I love these so much. They're so underloved because they were given to women a lot in the 30s and now everybody views them as old lady names, but they'll get their place in the sun again soon. A lot of people also see them as ugly or unfeminine because they retain all of the sounds of their male ancestors, but I love love love me a good strong female name. Some I especially like:
Albertina
From the Germanic name Adalbert, which was composed of the elements adal "noble" and beraht "bright".
---I've just started being really fascinated by this name. It's like a toy made of porcelain that you love to play with and spin around but must handle very carefully because it is very fragile. I love the shapes and sounds my mouth makes when I say this name. Albertina. You could call her Berta or Bea or (gasp!) Beata!
Claudine
From a Roman family name which was derived from Latin claudus meaning "lame, crippled".
---It's like Nadine, but with colours that remind me of impressionism. Claudine is the name of every woman in every Monet painting I've ever seen. And that's not just because his name is Claude. Or maybe it is.
Ernestine
Derived from Germanic eornost meaning "serious".
---Oh Ernestine, everybody thinks you are so ugly and rotten. I will nurture you into a beautiful bloom, with your literary and feminist references. Ernestine has a harshness and a bitterness that puts a lot of people off, but there's a softer, more lacey side to it that follows you around if you're lucky enough to see it. Ernestine is a name that was antiquated before it was ever used.
Georgina
From the Greek name Γεωργιος (Georgios) which was derived from the Greek word γεωργος (georgos) meaning "farmer, earthworker", itself derived from the elements γη (ge) "earth" and εργον (ergon) "work".
---Such full, bouncy sounds. Few names have a true rhythm to them. Georgina has a true rhythm to it. Georgina reminds me of fruit trees. It's full and rich and saturated with colour and life and possibilities for personalities.
Geraldine
From a Germanic name meaning "rule of the spear", from the elements ger "spear" and wald "rule".
---I see Geraldine as almost a mix of Ernestine and Georgina. Geraldine is frumpy and ugly but lacey on the inside much like Ernestine, but it's intense with sound and colour and flavour like Georgina. One of my favourite things is when names give me not only colour but flavour. Geraldine carries a parasol.
Oscarina (okay, so I made this one up)
Possibly means "deer lover", derived from Gaelic os "deer" and cara "lover".
---I made this up about a year ago because I was (am) so infatuated with Oscar Wilde that I couldn't bear to have him missing from my female combos. Daphne Oscarina was the combination it was invented for. Anybody named Oscarina would have to be an avid painter with her own "art studio" that is really just a converted garage. It's swell.
I can't even imagine how awesome it would be to have a daughter named Georgina. Even though if I ever have a daughter I totally won't name her that since there are names I like more. But even so! Georgina! Albertina! Be still my beating heart!! I sometimes wish I wanted a big family just so I could bestow all my children with these antique roses of names.
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