Some parents see names like Angelina, Isabella, and Olivia and think, “I’m not going to bother weeding through these frilly, dainty names on the off chance I find a good one. Forget it. I’m gonna flip ahead to the boy names.”
What these parents might not realize, though, is that there are plenty of strong, non-girlie girl names out there. Here are three types I’ve come up with.
Girl Names with Boyish Nicknames
A boy name wrapped in a girl name — the best of both worlds. Most of the full names below are based on boy names, so they simply shorten to the same pet forms.
| Alex – Alexandra Andy – Andrea, Miranda Bernie – Bernadette Cal – Calista, Calla Clem – Clementine Dan – Danielle Ernie – Ernestine Frank – Frances Gerry – Geraldine Gus – Augusta | Jack – Jacqueline Jo – Josephine, Johanna Max – Maxine Mo – Monique, Maureen Nick – Nicole, Monica, Veronica Rick – Erica Rob – Roberta Sal – Salome, Sarah Tony – Antonia Will – Wilhelmina |
Girl Names with Lots of Consonants
Girl names with at least as many consonants as vowels tend to sound much more serious than vowel-laden girl names. Especially if they end with a consonant (or a consonant-sound).
| Adele* Agnes Alice Ardith Astrid Blanche Bridget Brooke Carmen Claire* | Edith Eleanor* Elizabeth Enid Esther Gertrude Gretchen Harriet Helen Hester | Imogene* Ingrid Jane Janet Jill Joan Judith Katherine Laurel Mabel | Margaret Marion Maude* Megan Meredith Nadine Rachel Ruth Sibyl Tamar |
*Technically, these names have more vowels than consonants. But it doesn’t sound like they do, and that’s the important part.
Girl Names with Unusual Letters/Sounds
Unusual things command your attention. They may seem odd, but, because they stand out, they also tend to seem bold.
| Beatrix Beulah Eugenia Eunice Gwyneth Hazel | Izora Maeve Tirzah Tallulah Ursula Violet | Winifred Winona Yolanda Zelda Zenobia Zillah |
What other types of girl names would you add to this list?