ names you can give for each description you gave?