we are struggling with girls names...and we are having a girl!

We want a name that is old and recognisable but not common. one of those names people think about using but never do because it is too grandma'ish or they can't convince their partner to use it...we are not scared of ugly or names people screw their nose up when they hear them.

Our list is long (and gets longer by the day) but either we can't agree on any of these names, or someone we know is already using the name/has a very similar name/. Can you add to it?

ursula
astrid
lula
maude
willa
esme
violet
flora
dora
nora
daphne
dulcie
blythe
elke
elsie
elsa
ethel

anything will help. we have searched datebases from popular names in 1880 etc. we have visited cemeteries for inspiration......help!

Enid
Nancy
Naomi
Gwen
Beryl
Joan
Joyce

What about...

beatrice
bethel
gertrude
mabel
thana

I assume they are the style you are looking for?

Vera
Joy
Daisy
Amy
Dorothy
Gertrude
Gretchen
Rosemary
Celeste
Lillian
Claire
Vivian
Yvonne
Jillian
Millicent

Hope these help a bit, and good luck!!

Mavis
Norma
Judy

Just one's I can think of off the top of my head in my family.

Wishing you all the best with your choice.xo

Agatha
Agnes
Winifred
Esther

Florence
Alice
Charlotte
Juliet

Hello ladies, what about these:

Eithne
Minna
Martha
Alice
Anna
Rose
Clara
Genevieve
Cecile
Lillian

Good luck, hope this helps

PS MrsQuinns, I love Dulcie!

Ok, we have been researching Dh's family tree and here are some of the old names that have popped up...

Eliza
Jane
Ethel
Alberta
Florence
Josephine
Sarah
Lily
Mary-Ellen
Elise
Maud
Gladys
Dorothy
May
Murial
Elizabeth
Alice
Ivy
Hazil
Cora
Beatrice
Agnes
Mary-ann
Margaret

Hope this helps,

Martha
Delphine
Luella (my baby )
Lois
Adele
June
Nancy
Victoria
Beatrix
Bette
Edna
Frances
Georgina
Harriet
Ida
Ophelia
Prudence
Selma
Thea
Una
Verity

(tried to think alphabetically but got stuck!)

Gwendoline
Edith
Adele

How about

Ingrid
Ivy
Faith
Nina
Kitty
Genevieve

I'm starting to really like Florence!

my favourite is Pearl though

Also

Lavender
Lucille
Minnie (my GM)
Rosemary
Rosalie
Isla

Lots of good ones already bit here's a few I've not noticed.

I've always like Eglantine from when I watched Bedknobs and broomsticks as a child.

Agatha
Wilhemina
Hortense
Alvera

Sorry If I've repeated any.

June
Audrey
Victoria
Claire

Eleanor/Eleanora
Charlotte
Annabelle/Annabella
Maisie
Evangeline/Evangelina
Madeleine
Olivia
Valerie
Veronica
Adelaide
Victoria
Harriet
Adeline
Ruby
Katherine
Claire/Clara
Tara
Carla
Isabelle/Isabella
Natasha
Juliet/Julia
Theodora
Lucinda/Lucy
Audrey
Lillian
Georgette
Claudette/Claudia
Antonia
Maggie
Rosetta
Hyacinth
Eva/Eve
Daisy
Frances/Francesca
Abigail
Jillian

i know a little girl named florence and she is absolutely adorable!


how about kathleen or Mae or tess?

I am just loving these names

Too bad I'll never get a girl - we're going to have aaaaalll boys

Myrtle
Cecilia
Olive
Ida
Ada
Adeline
Evelyn
Eva

Olive
Celeste
Camille
Clara
Odette
Sophronia
Mahulda

Elsie
Maude
Evelyn

Ethel
Elsie
Ida
Edna (my late grandma's name)
Myra
Dulcie
Martha
Vera
Flora
Eveline
Gladys

Oh, and judging by the fact that we never meet another one under 40, and even then it's quite rare, my DD's name Louisa.

Names I almost gave DD was Penelope (but DP kept teasing me and going Penny-lope ) or Heather..

I also really liked Emily and Faye - couldnt make my mind up so I called her Emily Faye

I have always loved

Mary
Josephine (Josie)
Grace
Elizabeth
Ruby
Kathryn


I think you have all of them already mentioned.

Greta
Edith
Aileen
Mildred
Muriel
Dulcie
Elsie
Ezmay
Mae
Mabel
Martha


Thats about all my tired, preggas brain can muster at the moment...

My friend named her youngest daughter Boadicea. Now THAT'S an old brave name (named for the ancient Queen of Britain, I think...)

I LOVE Enid.
Also like Daisy, Violet, Edith, Elsa....

Hilda
Dorothy
Patricia
Esther
Hazel
Joan
Mary
Lila
Cecilia (sp?)
Joy
Roma
Beryl
Beverley
Beatrice

Ada
Adelaide
Agatha
Althea
Arabella
Athalie
Augusta
Aurelia
Bertha
Belle
Beulah
Camille
Cecily
Celeste
Clarinda
Clarissa
Clementine
Constance
Cordelia
Corinne
Christabel
Cynthia
Daphne
Delia
Dolores
Dorothy
Eleanor
Elise
Eliza
Ellen
Elnora
Eloise
Elspeth
Emmeline
Erma
Ernestine
Esme
Estelle
Etta
Eudora
Eugenia
Felicity
Francine
Georgiana
Gillian
Gwendolyn
Harriet
Hazel
Helen
Henrietta
Hester
Iris
Isadora
Jemima
Josephine
Judith
Lavinia
Leona
Leonora
Lisette
Louisa
Loretta
Lucinda
Lucretia
Marian
Marion
Matilda
Mavis
Melinda
Mena
Meredith
Millicent
Miriam
Myrna
Myrtle
Nadine
Naomi
Octavia
Opal
Pearl
Phoebe
Priscilla
Prudence
Ramona
Regina
Roberta
Rosalind
Rosemary
Ruth
Simone
Sonya
Stella
Susannah
Sylvia
Theodora
Theodosia
Ursula
Vada
Viola
Virginia
Vivian
Wilhelmina
Willa
Winifred
Zella

Bridget/Bridie

My sister-in-law's sister's name is Dimity. Very 1920's!

I had 2 great aunts, both born around the 1890's, and their names were Leticia and Inez. Inez, in particular, was one of the strongest, most independent women I have ever met. I definately think brave when I hear her name.

My aunt's name is Moira, not very common these days either.

Regards,
Mel

I also love these names! I want a girl ASAP just so I can use one.

This is the "theme" I've used to name my most recent puppies- we've had Myrtle, Sybil and the next one will be Esme.

FWIW, Esme is my absolute favourite.

I don't think I can add anything to the lists above, except I don't think anyone has mentioned Constance or Temperance.

Euphemia
Clea
Theodora
Ingrid

I love all these names - our eldest DD is Charlotte Joy, and we have chosen Eliza Joan (middle names are family names).

I just LOVE old names for little girls

Don't forget Norma and Berenice!

Ursa
Clodagh (Clo-DAH)
Linnet
Adelheid
Eartha
Amarantha
Aldyth
Bettina
Clothilde/Clothilda
Geraldine
Dorcas
Euphemia
Berenice
Aina (EYE-nah)
Augusta/Augustine
Vera
Dinah (dye-NAH)
Avis
Beulah
Blanche
Chloris
Alva
Ethelreda
Ethelwyn
Alma
Bertha/Berthe
Euphrasia/Euphrasie
Frederica/Frederique
Galatea
Gerda
Greta
Hilda
Isolde
Mercy
Maude
Mindora
Ophelia
Hortense
Olympia
Pandora
Perdita
Psyche
Echo
Io (EE-oh)
Renate/Renata
Roberta
Thelma
Urania
Vernita
Zenobia

these may have already been listed, but here goes...

Adelina
Agnes
Alma
Bertha
Dawn
Delma
Dorothy
Edith
Elfrieda
Ellen
Elsa
Elsa
Enid
Erna
Ethel
Gladys
Glenda
Hazelette
Hermine
Ida
Irene
Ivy
Janice
Jean
Joyce
June
Kaye
Linette
Lorna
Lylia
Marie
Marjorie
Merle
Myra
Myrtle
Olive
Phyllis
Regina
Ruth
Senta
Sybil
Sylvia
Thelma
Thora
Valerie
Valma
Valmai
Viola
Wilhelmine

Penelope
Dorothy
Maureen
Irene
Mavis
Margaret
Joan

Maeve! I haven't seen one Maeve here (unless I have skim read too fast), a name I secretly adore and DH will not hear of

Also love:

Audrey
Janice
Josephine
Eliza
Dorothy
Daphne

Good luck

I love...
Edith (nn Edie)
Ivy
Esther


and I soooooooo wish I had named my daughter Mary. Such a classic name.

I'm loving Nellie at the moment!

Ohhh, love two PP's suggestions - Nell (Nellie) and Mary. Lovely

I may be repeating some but from my family/friends are:

Melva
Bonnie
Inez
Patricia (Pat)
Dorothy (Dot)
Elizabeth
Cora
Lillian
Agnes
Linnea
Pamela (Pam)
Daphne
Winifred (Winnie)

my nana was shirley <- more for the 'nana' than the name

her sisters, and aunts / women friends of her generation...
dorothy
joy
annie
rosemary
lanthie <- any idea what this nickname was based on?

my favourite 'brave' name is ginger sooooo hope to be able to use this, one day

.

All my suggestions have already been mentioned, but I just wanted to say how fantastic all your possible names are. I love these sorts of names. I especially adore:

elsa
astrid
willa
esme
daphne
blythe


Good luck

I absolutely adore these types of names

I really like:

Edwina
Harriet
Henrietta
Lucinda
Eleanor
Ingrid
Constance
Miranda
Bridget
Inga
Daphne
Dorothy

wow! 5 pages of great names.

we really like ursa so are 'trying' that on for this few days-although after only 12 hours DP is starting to have hestitations.

we love myrtle too but worry (only a little, we are brave after all) about the high teasability factor..myrtle the turtle etc.

dulcie is my #1 pick but DP thinks it is too weak (?)

i love enid too (dp doesn't). dp loves hazel olive and ginger but i have trouble with these names as can only imagine, brown, kalamatta and knobby roots when i think of the words! same with violet..i just see purple...i think i am a very visual person!!



thanks so much for all the lovely names...if there are more please keep commenting!

she is so desperately wanted we just want her to have the perfect name.

I love Violet :)in fact almost all flower names

Good uck!

After skimming through 5 pages - I thought I had an original one!! - only to see it pop up in the last couple of posts

Edwina

was a character name in Barbara Taylor Bradfords 'A woman of Substance' - always liked it, but was a definate 'NO WAY' from DH.