Strong, clear female namesake names 💪

katinka · December 20, 2020, 9:40am

Collecting as many examples of these as I can find!

I’m specifically after those names that are unmistakable honour names, i.e. [name_f]Angelou[/name_f] and [name_f]Earhart[/name_f] rather than [name_f]Maya[/name_f], [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] or [name_f]Amelia[/name_f]. Lots of these are surnames purely because of the uniqueness factor, but I’d love to find some more first names too!

Others I’ve thought of…

[name_f]Sojourner[/name_f]
[name_u]Nightingale[/name_u]
[name_u]Lovelace[/name_u]
[name_f]Audre[/name_f]
[name_f]Bronte[/name_f]
[name_u]Austen[/name_u]
[name_f]Cleopatra[/name_f]
[name_u]Kahlo[/name_u]
[name_f]Malala[/name_f]
Beauvoir

Please drop as many as you can think of below

ethelmary · December 20, 2020, 9:46am

Austen
[name_f]Rosa[/name_f]
[name_f]Greta[/name_f]
[name_f]Valentina[/name_f]

anon47024950 · December 20, 2020, 9:48am

Rossetti came to mind!

anon47024950 · December 20, 2020, 9:51am

Artemisia
[name_f]Leonora[/name_f]
[name_f]Antoinette[/name_f]
Valadon

Greyblue · December 20, 2020, 9:51am

Alcott and [name_f]Virginia[/name_f] came to mind

katinka · December 20, 2020, 10:10am

Great ideas! Especially loving Rossetti and Valadon. And [name_f]Valentina[/name_f] is close to my heart because I spent my year abroad in her hometown

ethelmary · December 20, 2020, 10:13am

[name_u]Or[/name_u] [name_m]Parks[/name_m]???

itsjustjack · December 20, 2020, 10:16am

Curie (Marie Curie)
[name_f]Aphra[/name_f] (Aphra Behn)
[name_f]Ingrid[/name_f] (Ingrid Bergman)
[name_f]Stefani[/name_f] (Stefani Germanofta)
[name_f]Aretha[/name_f] (Aretha Franklin)
[name_f]Holiday[/name_f] (Billie Holiday)
Hedy (Hedy Lamarr)
Rosalind (Rosalind Franklin)
Temple (Temple Grandin)

Sarah11 · December 20, 2020, 10:22am

Keller ([name_f]Helen[/name_f] [name_u]Keller[/name_u])
[name_m]Woolf[/name_m] ([name_f]Virginia[/name_f] [name_m]Woolf[/name_m])
[name_u]Garland[/name_u] ([name_f]Judy[/name_f] [name_u]Garland[/name_u])
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u]/Marilyn ([name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] [name_u]Monroe[/name_u])
[name_m]Franklin[/name_m] ([name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_m]Franklin[/name_m])
[name_f]Indira[/name_f] ([name_f]Indira[/name_f] Ghandi)
[name_u]Coco[/name_u] ([name_u]Coco[/name_u] [name_f]Chanel[/name_f])
Goodall ([name_f]Jane[/name_f] Goodall)

Gia.berry · December 20, 2020, 10:38am

Bardot ([name_f]Brigitte[/name_f] [name_f]Bardot[/name_f])
[name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m] ([name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_m]Roosevelt[/name_m])
[name_m]Bly[/name_m] ([name_f]Nellie[/name_f] [name_m]Bly[/name_m])
Nicks ([name_u]Stevie[/name_u] Nicks)
[name_f]Boudicca[/name_f]
[name_f]Lozen[/name_f]
Hepburn ([name_f]Audrey[/name_f] Hepburn & [name_f]Katharine[/name_f] Hepburn)
[name_u]Harlow[/name_u] ([name_u]Jean[/name_u] [name_u]Harlow[/name_u])

planetnames · December 20, 2020, 10:47am

Boudicca ([name_f]Boudicca[/name_f])
[name_f]Sappho[/name_f] ([name_f]Sappho[/name_f])
[name_u]Joan[/name_u] ([name_u]Joan[/name_u] of [name_m]Arc[/name_m])
[name_u]Murphy[/name_u] ([name_f]Emily[/name_f] [name_u]Murphy[/name_u])
[name_f]Teresa[/name_f] (Mother [name_f]Teresa[/name_f])

leafsgirl44 · December 20, 2020, 11:38am

A lot of old Hollywood actresses have pretty cool surnames that could be used as firsts, imo!

Havilland ([name_f]Olivia[/name_f] De [name_f]Havilland[/name_f]) - one of my favourites!
[name_u]Monroe[/name_u] ([name_f]Marilyn[/name_f] [name_u]Monroe[/name_u])
[name_u]Harlow[/name_u] ([name_u]Jean[/name_u] [name_u]Harlow[/name_u])
Hepburn ([name_f]Audrey[/name_f] and [name_f]Katharine[/name_f] Hepburn)
[name_u]Gardner[/name_u] ([name_f]Ava[/name_f] [name_u]Gardner[/name_u])
[name_u]Temple[/name_u] ([name_f]Shirley[/name_f] [name_u]Temple[/name_u])
[name_u]Loren[/name_u] ([name_f]Sophia[/name_f] [name_u]Loren[/name_u])
[name_f]Bardot[/name_f] ([name_f]Brigitte[/name_f] [name_f]Bardot[/name_f])
[name_u]Lake[/name_u] ([name_f]Veronica[/name_f] [name_u]Lake[/name_u])
[name_m]Bennet[/name_m] ([name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_m]Bennet[/name_m] - do literary characters count?)
[name_f]Holliday[/name_f] ([name_u]Billie[/name_u] [name_f]Holliday[/name_f])
Curie ([name_u]Marie[/name_u] Curie)
[name_u]Flannery[/name_u] / [name_u]Connor[/name_u] ([name_u]Flannery[/name_u] O’[name_u]Connor[/name_u])
[name_u]Simone[/name_u] ([name_f]Nina[/name_f] [name_u]Simone[/name_u])
[name_u]Toni[/name_u] ([name_m]Morrison[/name_m])
[name_f]Dolly[/name_f] ([name_f]Dolly[/name_f] [name_m]Parton[/name_m])
[name_f]Indira[/name_f] ([name_f]Indira[/name_f] Ghandi)
[name_f]Madonna[/name_f]
Albright ([name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] Albright - first female secretary of state)
[name_u]Mirren[/name_u] ([name_f]Helen[/name_f] [name_u]Mirren[/name_u])
[name_f]Venus[/name_f] ([name_f]Venus[/name_f] [name_m]Williams[/name_m])
[name_f]Beyonce[/name_f]
[name_f]Aaliyah[/name_f]
[name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] ([name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] [name_u]Kennedy[/name_u] Onassis)
[name_m]Parks[/name_m] ([name_f]Rosa[/name_f] [name_m]Parks[/name_m])
[name_f]Benazir[/name_f] ([name_f]Benazir[/name_f] Bhutto)
[name_f]Oprah[/name_f] ([name_f]Oprah[/name_f] [name_f]Winfrey[/name_f])
[name_f]Jacinda[/name_f] ([name_f]Jacinda[/name_f] Ardern - youngest female PM of [name_u]New[/name_u] Zealand)
[name_u]Mata[/name_u] / [name_m]Hari[/name_m] ([name_u]Mata[/name_u] [name_m]Hari[/name_m])
[name_f]Piaf[/name_f] ([name_f]Edith[/name_f] [name_f]Piaf[/name_f])
[name_u]Kahlo[/name_u] ([name_f]Frieda[/name_f] [name_u]Kahlo[/name_u])
[name_f]Selena[/name_f] ([name_f]Selena[/name_f])
Peron ([name_f]Eva[/name_f] Peron)

katinka · December 20, 2020, 11:46am

These are all amazing!

I was going to list some favourites but there are too many

@leafsgirl44 you’re right that there are some amazing Old Hollywood surnames (and from the arts and sciences too). And yes, literary characters welcome too!

ethelmary · December 20, 2020, 11:58am

Then, I add:

[name_u]March[/name_u] ([name_u]March[/name_u] sisters)
[name_f]Shirley[/name_f] ([name_u]Anne[/name_u])

rosepip · December 20, 2020, 12:21pm

Boudicca!

Trixiehobbit · December 20, 2020, 12:47pm

Trying to make Ginsburg work (nn. [name_f]Ginny[/name_f]? )

choupette · December 20, 2020, 12:54pm

Ancient or medieval:
[name_f]Hypatia[/name_f]
[name_f]Hildegard[/name_f] / [name_f]Hildegarde[/name_f]
[name_f]Nefertiti[/name_f]
[name_f]Zenobia[/name_f]
[name_f]Sappho[/name_f]
[name_u]Julian[/name_u] ([name_u]Julian[/name_u] of Norwich)
[name_f]Godiva[/name_f]
[name_f]Theodora[/name_f]

katinka · December 20, 2020, 1:36pm

I think Ginsburg could be a fun middle! The clunkiness is part of the appeal

[name_f]Believe[/name_f] it or not, I know someone with an alternative spelling of this

[name_u]Love[/name_u] these, you’ve come up with so many I’d never have thought of!

VividSonata · December 20, 2020, 1:41pm

Schuyler? (The [name_u]Schuyler[/name_u] sisters)

EagleEyes · December 20, 2020, 4:12pm

I don’t think I’ve seen these mentioned yet (my apologies if they have been!)
[name_f]Hedy[/name_f]
[name_f]Zora[/name_f]
[name_u]Alcott[/name_u]
[name_f]Harriet[/name_f]
Jemison (nn [name_u]Jem[/name_u] )
Curie (I knew a girl called this, she wore it super well!)
[name_m]Morrison[/name_m] (might sound better on a boy, but I think it could be cool for a girl!)