[name_f]Melina[/name_f] is our strong favorite right now if baby is a girl. But, I’m having trouble with middle names! I’d like to use a family name or something after an inspiring woman (historical or literary). Since we have a one syllable last name (rhymes with Hell), it would be nice if the middle had two syllables.
So far, the options I’ve come up with are…
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_u]Simone[/name_u] (family name and [name_u]Simone[/name_u] de Beauvoir)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] ([name_f]Ruth[/name_f] [name_m]Bader[/name_m] Ginsberg)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Yvette[/name_f] (family name)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] (lots of inspiring [name_f]Janes[/name_f])
None of these feel right yet. [name_f]Melina[/name_f] is such a soft name that something like [name_u]Simone[/name_u] or [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] weighs it down a bit for my taste.
Please, send me your favorite book characters or real-life feminists
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_u]Joan[/name_u] ([name_u]Joan[/name_u] of [name_m]Arc[/name_m])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] (using this as a form of [name_f]Emilia[/name_f] who is in [name_m]Othello[/name_m]. I just feel like she would’ve been the leader of the burn the bra movement back in the gap if presented the opportunity)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Charolette[/name_f] ([name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_m]Watson[/name_m]'s middle name)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Chanel[/name_f] ([name_f]Coco[/name_f] [name_f]Chanel[/name_f])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] ([name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] ("[name_f]Rose[/name_f] the Riveter")
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Glory[/name_f] (using this form to honor [name_f]Gloria[/name_f] Steinem. [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Gloria[/name_f] sounds too rhymey.)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] ([name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_m]Scott[/name_m] [name_m]King[/name_m])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_u]Angel[/name_u] (inspired by [name_f]Maya[/name_f] [name_f]Angelou[/name_f])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Ellen[/name_f] or [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Paige[/name_f] (For [name_f]Ellen[/name_f] [name_u]Page[/name_u])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Giselle[/name_f] ([name_f]Beyonce[/name_f]'s middle name. Hear me out, she is looked at as one of the most powerful and influential figures in music. Note how people view her and [name_u]Jay[/name_u]-Z as equals. She’s not just “[name_u]Jay[/name_u]-z’s Wife”. I personally feel like she has credibility in this area)
I hope I helped somewhat. Some of these people are not directly related to feminism, but I feel like they are powerful, groundbreaking, influential people nonetheless. Good luck!
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_m]Arc[/name_m] After [name_u]Joan[/name_u]! Or…
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] Dare (the first colonist to set foot in the new world was [name_f]Virginia[/name_f] Dare, I believe!)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] Annelies ([name_f]Anne[/name_f] frank)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Abigail[/name_f] ([name_f]Abigail[/name_f] [name_m]Adams[/name_m])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_u]Alcott[/name_u] (true early feminists!)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Marie[/name_f] (curie)
Have you heard of [name_f]Melina[/name_f] Mercouri? I don’t know if she ever described herself as feminist, but she was an inspiring Greek actress, politician and activist.
I’m seconding smithe’s suggestion of [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Giselle[/name_f]–so pretty, and [name_f]Beyonce[/name_f] and [name_u]Jay[/name_u]-Z are not only equals but raising their daughter in a way that subverts gender roles.
I too want to give my future girls amazing feminist role-models! Here are some from my MN list whom I don’t think have been mentioned yet.
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] [name_m]Potter[/name_m], who was a scientist and farmer as well as a bestselling author/illustrator, all in an age when women weren’t supposed to have jobs! [name_f]Octavia[/name_f] [name_u]Spencer[/name_u] [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] Pankhurst [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] Tubman, aka [name_f]Araminta[/name_f] [name_m]Ross[/name_m] [name_f]Virginia[/name_f] [name_m]Woolf[/name_m] [name_f]Dorothy[/name_f] [name_u]Parker[/name_u] [name_f]Frida[/name_f] [name_f]Kahlo[/name_f]
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] is just gorgeous. I also like [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Rosa[/name_f] ([name_m]Parks[/name_m]) and [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Susan[/name_f] (B. [name_m]Anthony[/name_m]).
I don’t think anything related to [name_f]Coco[/name_f] [name_f]Chanel[/name_f] is a good idea. [name_f]Coco[/name_f] [name_f]Chanel[/name_f] was a nazi collaborator in WWII.
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] Louisine (Havemeyer)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] Lidian ([name_m]Ralph[/name_m] [name_m]Waldo[/name_m] [name_u]Emerson[/name_u]'s second wife. She was an activist for women’s rights, animal rights, and the rights of Native Americans)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Christabel[/name_f] ([name_f]Christabel[/name_f] Pankhurst)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Audrey[/name_f] ([name_f]Audrey[/name_f] Hepburn was known for her activism and philanthropy, also [name_f]Audrey[/name_f] was [name_f]Audre[/name_f] Lorde’s birth name)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] or [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_m]Franklin[/name_m] ([name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_m]Franklin[/name_m], who discovered the structure of DNA)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Fatima[/name_f] ([name_f]Fatima[/name_f] al-Fihri, founder of the first university)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Ada[/name_f] / [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Augusta[/name_f] ([name_f]Ada[/name_f] Lovelace, daughter of [name_m]Lord[/name_m] [name_m]Byron[/name_m], who did coding now used in computers)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Eva[/name_f] [name_f]Maria[/name_f] / [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Hedwig[/name_f] (After the name of [name_f]Hedy[/name_f] [name_m]Lamarr[/name_m], who was an actress but also developed frequency hopping, spread spectrum and coding used today in wifi and bluetooth.)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Mary[/name_f] (after [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_u]Shelley[/name_u], author of Frankenstein, one of the first sci-fi novels, and her mother [name_f]Mary[/name_f] Wollstonecraft who wrote one of the first feminist novels, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Ludmila[/name_f] ([name_f]Ludmila[/name_f] Pavlichenko, Soviet sniper in WWII)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Aleksandra[/name_f] ([name_f]Aleksandra[/name_f] Mir, first woman on the moon)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Alice[/name_f] ([name_f]Alice[/name_f] [name_u]Walker[/name_u], inventor of womanism)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Nadezhda[/name_f] ([name_f]Nadezhda[/name_f] Tolokonnikova)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Cleopatra[/name_f]
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] Sayaka (Okasabe)
[name_u]Love[/name_u] the idea of [name_u]Simone[/name_u], but I would recommend using something you have a personal connection to. Unless you’ve read / feel particularly inspired by De Beauvoir’s work, it could seem a bit affectatious.
a bit of inspiration;
[name_f]Lilith[/name_f], [name_f]Eve[/name_f] (powerful, demonised women)
[name_f]Tempest[/name_f] ‘‘storm’’
[name_f]Maude[/name_f] / [name_f]Matilda[/name_f] ‘‘battle-mighty’’
[name_f]Marcia[/name_f] ‘‘warlike’’
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f] (Pankhurst)
[name_f]Emily[/name_f] (Wilding [name_m]Davidson[/name_m])
[name_f]Frieda[/name_f] ([name_f]Kahlo[/name_f])
[name_f]Virginia[/name_f] ([name_m]Woolf[/name_m])
[name_f]Sylvia[/name_f] (Plath)
[name_f]Naomi[/name_f] ([name_m]Wolf[/name_m])
[name_f]Ada[/name_f] (Lovelace)
[name_f]Jeanette[/name_f] (Winterson)
[name_u]Tavi[/name_u] (Gevinson)
[name_f]Boudicca[/name_f]
[name_f]Aphra[/name_f] (Behn)
[name_u]Germaine[/name_u] ([name_f]Greer[/name_f]) - actually [name_f]Greer[/name_f] itself is fun
Ultimately I think feminism is such a broad topic that it sort of defeats the purpose to look for a single name to embody it. Perhaps choose a name that you like, and allow your daughter’s intrinsic strength to teach her about feminism
I like pp suggestion of [name_f]Maya[/name_f] [name_f]Angelou[/name_f], but I greatly prefer [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Angelou[/name_f] to [name_u]Angel[/name_u].
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Louise[/name_f] ([name_f]Louise[/name_f] [name_m]Labe[/name_m], though not if you believe she never existed)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] Goodall (you mentioned [name_f]Jane[/name_f] but it’s another good choice)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_u]Bell[/name_u] ([name_u]Bell[/name_u] Hooks)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] Corette ([name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_m]Scott[/name_m] [name_m]King[/name_m])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_u]Day[/name_u] ([name_f]Sandra[/name_f] [name_u]Day[/name_u] O’[name_m]Connor[/name_m])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Nannette[/name_f] ([name_f]Nancy[/name_f] Pelosi)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Michelle[/name_f] ([name_f]Michelle[/name_f] [name_m]Obama[/name_m])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Dianne[/name_f] ([name_f]Dianne[/name_f] Feinstein)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] Boxer ([name_f]Barbara[/name_f] Boxer) (can you tell I grew up in [name_u]California[/name_u]?)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_m]Warren[/name_m] ([name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_m]Warren[/name_m])
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Shoshana[/name_f] or [name_f]Melina[/name_f] Rhimes ([name_f]Shonda[/name_f] Rhimes)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] ([name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] Albright)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Winnie[/name_f] ([name_f]Oprah[/name_f] Winfrey)
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Dee[/name_f] [name_f]Dee[/name_f] ([name_f]Dee[/name_f] [name_f]Dee[/name_f] Myers) or her counterpart
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Claudine[/name_f] (fictional CJ Cregg of The [name_u]West[/name_u] [name_m]Wing[/name_m]…don’t laugh)
I love this thread! One name I wish I could use for a middle is Lovelace, for both [name_f]Ada[/name_f] Lovelace (pioneer in the precursor to computer programming) and [name_f]Maud[/name_f] [name_m]Hart[/name_m] Lovelace (great author). Of course, not ideal that it sounds like “loveless.”
I’m so glad someone brought up Lidian, which is a name I’ve liked for years, and Lidian [name_m]Jackson[/name_m] [name_u]Emerson[/name_u] was pretty great. My hangup with it is that she was born [name_f]Lydia[/name_f], and it was her husband who basically decided to change her name after they were married. From what I can find, it wasn’t an overly weird domination thing, but still kind of strange.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] for the sound of it, I really like [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_u]Simone[/name_u].
I love [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_u]Simone[/name_u] - and many of the others suggested on this thread. What about these:
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] - [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] [name_m]Mansfield[/name_m] was the first woman lawyer in the United States
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Gwyneth[/name_f] or [name_u]Gwynedd[/name_u] - [name_f]Gwyneth[/name_f] [name_f]Marjory[/name_f] Bebb attempted to become [name_m]Britain[/name_m]'s first woman lawyer
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Helena[/name_f] - [name_f]Helena[/name_f] Normanton became [name_m]Britain[/name_m]'s first woman lawyer
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] Tzivia - Tzivia Lubetkin was a Jewish resistance fighter in World War II
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] - [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] can honor multiple women, including [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] [name_m]Ford[/name_m], a British labor leader and feminist, and [name_f]Isabella[/name_f] [name_m]Stewart[/name_m] [name_u]Gardner[/name_u], a colorful [name_m]Boston[/name_m] art collector and philanthropist.
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Laura[/name_f] - [name_f]Laura[/name_f] McLaren, Baroness Aberconway, was a British feminist.
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Greta[/name_f] or [name_f]Gerta[/name_f] - [name_f]Gerda[/name_f] Lerner, one of the founders of the field of Women’s [name_m]History[/name_m]. You could also choose [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f], for [name_f]Gertrude[/name_f] [name_m]Stein[/name_m].
[name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] - [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] Hinkle was an early feminist psychologist, and [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] [name_m]Webb[/name_m] was one of the founders of [name_m]Britain[/name_m]'s Labor Party (although not particularly sympathetic to feminism).
So many lovely suggestions already, basically all of my ideas are already taken. I would suggest someone local to you, for example I would personally go with [name_f]Melina[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f], honouring [name_f]Kate[/name_f] [name_m]Sheppard[/name_m], who played an important role in [name_m]New[/name_m] Zealand’s suffrage movement. Choosing someone who you (and therefore your daughter) have some connection with makes the name even more meaningful.
After [name_u]Joan[/name_u]! Or…