Help with unusual, non-frilly girl names

Girl Names
1

I’ve been a name geek my whole life. Now I’m 23 weeks pregnant with my first child, and my husband has nixed most of the names that I’ve had on the list since childhood, and I’m just feeling uninspired for names that fit the bill

Here’s the problem. I like unusual but feminine names. He likes unisex or names-that-really-shouldn’t-be-unisex, but still unusual. We’re both former English majors, so literary is always a plus on both sides.

At the beginning of the pregnancy, we gave each other lists of our top ten:

Mine was: [name]Genevieve[/name] (nn [name]Evie[/name]), [name]Zinnia[/name], [name]Iris[/name], [name]Ophelia[/name], [name]Euphemie[/name]/[name]Euphemia[/name] (nn [name]Effy[/name]/[name]Effie[/name]), [name]Camellia[/name], [name]Isla[/name], [name]Helena[/name], [name]Nerissa[/name], [name]Briony[/name]
His was: [name]Harper[/name], [name]Afton[/name], [name]Hero[/name], [name]Sweeney[/name], [name]Mackenzie[/name], [name]Waverley[/name], [name]Halifax[/name], [name]Talon[/name], Remedios, [name]Pippa[/name]

See how different! In the spirit of compromise, we’ve been on the lookout for names that are 1) unusual 2)“unisex” but not trendy or uber-masculine 3) Trying to avoid surnamey-type names (my pet peeve).

So far we’ve come up with:
[name]Saffron[/name]
[name]Vesper[/name]
[name]Journey[/name]
[name]Tamsyn[/name]/[name]Tamsin[/name]
[name]Sparrow[/name]
[name]Maren[/name]
[name]Piper[/name]
[name]Poppy[/name]
[name]Flannery[/name]
[name]Paisley[/name]
[name]Tempest[/name]
[name]Willa[/name]
[name]Lilac[/name]
[name]Plum[/name]
[name]Lark[/name]
[name]Wren[/name]
[name]Romilly[/name]
[name]Rue[/name]
[name]Tansy[/name]

I’d love some feedback on these names, and suggestions for any others that might work. THANKS!

2

[name]Just[/name] from the title, I thought of [name]Fern[/name]. [name]Charlotte[/name]'s [name]Web[/name] is such a sweet story, and [name]Fern[/name] is still quite unusual as a name (only 45 girls were named it last year!).

[name]Saffron[/name] - I really, really like this! Not sure if I would every use it, but I still really like it. A similar name is [name]Sutton[/name].
[name]Vesper[/name] - I’m torn on this one. It sounds super cool and it has a great look, but I’m not sure if I can imagine it on a little girl. [name]How[/name] about [name]Echo[/name]?
[name]Journey[/name] - I would save this for the middle slot.
[name]Tamsyn[/name]/[name]Tamsin[/name] - I’m not super fond of this name, but I like [name]Tamar[/name] (ta-[name]MAR[/name]), which is similar.
[name]Sparrow[/name] - I prefer this in the middle slot.
[name]Maren[/name] - It’s cute, but I prefer [name]Maeve[/name].
[name]Piper[/name] - I’ve never been a fan. I can’t see this as a name, to be honest.
[name]Poppy[/name] - Cute, but maybe a bit cutesy to me. I like the idea of [name]Penelope[/name] with the nickname [name]Poppy[/name] though.
[name]Flannery[/name] - The only time I’ve ever heard of this name was in the book The [name]Secret[/name] Language of Girls, and she isn’t the best namesake. Other than that, it’s a nice, unusual name. For some reason, I picture [name]Flannery[/name] with a little sister named [name]Ember[/name].
[name]Paisley[/name] - Not really my style.
[name]Tempest[/name] - [name]Just[/name] the definition of the word tempest turns me off.
[name]Willa[/name] - I prefer this as a nickname for [name]Willow[/name].
[name]Lilac[/name] - I really like this in a GPish sort of way.
[name]Plum[/name] - Too cutesy for me.
[name]Lark[/name] - Sweet! I really like it!
[name]Wren[/name] - I like it! Another bird name to consider is Kestrel, a character from the Wind on [name]Fire[/name] trilogy.
[name]Romilly[/name] - Cute, but the -milly part makes me cringe ever so slightly.
[name]Rue[/name] - I like, but maybe a bit too Hunger Games right now? I also like [name]Clove[/name] and [name]Bonnie[/name] from that series.
[name]Tansy[/name] - Cute! I personally have always like it as a nickname for [name]Constance[/name].

EDIT: I’m back with more names :slight_smile:

Adair
Avalon
Opal (I love Because of Winn Dixie so much!)
Petra
Gemma
Monique
Bernadette
Maude
Mercy
Lane/Layne/Laine
Nadine
Karis
Nova
Thalassa (probably too frilly, but I’ve always adored the nickname Lassie)
Zelda
Astrid
Celeste
Allaire
Evanthe
Sloane
Greer
Agnes
Greta/Gretel
Ingrid
Saskia
Saba
Yvonne
Lilith
Aspen
Beth
Jade
Neve
Olive
Phoebe
Daphne
Camille
Rosamund
Therese (terr-RHESS)
Ada (I pronounce this odd-ah, but there’s several ways to pronounce it)
Nina
Arden
Lux
Katya/Katia
Kit
Coral
Mona
Seren
Bay

3

I love [name]Wren[/name], [name]Rue[/name], [name]Lark[/name], [name]Maren[/name], [name]Willa[/name] and [name]Poppy[/name]!

I suggest:
[name]Eve[/name]
[name]Maris[/name]
[name]Carys[/name]
[name]Raina[/name]
[name]Elsa[/name]
[name]Verity[/name]
[name]Sterling[/name]
[name]Lina[/name]
[name]Rena[/name]
[name]Ivy[/name]
[name]Lois[/name]
[name]Gray[/name]
[name]Hazel[/name]
[name]Brynn[/name]
[name]Briar[/name]

4

I love [name]Maren[/name], [name]Wren[/name], and Tansly!

Some names that I think of that seem your style: [name]Lyric[/name], [name]Merritt[/name], [name]Hollis[/name], [name]Bree[/name], [name]Perry[/name]. (I especially love lyric)

You are one of the only people I have seen mention the name [name]Zinnia[/name]! [name]One[/name] of the few others is my sister who has said for years that is what she is naming her daughter. She loves it because of her favorite childhood book “Chasing Redbird” … have you read it?

5

From your story I thought of:
[name]Blythe[/name]
[name]Maeve[/name]
[name]Niamh[/name]/[name]Neve[/name]
[name]Scout[/name]

From your list my favorites are [name]Maren[/name], [name]Piper[/name], [name]Willa[/name], and [name]Wren[/name].

6

I love [name]Saffron[/name], [name]Flannery[/name], [name]Tempest[/name], and [name]Poppy[/name] off of your list. A lot of your other names are lovely, but ones I wouldn’t consider suitable for an adult in the business world (like [name]Sparrow[/name], [name]Lark[/name], etc.) Here are some others you might consider:

[name]Roisin[/name]
[name]August[/name]
Chrysanthe
[name]Holland[/name]
[name]Clementine[/name]
[name]Miranda[/name]
[name]Aislinn[/name]
[name]Brigid[/name]
[name]Aria[/name]/[name]Arianna[/name]
[name]Cassidy[/name]
[name]Maeve[/name]
[name]Rhoda[/name]
[name]Scout[/name]
[name]Zelda[/name]
[name]Bronwen[/name]/[name]Branwen[/name]
[name]Cassia[/name]
[name]Amaryllis[/name]
[name]Faline[/name]
[name]Azalea[/name]
[name]Maxwell[/name]
[name]Alexandria[/name]
[name]Helene[/name]
[name]Valencia[/name]
[name]Juno[/name]
[name]Acacia[/name]
[name]Bay[/name]
[name]Delphine[/name]
[name]Florence[/name]/[name]Florentine[/name]
[name]Leontine[/name]
[name]Hazel[/name]
[name]Camden[/name]
[name]Mila[/name]/[name]Milla[/name]
[name]Briar[/name]
[name]Leila[/name]
[name]Aubine[/name]
[name]Amarantha[/name]
[name]Elspeth[/name]
[name]Annika[/name]
[name]Hyacinth[/name]
[name]Myrtle[/name]
[name]Viola[/name]

Here are some bird names (since you seemed so fond of them!) that I found more suitable for a young woman. They’re either kinds of birds or mean bird in another language:
[name]Linnet[/name]
[name]Paloma[/name]
[name]Alouette[/name]
[name]Merle[/name]
[name]Deryn[/name]
[name]Aya[/name]
[name]Palila[/name]

7

I think we have a pretty similar style. A lot of your choices (and a lot of the recommendations from other posters) are on my own list. Of the compromise names, I really like [name]Saffron[/name], [name]Poppy[/name], [name]Lark[/name] and [name]Plum[/name]. I also second the nominations of [name]Fern[/name] (love!), [name]Maeve[/name], [name]Bay[/name] and [name]Annika[/name]. A lot of the names on your list are word names, so I would make sure to pair one of those with a more “namey” name, if you know what I mean.

Some others you might like:

[name]Anouk[/name] (This is one of my favorite names. I can’t use it because it sounds too weird with his last name. I would love for somebody to use it!)
[name]Aphra[/name]
[name]Elke[/name]
[name]Dagny[/name]
[name]Djuna[/name]
[name]Greta[/name]
[name]Juno[/name] (if your husband likes [name]Hero[/name], he might like [name]Juno[/name])
[name]Iris[/name] (another mythology name- but also a flower. It seems like a nice choice for you)
[name]Lael[/name] (it’s a boys’ name, but I know a woman named [name]Lael[/name], and I think it’s gorgeous)
[name]Leonie[/name]
[name]Liesel[/name]
Loie
Loxie
[name]Maisie[/name]
[name]Ruth[/name]
[name]Sylvie[/name]/[name]Sylvia[/name] (I know a woman named [name]Sylvia[/name] who’s husband calls her “[name]Sly[/name]”)
[name]Yael[/name]

8

From your list I like:
[name]Tamar[/name]
[name]Maren[/name]
[name]Flannery[/name]
[name]Lark[/name]
[name]Wren[/name]
[name]Willa[/name]
[name]Vesper[/name]
I dislike (and might like as middles):
[name]Journey[/name]
[name]Tamsin[/name]
[name]Paisley[/name]
[name]Tempest[/name]
[name]Romilly[/name]
[name]Tansy[/name]

I agree with other people suggestions of:
[name]Fern[/name] ([name]Charlotte[/name]'s [name]Web[/name]) A current favorite of mine!
[name]Blythe[/name] ([name]Anne[/name] of [name]Green[/name] Gables) [name]Love[/name] this!
[name]Scout[/name] (To Kill a Mockingbird) Not as much, but trendy as are TKAM names.
[name]Maeve[/name] (Binchy, author) [name]Love[/name]!
[name]Eve[/name] [name]Love[/name]!

Also my suggestions
[name]Jane[/name] (feminine yes but not overly girly)
[name]Jordan[/name] (from the Great [name]Gatsby[/name])
[name]Pearl[/name] (from the [name]Scarlet[/name] Letter: may seem girly but I saw a documentary called A [name]Man[/name] called [name]Pearl[/name] once)
[name]Frances[/name] (A Tree Grows in [name]Brooklyn[/name] among other references)
[name]Ruth[/name] (A Raisin in the [name]Sun[/name])
[name]Bryony[/name] (Atonement book and movie)
[name]Wendy[/name] ([name]Peter[/name] [name]Pan[/name])
[name]Maud[/name] ([name]Tennyson[/name])
[name]Joan[/name] ([name]Mark[/name] [name]Twain[/name] wrote a book about [name]Joan[/name] of [name]Arc[/name] among others)
[name]Eden[/name] ([name]East[/name] of [name]Eden[/name] by [name]John[/name] Steinbeck)
[name]Sage[/name] (just because I like this one)
[name]Paige[/name] (literary in a different way)
[name]Archer[/name] (([name]Piper[/name] is on your list I also think of [name]Harper[/name]) Portrait of a Lady)
[name]Darcy[/name] (P & P)

I hope this helps.
Good [name]Luck[/name]!

9

Name her Jenwa!!!

10

Some names that stood out to me from your list were:

Journey - Sounds too word-namey to me, falling into the same category as Destiny/Hope.
Willa - I personally prefer this name to Willow, although both are very pretty.
Tamsyn - The Tamsin spelling doesn’t bother me, I just don’t like this variation.
Rue - Sweet, strong name. I think it will soon lose the Hunger Games connection.
Flannery - Don’t know why this name puts me off. Maybe it just sounds nasal. FLAAAAAANnery.
Vesper - Has a musical, whispery sound to me. I like it a lot!
Plum - To me this sounds like more of a cutesy/trendy option; not necessarily bad but doesn’t sound like what you were going for!

And just for the record, Briony, Genevieve and Harper are some of my well-established favorites. Afton is a neat name too.

Some names that I think would fit the bill (not sure how many have already been said):
Maris
Thallo
Luca
Artemis
Sage
Tabitha nn Tabby
Astrid
Aurora nn Rory

Plus I like tay2thestars’s suggestion of Kestrel!

11

(Double-posted)

12

My first thought was [name]Piper[/name], but I see you’ve already thought of that one. [name]How[/name] about Margeurite, as in The [name]Scarlet[/name] Pimpernel, possibly with [name]Margo[/name] as a nn? It’s definitely uncommon; is feminine but has a lot of the same strong sounds as [name]Harper[/name]; and nn [name]Margo[/name] is cool, on trend, and less frilly.

Another idea: [name]Fia[/name]? That’s a recent love of mine – only my hubby and I are the reverse of you two; he wants a long frilly name and for [name]Fia[/name] to be a nickname. Some others I love but DH seems to think aren’t frilly enough are [name]Willow[/name], [name]Gwen[/name]/[name]Gwenyth[/name]/Gwenllian/[name]Gwendolyn[/name]/[name]Gwenora[/name], [name]Tove[/name] (I believe this is pronounced toe-veh), and [name]Cora[/name] (Last of the Mohicans) – maybe one of those will strike your fancy?

I [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Zinnia[/name] and [name]Nerissa[/name] from your original list, [name]Pippa[/name] from his is cute, and from the compromise list I like [name]Saffron[/name], [name]Piper[/name], [name]Maren[/name], [name]Wren[/name] & [name]Romilly[/name].

And also, I have to say: EEEEEEEK!!! ARE THOSE LAMANCHA BABIES I SEE IN YOUR AVATAR?!

13

Along the lines of [name]Journey[/name], and [name]Tempest[/name] (which I love), perhaps [name]Mercy[/name] or Meridian.

14

From your list I like [name]Vesper[/name], [name]Maren[/name], and [name]Willa[/name] best. Least favorites are [name]Journey[/name] (makes me think of names like [name]Destiny[/name], like someone else mentioned) and [name]Rue[/name] (because of the Hunger Games). [name]Flannery[/name] sounds like a surname name. I don’t think of [name]Piper[/name] as unusual, I know 3 people with Pipers that are 2 and under. [name]Tansy[/name], [name]Paisley[/name], and [name]Poppy[/name] sound “frilly” and nowhere near unisex. I don’t really have thoughts on the others.

[name]Favorite[/name] suggestions from everyone else’s lists are:
[name]Fern[/name] (lots of nature names on your list so I feel like it fits right in!)
[name]Sterling[/name]
[name]Merritt[/name]
[name]Hollis[/name]
[name]Scout[/name]
[name]Briony[/name] (prefer this spelling to [name]Bryony[/name])

[name]Happy[/name] naming!!!

15

I like [name]Rue[/name] and [name]Willa[/name] best from your list, but prefer [name]Rue[/name] as a middle. Here are some others:

[name]Clare[/name] - Not frilly but has a nice sound
[name]Kerry[/name]
[name]Kelly[/name]
[name]Tate[/name]
[name]Tatum[/name]
[name]Sam[/name]

16

I like a lot from your original list! Maybe you talk him into [name]Genevieve[/name] nickname [name]Evie[/name], so beautiful. [name]Zinnia[/name] is great too. [name]Maren[/name] is my favorite from the compromise list. I’m think of using it myself for a middle name.

I would avoid names that are too “wordy”. It opens the door for a lot of assumptions and judgements, why saddle your child with that? Yes some names that are technically words may work, like colors, but imo some word names just make one think of nothing but the object, and that takes away from the person.

I like- [name]Tamsin[/name], [name]Maren[/name], [name]Lilac[/name], [name]Willa[/name]

[name]Flannery[/name]- I love [name]Flannery[/name] O’[name]Connor[/name] and I’m guessing this is in honor of her, but I just don’t like the sound. However, it may be perfect for you. It would be unisex, non frou frou, and literary. If I knew someone named [name]Flannery[/name], it could grow on me.

My suggestions- [name]Vita[/name], [name]Enid[/name], [name]Lyra[/name], [name]Vera[/name], [name]Beatrix[/name]- nn [name]Bea[/name], [name]Arden[/name]- [name]Shakespeare[/name] connection, [name]Maeve[/name]- associated with fairy [name]Queen[/name] [name]Mab[/name], another [name]Shakespeare[/name] connection, and I second Bylthe.

17

From your mutual list, I like [name]Maren[/name], [name]Flannery[/name], [name]Willa[/name] and [name]Lark[/name]. Sorry if some of these are a bit surnamey, I’m not quite sure if they qualify, but my suggestions would be:

[name]Alden[/name]
[name]Arden[/name]
[name]Aspen[/name]
[name]Auden[/name]
[name]Carlen[/name]
[name]Dell[/name]
[name]Elliot[/name]
[name]Greta[/name]
[name]Harlen[/name]
[name]Jane[/name]
[name]Kinsley[/name]
[name]Lara[/name]
[name]Marian[/name]
[name]Marlon[/name]
[name]Merritt[/name]
[name]Navy[/name]
[name]Nico[/name]
[name]Oakley[/name]
[name]Reeve[/name]
[name]Rooney[/name]
[name]Seneca[/name]
[name]Sinclair[/name]
[name]Sloane[/name]

18

[name]Saffron[/name] - Maaaaayyyybeeee
[name]Vesper[/name] - Cool idea, but not a great name, [name]IMO[/name].
[name]Journey[/name] - No
[name]Tamsyn[/name]/[name]Tamsin[/name] - I actually like this one a lot.
[name]Sparrow[/name] - Meh.
[name]Maren[/name] - Great name!
[name]Piper[/name] - Cute, but won’t grow well, [name]IMO[/name].
[name]Poppy[/name] - Ditto
[name]Flannery[/name] - No
[name]Paisley[/name] - Nah.
[name]Tempest[/name] - Asking for trouble.
[name]Willa[/name] - [name]Love[/name] it!
[name]Lilac[/name] - Has potential
[name]Plum[/name] - Nah.
[name]Lark[/name] - Has potential
[name]Wren[/name] - I like it.
[name]Romilly[/name] - Not terrible, but NMS.
[name]Rue[/name] - Too Hunger Games
[name]Tansy[/name] - Cute, but won’t grow well.

19

[name]Love[/name] or like:

[name]Tamsin[/name]
[name]Sparrow[/name]
[name]Maren[/name]
[name]Poppy[/name]
[name]Lilac[/name]
[name]Plum[/name]
[name]Lark[/name]
[name]Romilly[/name] - love [name]Romilly[/name], it’s so beautiful

20

[[name]Saffron[/name] - quite like it, makes me think of [name]Ab[/name] Fab though
[name]Vesper[/name] - Ok. What about [name]Esther[/name] or Estar
[name]Journey[/name] - Not my style, maybe MN?
[name]Tamsyn[/name]/[name]Tamsin[/name] - [name]Love[/name]! But dislike the nn [name]Tammy[/name]. I think [name]Tansy[/name] could work as a nn for [name]Tamsin[/name]
[name]Sparrow[/name] - It’s daring.
[name]Maren[/name] - Ok
[name]Piper[/name] - Meh
[name]Poppy[/name] - Ok
[name]Flannery[/name] - NMS
[name]Paisley[/name] - Ok
[name]Tempest[/name] - NMS.
[name]Willa[/name] - like
[name]Lilac[/name] - Like
[name]Plum[/name] - Prefur as whimsical middle spot
[name]Lark[/name] - Like
[name]Wren[/name] - Like
[name]Romilly[/name] - Like
[name]Rue[/name] - Ok, very Hunger Games
[name]Tansy[/name] - [name]Love[/name]. It’s on my list

I like suggestions of Kestral and [name]Linnet[/name]
Other options (sorry for repeats)
[name]Zola[/name]
[name]Zadie[/name]
[name]Sabine[/name]
[name]Ayla[/name]
[name]Roan[/name]
[name]Alba[/name]/ [name]Elba[/name]
[name]Poesy[/name]
[name]Petra[/name]
[name]Pania[/name] (Maori mythical woman, pa-NEE-ah)
[name]Bronte[/name]
[name]Tali[/name]

Good luck!