Girls Names with a British Sound/Feel?

lawsonhaley · January 27, 2014, 10:55am

My style can really only be summed up one way - it’s very British. [name_f]Every[/name_f] name on my list (minus [name_f]Posy[/name_f] and [name_f]Willa[/name_f]) fall somewhere on the [name_f]England[/name_f]&[name_m]Wales[/name_m] top 1000, or, with [name_f]Posy[/name_f] and [name_f]Willa[/name_f], they feel somewhat classy/posh. It’s hard for me to describe, but regardless, my style’s definitely English ([name_m]Even[/name_m] [name_f]Savannah[/name_f]'s English in a sense - one of the [name_f]Queen[/name_f]'s granddaughters is a [name_f]Savannah[/name_f], which brought the name up to the UK top 200).

I’m looking for some more names that give off a British sound/feel - similar to [name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_f]Harriet[/name_f], [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], [name_f]Millie[/name_f], etc.

If you’re able to better describe what I’m trying to say, please, feel free to step in

Mischa · January 27, 2014, 11:31am

When I think of “quintessentially British” names, here are the names that come to mind.

[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]
[name_f]Felicity[/name_f]
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Cecily[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosamund[/name_f]
[name_f]Tamsin[/name_f]/[name_f]Thomasina[/name_f]
[name_f]Verity[/name_f]
[name_f]Poppy[/name_f]
[name_f]Romilly[/name_f]
[name_f]Philippa[/name_f]/[name_f]Pippa[/name_f]
[name_u]Nicola[/name_u]
[name_f]Georgina[/name_f]/[name_f]Georgiana[/name_f]
[name_f]Dulcie[/name_f]
[name_f]Jemima[/name_f]
[name_f]Jessamine[/name_f]/[name_f]Jessamy[/name_f]
[name_f]Beryl[/name_f]
[name_f]Alethea[/name_f]/[name_f]Anthea[/name_f]/[name_f]Althea[/name_f]
[name_f]Araminta[/name_f]
[name_f]Christabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] (still sounds more British than Greek to me! :))
[name_f]Fiona[/name_f]
[name_f]Enid[/name_f]
[name_f]Davina[/name_f]
[name_f]Glynis[/name_f]
[name_f]Petula[/name_f]
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f] (see [name_f]Daphne[/name_f])
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]
[name_f]Dahlia[/name_f]
[name_f]India[/name_f]
[name_f]Agatha[/name_f]
[name_f]Estella[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]
[name_f]Rowena[/name_f]
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f]
[name_f]Helena[/name_f]
[name_f]Prudence[/name_f]

Kate_Elaine · January 27, 2014, 11:40am

[name_f]Maisie[/name_f], [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], [name_f]India[/name_f], [name_u]Harper[/name_u], [name_f]Imogen[/name_f], [name_f]Ivy[/name_f], [name_f]Pearl[/name_f], [name_f]Olive[/name_f], [name_f]Winnie[/name_f], [name_f]Cara[/name_f], [name_f]Elona[/name_f] and [name_f]Zanna[/name_f] are all very “British” to me.

There are a set of English twins in my class who moved from [name_u]London[/name_u] about 3 years ago. Their names are [name_f]Maude[/name_f] & [name_f]Emma[/name_f].

hanbow · January 27, 2014, 11:40am

[name_f]Clarissa[/name_f]
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Genevieve[/name_f]
[name_f]Felicity[/name_f]
[name_f]Alexandria[/name_f]
[name_f]Hattie[/name_f]
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]
[name_f]Tessa[/name_f]
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Camilla[/name_f]

X

lawsonhaley · January 27, 2014, 12:10pm

@mischa - I love [name_f]Imogen[/name_f], [name_f]Felicity[/name_f], [name_f]Clementine[/name_f], [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] (pronunciation always trips me up here :(), [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f], [name_f]Verity[/name_f], [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], [name_f]Georgiana[/name_f], [name_f]Dulcie[/name_f], [name_f]Jemima[/name_f], [name_f]Jessamine[/name_f], [name_f]Alethea[/name_f], [name_f]Araminta[/name_f], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] (love this as a MN!), [name_f]India[/name_f] (wish this wasn’t so negatively viewed on Nameberry le sigh), [name_f]Agatha[/name_f], [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f], [name_f]Rowena[/name_f], & [name_f]Helena[/name_f]! I agree on [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] - [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] reminds me of [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] (I looked up to [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] [name_m]Granger[/name_m] as a child), and [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] reminds me of someone very posh and clean cut - someone who’d be friends with [name_m]Prince[/name_m] [name_m]William[/name_m] or [name_f]Kate[/name_f].

@kate_elaine - [name_f]Maude[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f] are GORGEOUS! I had gone off [name_f]Maude[/name_f] - but I think it might be coming back for me. I also love [name_f]Olive[/name_f], [name_f]Pearl[/name_f] & [name_f]Maisie[/name_f].

@hanbow - I love [name_f]Clarissa[/name_f], [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f] (even though it’s not loved on here), [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_f]Tessa[/name_f], [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], & [name_f]Hattie[/name_f]!

annabelruth · January 27, 2014, 12:16pm

I think I know exactly what you mean - I’m British myself and [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f], [name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_f]Harriet[/name_f], [name_f]Millie[/name_f] & [name_f]Posy[/name_f] and some of (if not all of) my favourite names. It seems we have similar taste, so here are some others I love…
[name_f]Violet[/name_f]
[name_f]Virginia[/name_f] ([name_f]Ginny[/name_f])
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]
[name_f]Alice[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]
[name_f]Minnie[/name_f]
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_u]Evelyn[/name_u]
[name_f]Winifred[/name_f] ‘[name_f]Winnie[/name_f]’
[name_f]Annabel[/name_f]/[name_f]Annabelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Catherine[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Mabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]

lawsonhaley · January 27, 2014, 12:19pm

@annabelruth - [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], [name_f]Imogen[/name_f], [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f], [name_f]Matilda[/name_f], [name_u]Evelyn[/name_u], [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], [name_f]Iris[/name_f] and [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] are all ones I really love! I’m glad you managed to understand my scatterbrained thoughts!

aym · January 27, 2014, 12:44pm

What I have noticed with [name_u]Brit[/name_u] name trends is that they seem to indulge in double-barreled middle names a bit more than Americans do, and and often it’s a spunky or very frilly first middle name followed by a timeless second middle name. They also don’t stray away from alliteration, which is fun. [name_f]Kinda[/name_f] shows off the quirkiness when taken as a whole.

[name_m]Just[/name_m] a few off the top of my head and hopefully not too many repeats!

[name_f]Aletta[/name_f]
[name_f]Francesca[/name_f]
[name_f]Henrietta[/name_f]
[name_f]Bryony[/name_f]
[name_f]Amilia[/name_f] / [name_f]Amelie[/name_f]
[name_f]Heloise[/name_f]
[name_f]Camilla[/name_f]
[name_f]Jocasta[/name_f]
[name_f]Verity[/name_f]
[name_f]Greta[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f]
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
[name_f]Tessa[/name_f]
[name_f]Isobel[/name_f]
[name_f]Estelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Jemima[/name_f]
[name_f]Matilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothea[/name_f]
The various [name_f]Rose[/name_f]-names: [name_f]Rosamund[/name_f], [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f], [name_f]Rosalinde[/name_f]…

lawsonhaley · January 27, 2014, 1:11pm

@aym - I like [name_f]Isobel[/name_f] a lot!

lawsonhaley · January 27, 2014, 3:21pm

Any other suggestions?

OliviaSarah · January 27, 2014, 3:45pm

These are all very upperclass-English to me (although loads seem to be taken from other European cultures at one point and reclaimed… I guess that’s from aristocrats marrying into foreign families for money and that sort of thing)

[name_f]Araminta[/name_f], [name_f]Arabella[/name_f], [name_f]Aminta[/name_f], [name_f]Amabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Jessamy[/name_f], [name_f]Jemima[/name_f], [name_f]Jocasta[/name_f], [name_f]Jessamine[/name_f]
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f], [name_f]Iolanthe[/name_f], [name_f]Anthea[/name_f], [name_f]Delphi[/name_f]
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f], [name_f]Cressida[/name_f], [name_f]Rosaline[/name_f], [name_f]Perdita[/name_f], [name_f]Viola[/name_f], [name_f]Amelia[/name_f], [name_f]Ophelia[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Silvia[/name_f]
[name_f]Francesca[/name_f], [name_f]Elizabella[/name_f], [name_f]Evangeline[/name_f], [name_f]Virginia[/name_f], [name_f]Lavinia[/name_f], Leopoldine, [name_f]Celestia[/name_f], [name_f]Gabriella[/name_f], [name_f]Angelina[/name_f]
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f], [name_f]Clementina[/name_f], [name_f]Constance[/name_f], [name_f]Clemency[/name_f], [name_f]Clara[/name_f], [name_f]Christina[/name_f]/[name_f]Christabel[/name_f]
[name_f]Romilly[/name_f], [name_f]Ottilie[/name_f], [name_f]Cordelia[/name_f], [name_f]Bryony[/name_f], [name_f]Peony[/name_f], [name_f]Eulalia[/name_f], [name_f]Primrose[/name_f]
plus the obvious [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f], [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], [name_f]Margaret[/name_f], [name_f]Emma[/name_f] etc.

And then the short, nicknamey forms were copied by the lower classes (‘peasants’) and given as full names…

[name_f]Kitty[/name_f], [name_f]Nancy[/name_f], [name_f]Betsy[/name_f], [name_f]Edie[/name_f], [name_f]Bonnie[/name_f], [name_f]Dora[/name_f], [name_f]Kate[/name_f], [name_f]Polly[/name_f], [name_f]Lil[/name_f], [name_f]Willa[/name_f], [name_f]Tamsin[/name_f], [name_f]Beth[/name_f], [name_f]Meg[/name_f], [name_f]Pippa[/name_f], [name_f]Susie[/name_f], [name_u]Penny[/name_u], [name_f]Cora[/name_f], [name_f]Nell[/name_f], [name_f]Flora[/name_f], [name_f]Elspeth[/name_f], [name_f]Eliza[/name_f], [name_f]May[/name_f], [name_f]Trudie[/name_f], [name_f]Nan[/name_f], [name_u]Nelly[/name_u], [name_f]Birdie[/name_f], [name_f]Bess[/name_f], [name_u]Fran[/name_u], [name_u]Connie[/name_u], [name_f]Mollie[/name_f], [name_f]Annie[/name_f], [name_f]Tansy[/name_f], [name_f]Cassie[/name_f], [name_f]Belle[/name_f], [name_f]Zuzu[/name_f], [name_u]Kit[/name_u], [name_u]Lou[/name_u], [name_f]Lottie[/name_f], [name_f]Millie[/name_f], [name_f]Holly[/name_f], [name_f]Bea[/name_f], [name_f]Evie[/name_f], [name_f]Lola[/name_f], [name_f]Lucie[/name_f], [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], [name_f]Rosie[/name_f].

I mean obviously this was up to like… 400 years ago, but it’s the basics of how they came about with a few examples.

lawsonhaley · January 27, 2014, 3:54pm

I just can’t get past [name_f]Jocasta[/name_f] in [name_m]Oedipus[/name_m] [name_u]Rex[/name_u] - I read it last year in English, the [name_f]Jocasta[/name_f] complex is just too disturbing for me to get past (as is the [name_f]Electra[/name_f] complex…yeah, ew). Apart from that though, I love:

[name_f]Araminta[/name_f]
[name_f]Jemima[/name_f]
[name_f]Jessamine[/name_f]
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f]
[name_f]Imogen[/name_f]
[name_f]Cressida[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosaline[/name_f]
[name_f]Viola[/name_f]
[name_f]Ophelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Amelia[/name_f]
[name_f]Olivia[/name_f]
[name_f]Silvia[/name_f](but I prefer [name_f]Sylvia[/name_f])
[name_f]Francesca[/name_f]
[name_f]Angelina[/name_f]
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
[name_f]Constance[/name_f]
[name_f]Clemency[/name_f]
[name_f]Clara[/name_f]
[name_f]Christina[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]
[name_f]Primrose[/name_f]
[name_f]Peony[/name_f] (sadly this opens for massive teasing potential :/)

Then the nicknames:

[name_f]Nancy[/name_f], [name_f]Betsy[/name_f], [name_f]Edie[/name_f], [name_f]Bonnie[/name_f] (my late grandmother’s name), [name_f]Kate[/name_f], [name_f]Polly[/name_f], [name_f]Willa[/name_f], [name_f]Pippa[/name_f], [name_u]Penny[/name_u], [name_f]Flora[/name_f], [name_f]Birdie[/name_f], [name_f]Mollie[/name_f], [name_f]Tansy[/name_f], [name_f]Lottie[/name_f], [name_f]Millie[/name_f], [name_f]Holly[/name_f], [name_f]Lola[/name_f], [name_f]Lucie[/name_f], [name_f]Maisie[/name_f], & [name_f]Rosie[/name_f].