I am having such a busy couple of weeks but don’t want to leave the blog stale, the babies unnamed! Here is a letter that seems like a particularly fun group project:
Dear Swistle,
My husband and I are expecting our second daughter in October. Our first – Madeleine – is almost two, and choosing her name was such an easy task. Madeleine Albright has been inspirational to me for a long time, particularly for her promotion of women working hard to establish themselves and of women supporting other women. Naming daughter 2 is proving much harder because there’s nothing as obviously meaningful this time around.
I want this new name to be inspirational to my daughter as she grows, and ideally with a connection to a strong female (era is unimportant). I was overjoyed to learn I was having a first, and now a second girl, because I so hope to raise strong, powerful, independent women.
I also have a preference for less common, vintage revival names. Some that we love but that feel off the table (because we’re late to the game and close family or friends have already used them) include: Regina (an important family name on both sides, which means we both have cousins with Regina daughters), Eleanor, Josephine.
Lastly, our daughters will have my last name, Murie (with an “a” instead of “u”), and no middle names. This was something very important to me because my last name has a special history. My husband’s name is quite unique – Kirsch. Since he was gracious enough to agree to our daughters having my last name, I would also be happy for our second daughter’s name to be a tribute to him. But finding a feminine companion name to his has also been quite tricky!
I certainly don’t expect to check all of these boxes, but would love to hit at least one and be able to someday tell my girl the story of how her name is rooted in something important.
So grateful for your thoughts!
My immediate thought is Ruth (Bader Ginsberg)
Mine was, too. I think it fits with the vintage, revival name as well.
Congratulations and let us know what you chose!!
Love the suggestion of Cerise to tie to dad’s surname. Love many suggestions already shared including Ruth and Florence.
Others:
Michelle (Obama)
Melinda (Gates)
Hillary (Clinton)
Emma (Watson)
Julia (Child)
Taylor (Swift)
Katie [Kathleen] (Ledecky)
But honestly, I love Cerise with Madeleine as sisters, Maddie and Reese.
Perhaps it would help to limit yourself to broad categories e.g. scientists, political figures, entertainers, writers, etc? As our dear Swistle has advised many times, the second name doesn’t always generate the “heart eyes” flutter of naming a firstborn, and I think that especially holds true for a second son or daughter. Some interesting women with complementary names: (with the caveat that I don’t know all of their histories or whether their stories might reaonatwith you):
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ada Lovelace
Elizabeth Blackwell
Abigail Adams
Harriet Tubman
Grace Hopper
Frances Perkins
Ruby Bridges
Yes to honoring Frances Perkin! She is responsible for so much of the social safety net in our country (she was labor secretary under FDR) and I LOVE the name Frances! https://francesperkinscenter.org/life-new/
Reading your letter I thought about this 3 strong females:
Harriet Tubman
Ruth Baser Ginsburg
Amelia Earhart
From those with Madeleine I really like Harriet.
So I’m pretty sure Swistle would say this doesn’t work as an honor name, but here me out…
kirsch means cherry (not a great girls name lol)
Cherry is a shade of red, as is Rose aka Rosie the Riveter? Not a real person but definitely evokes strong female and goes well with Madeleine.
I think Ruth is an obvious answer, if I ran across two little girls named Madeleine and Ruth I would warmly give the mom a smile and ask naming questions. Eleanor is another obvious one, but on the taken list. Is Hillary too politicized?
As a nod to your husband you could use Cerise. You could nn with Reese if you do nicknames.
Other strong women name ideas – Amanda (Gorman, poet), Corbett (Kizzmekia, Covid vaccine researcher), Rainier or Rilke after the writer (this would probably feel weird with your last name), Charlotte (Bronte), Rosalind (Franklin), Rachel or Carson, Jane (Goodall), Victoria (Woodhull), Elizabeth (Warren? Windsor?), Frances (Perkins), Virginia (Wolfe, too sad?), Alice (Walker), Willa (Cather), Louisa (May Alcott), Maya (Angelou), Harper (Lee), Flannery (O’Conner), Edith (Wharton), Pearl (Buck).
I like Rosalind, Victoria, Alice, Willa, and Louisa with Madeleine.
Heads up that Rainer Maria Rilke was male.
I love all your other suggestions.
Yes, oops, sorry. I think I knew that, was just loving the idea 🤪
I know someone named Madeline Ruth,
The first thing I thought of was also Ruth. I think Madeleine and Ruth sound really lovely together and they both have great namesakes.
Other ideas:
Harriet (Tubman, Beecher Stowe)
Lucretia (Mott)
Amelia (Earhart)
Florence (Nightingale)
Rosalind (Franklin)
My first thought was Ruth, as well.
Other suggestions I haven’t seen yet are Amelia (Earhart) and Beatrix (Potter).
How about Edith after Edith Cavell? I’ve got no idea how famous she is in the US but she was pretty incredible – a world war 1 field nurse who treated soldiers from both sides and was then captured, accused of treason (I think) and shot by firing squad. She was brave and stood up for her beliefs in a pretty incredible way.
And also Edith is SUCH a great name. Not sure how well it’s caught on in the US yet but Edie is such a fresh sweet nickname. Admittedly I’m biased because I have a niece called Edith/Edie but I just love it.
I have an Edith (after a different Edith, Edith Stein) and I LOVE her name and have only loved it more and more since naming her. I’m in the US and have gotten only good reactions to her name. We don’t call her a nickname though she does call herself E which is cute!
I also love Florence for this family. What a stunning pair, Madeleine and Florence!
RBG’s legacy is significantly marred. I would not name a daughter after her, especially not right now.
For sister to Madeleine Murie (what a great name!), maybe you could consider:
Maxine
Rosa
Harriet
Florence
Maya
Jane
Henrietta
Elizabeth (Betty would be a great NN, among all the others)
Edith
Catherine
Alice
Sarah
Claudia
Emmeline
All have at least one excellent namesake. I can’t think of a way to honor Kirsch; I associate it with that cherry brandy, but I wouldn’t choose Brandy. If you did Catherine, you could nn her Kit, which could be a sweet nod to her dad.
Or Schuyler!!! Ooooh Schuyler could be a great pick for you!
Former history/poli sci major here. Thank you for pointing out that RBG’s legacy is significantly marred. I was trying to think of a way to express the same sentiment and your words capture the situation perfectly.
Additionally, not all the suffragettes in the United States were open-minded about suffrage for Black women and other minority populations. Some were in fact openly racist.
I love Catherine/Katharine (nn Kit) or Elizabeth (nn Eliza)!
Truly, you can say that about everyone. The question is, do you feel their accomplishments outweigh their sins?
(I’ve a bachelor’s in history and a post-bac cert in social studies with an emphasis on poli sci.)
I had similar requirements for naming my daughter and we landed on Emmeline, for Emmeline Pankhurst (English suffragette). We mostly call her Emme, but love the meaning behind it. Congratulations and good luck!
Cerise Lim Jacobs has a remarkable career as an activist AND operatic writer As others have mentioned, Cerise shares a meaning with Kirsch. She’s as French as Madeline, too!
Margaret might be a nice compliment to her sister… Madeline and Margaret. Margaret Thatcher was a woman of tremendous influence. She’s another nature name (not cherry, but pearl)
Kirsikka is Finnish translation for cherry. Silíní is Irish.
Daphne Du Maurier (Lady Browning) was a famous British author. Daphne is a fragrant flower and actually means ‘laurel tree’ in Greek.
Best wishes for your family!
Came to suggest Ruth (Bader Ginsberg), Rosalind (Franklin), and Emmeline (Pankhurst) but I see everyone else has beaten me to it!
My personal fav is Rosalind Murie, Madeleine and Rosalind.
Very interested to see what you end up going with, please update!
What if you asked your husband to come up with a woman who inspires him (with maybe some hints that it would be nice if her name was a bit vintage revival)? It seems like you feel a bit of a personal connection to Madeleine Albright, that might be difficult to duplicate just by scanning lists…but “men look up to women too” is a very nice message to be able to fold into a naming story.
Or, if you especially like the “revival” part of vintage revival, and also like the idea of having a subtly recognizable theme to your daughter’s names…would you like Nancy? Or Shirley? Maybe Susan? Gloria?
I’ll also throw out there that I think using any classic name held by women throughout history can be a feminist act. You don’t have to have a specific Catherine in mind to like that the name Catherine will give your daughter a sense of kinship with women that came before her (also, Katherine nicknamed Kit does seem like a perfect way to honor your husband). If she has a name that’s easy to find it womens’ history, maybe that will pique her curiosity enough to find her own role models.
Serena?
Florence! I think Madeleine and Florence look so beautiful together and also fits right in with the other names you like but cannot use (Josephine and Eleanor). I also love the name Rose (I’m biased because this is my oldest daughter’s name). I also really like Amelia, Harriet, Louisa, Margaret, Frances, Simone, or Rebecca for you.
Florence Nightingale would be a wonderful homage name! Nice idea!
Florence was my first thought, for Florence Nightingale. It strikes my as a good fit with Madeleine.
Came to suggest Emmeline, but I’m not surprised others beat me to it. I also love the the suggestions of Edith and Louise. Some other favorites to honor strong women:
Joan/Jeanne
Genevieve
Dorothy
Simone (Beauvoir/Biles)
Rosa! For Rosa Parks.
I’m here for Jane! Pick your Jane.
But really, for it to be meaningful for you, I’d think you’d need to feel a connection and want to talk about the namesake with your daughter… so is it that no lists are sparking joy?
Alternately, I’d consider the most intuitive Kirsch tweak and name her Kira to connect with your husband. Madeleine and Kira sound like sisters to me! Maybe they don’t have to have the same theme, maybe the theme is just ‘meaningful’?
I find Claudette Colvin very inspiring. Madeleine and Claudette read very French together but I love that.
For another DC figure, I think Katharine Graham of the Post is outstanding and her memoir Personal History is inspiring. Madeleine and Katharine both have unique spellings linking them to their namesakes rather than any Madeline or Katherine and I think that’s nice. Katharine Graham went by Kay as a nickname, which sounds like “K” for kirsch maybe?
My first thought was “Ruth! RUTH!!!!” which I stand by. My second thought was “OMG CAN I BE FRIENDS WITH THIS FAMILY???” Do you think they are taking appplications?
I agree with the two other posters who already mentioned it- Ruth is not a great choice (especially at the moment) as RBG’s legacy is no longer as shimmering as it once was given our current state of affairs.
I do like the suggestions of Katherine “Kit”, Amelia, Harriet, and Alice, Simone, Rosa, and Jane.
Maybe to honor your husband a bit you could let him choose a field of study that he is passionate about and choose a woman from that field? Or ask him to name some women that inspire him?
I’m going way out in left field with this suggestion, but what about naming your daughter Kirscha?
Kirscha. No, it’s not a name that that connects to any inspirational women in history, but it definitely honors your husband. I love the sound of it. In my mind it rhymes with the Irish name Saoirse; so, Kirscha would be pronounced KEER shuh.
Kirscha M*rie. Madeleine and Kirscha.
Jocelyn (for J Bell Burnell)? The rhythm and ending might be too matchy with Madeleine.
Or, if you’re considering a Pankhurst name, how about Sylvia? Also connotes S Plath and S Earle (among others).
Sadie (Sarah) Adams would be a great namesake. Also, Lucretia Mott was an incredible advocate both for abolition and women’s suffrage – some people have noted the failure of white suffragettes to advocate for Black women, but I don’t think that’s an issue with Lucretia.
Some other folks to check out: Lucy Parsons, Dorothy Day, Jane Addams.
Henrietta (Lacks), Frida (Kahlo), Audre (Lorde), Maya (Angelou), bell (Hooks), Sonya (Barnett), Angela (Davis), Marsha (P Johnson), Derenda (Hanocock), Betina (Ulisano) – those last two are very niche pro-abortion
A lot of the icons white women tout (Gloria Steinem, the Suffragettes) turned out to be problematic. Follow Black women on social media and note who they give a thumbs up to.
Beatrix for Beatrix Potter… scientist, artist, and successful independent woman (as well as author of cute kid books)
Since you love Regina (but it’s already used in your families) and like the idea of strong, empowering women, I suggest Gloriana or Elizabeth, since Queen Elizabeth I was called “Gloriana Regina.” Gloriana was the Queen in Edmund Spenser’s Faerie Queen who symbolized Elizabeth I, and Regina means “Queen in her own right” (birthright, not just married to the King). So I really appreciate the sound and idea of Madeline and Gloriana (i prefer the Ahna pronunciation at the end), which also lends itself to nicknames including Glory and Ana. I also love Cordelia (the faithful daughter from King Lear) because it sounds regal and is uncommon and also has beautiful nicknames should you choose to use them (Cordie, Delia, Lia). Cerise is such a wonderful middle name and certainly pays tribute to your husband’s last name.
Gloriana Cerise
Elizabeth Cerise
Cordelia Cerise
Viola Cerise
(Can you tell I like these syllable/stress patterns and Shakespearean heroines?)
Clara (Barton)
Amelia (Earhart)
Greta (Thunberg)
Katherine (Johnson)
Anne (Frank)
Ella (Fitzgerald)
Jane (Goodall)
Ada (Lovelace)
I like how Ruby would check two boxes, a very subtle tie to Kirsch, and an inspiring historical figure (Bridges).
Ada !!!!
Ada Louise Huxtable
Ada Lovelace
I absolutely love your values and how you’ve pushed boundaries with your husband by using your last name. My daughters have my last name as well, and I’ll suggest them here:
Emmeline – pronounced like Fine -(suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, tricky with Madeleine?)
And
Maud (Lewis, Nova Scotian folk painter, or Lucy Maud Montgomery, or the hundreds of Maud feminists out there lol)
I’m Canadian, so forgive the fact that my suggestions might not be attuned to American history. Only Elizabeth or Cady would be cool, or Maya (Angelou). Louisa (May Alcott), Gloria (Steinem) – hey, this Canadian’s doing ok!! – Emily (Carr – painter), Margaret (Mead), Frida (Kahlo), Viola (Desmond), Harriet (Tubman), Coretta (Scott King), Ida (b. Wells), Alice (Paul or Walker), Sylvia (Plath or Pankhurst), Christabel (Pankhurst), Helen (Borroughs), Julia (Howe), Ellen (Ochoa), Felisa (Rincon de Gautier), Nellie (McClung), Kenojuak (Ashevak), Mary (Shadd Cary), Thérèse (Casgrain), Constance (Cook) and I would add Marie for Curie, but I don’t think that would work with your surname. ;)
Thank you – this was fun!! I’m an on-leave professor AND name nerd, so this question was pretty much my Christmas morning!! Lol.
Good luck with your search and may we topple the patriarchy, one name at a time!
Oooooh Rosalind!! My husband is a scientist and Rosalind was his contribution. Such a lovely strong but soft name with cute nicknames – Ro, Rosa, Rosie, Lindy…. I’m wishing we had a fourth now! Lol
Alice (Paul and also Roosevelt, who was kind of badass?)
Clara (for Clara Barton, instead of Florence Nightingale)
Lucy (Maud Montgomery, also Burns a suffragette)
Ada, Amelia, Beatrix
Jane (Goodall, Addams)
Ruby (Bridges)
Maya (Angelou)
Alexandria (AOC)
Ida (B Wells)