[name_f]Ariadne[/name_f] - Quick witted princess whose assistance allowed [name_m]Theseus[/name_m] to survive the labyrinth of the minotaur
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f] - [name_m]Roman[/name_m] goddess of intellect and strategy (and sassy head of Griffindor house)
[name_f]Titiana[/name_f], or cousin name [name_f]Tatiana[/name_f] - [name_f]Fairy[/name_f] [name_f]Queen[/name_f] of [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s Midsummer [name_m]Night[/name_m]'s [name_u]Dream[/name_u], and longtime royal Russian name respectively
[name_f]Alexandrine[/name_f] - Famed Dutch explorer, noted for being the first European woman to attempt to cross the [name_f]Sahara[/name_f]. She also went by [name_f]Alexine[/name_f], which is equally pretty. This name also features in British royalty
[name_f]Cordelia[/name_f] - Loving favourite daughter of [name_m]King[/name_m] Lear
[name_f]Valentina[/name_f] - Meaning “Strength, health”, namesake [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] Tereshkova was the first woman in space
[name_f]Althea[/name_f] - Featured in the [name_m]Richard[/name_m] Lovelace poem “To [name_f]Althea[/name_f], from Prison”, [name_f]Althea[/name_f] is also heard in Greek mythology, sometimes as Althaea. This has the excellent meaning “With healing power”
Wyetta - Unusual but not entirely unfamiliar, this means “a fiesty woman”
[name_f]Bridget[/name_f], [name_f]Brigid[/name_f], [name_f]Brighid[/name_f] - Variations of the name of the Celtic goddess of wisdom
[name_f]Elfrida[/name_f] - Interesting name with a more interesting meaning - “elf power”, features in [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] [name_m]Hardy[/name_m]'s A Pair of [name_u]Blue[/name_u] Eyes as the heroine
[name_f]Astraea[/name_f] or [name_f]Astraia[/name_f] - The Greek goddess of innocence and justice who became the Virgo constellation
[name_f]Maeve[/name_f] - Meaning “she who intoxicates”, this features in Irish mythology as a name of Queens
[name_f]Freya[/name_f] - Norse goddess of beauty, and [name_f]Freya[/name_f] [name_m]Stark[/name_m] is known as the “last of the Romantic travelers”
Audelia - English name meaning “strength and nobility”
[name_f]Octavie[/name_f] - [name_f]Octavie[/name_f] Coudreau was a french explorer, hired to chart the Amazon region
[name_f]Ana[/name_f]ïs - Middle name used professionally by [name_f]Ana[/name_f]ïs [name_m]Nin[/name_m], celebrated author and diarist, means “grace”
[name_f]Pilar[/name_f] - Heroine of [name_m]Hemingway[/name_m]'s For Whom the [name_u]Bell[/name_u] Tolls
[name_f]Yvaine[/name_f] - Featured in the [name_u]Neil[/name_u] Gaiman novel Stardust, this means “evening star”
[name_f]Indira[/name_f] - Sanskrit name meaning “beauty”, [name_f]Indira[/name_f] Gandhi was the first female prime minister of [name_f]India[/name_f]
[name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] - Celebrated author [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] needs no introduction! Meaning “she who brings happiness”, this is a royal name, alongside sister name [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] which featured in [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] as a witty, cunning heroine lightyears ahead of her time
[name_f]Selene[/name_f] - Greek goddess of the moon
[name_u]Artemis[/name_u], [name_f]Artemisia[/name_f] - [name_u]Artemis[/name_u] was the Greek goddess of the hunt, variant [name_f]Artemisia[/name_f] was used by Grecian royalty, and [name_f]Artemisia[/name_f] Gentileschi was a reknowned painter in an era where women gaining recognition in the arts was deemed laughable.
[name_f]Calliope[/name_f] - Greek muse of epic poetry, this name means “beautiful voice”
[name_f]Astrid[/name_f] - Personal favourite of mine, means “divinely beautiful”. [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] Lindgren wrote the [name_f]Pippi[/name_f] Longstocking books, and [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is a Scandinavian royal name