Classic Southern girl names...help!

HeyJune

I like names like the ones listed below, but none of them are "the one." I'm looking for something classic but not too boring, feminine but not too frilly, and nothing too cutesy. I'm not a fan of girl names that end in the -lee/-ley sound. It seems like every 3rd child in our town is named some variation of Ella or Abby, so those are out.

I'm not sure if this helps, but we live in the deep South, are easy-going, and already have one daughter with a classic name that she shares with her great-great grandmother. We are also open to double names, which are really common here among adults and children alike.

Susannah/Susanna

Olivia

Julia

Anna Katherine (Anna Kate)

Clara 

Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks so much!

AliciaS1411

bethany is a pretty name that was very popular in the south back in the 50s.  My grandmother is named Bethany Ann

Another GM of mine is named Shelby. I LOVE that name. Shelby Kate would be pretty.  

magnoliablossom00

I live in the South also and love old Southern names. I know a woman named AnnClaire. So pretty!

MaryMargaret

Maggie

June

MaryGrace

Pearl

Loretta

EmilyKate

Evelyn

Imogene

I also think any flower name can be seen as southern- Lillian, Violet, Magnolia, Rose.

AliciaS1411

I love Loretta, June, Maggie, and Emily Kate. Hate Imogene...it reminds me too much of imogen...which annoys me to death. haha

Under.the.Rose

I like the names on your list already. Not sure if Julia really says "southern" to me though. Here are some others:

Scarlett, Ruby, Pearl, Ella, Cora, Ada, Clementine, Penelope (Penny), Caroline, Ida

magnoliablossom00

Oh, and not to be mean, but I hate the name Shelby. It sounds like Southern trash to me. It blends in with all of the Southern Raylees, Blakeleys, Raelynns etc.

magnoliablossom00

Oh- and Vivian! Very Southern classic. Nothing is more southern than a Vi!

CarolynDouglas2012

Savanna is my favorite "Southern" name. I like a PP suggestion of Scarlett. Maybe Claire Beth, Claira Grace? 

My best friend was almost name Tawny, I don't know how much more southern it gets than Tawny!

elfchique

Lila

allisonmarie22

I am a big fan of calling a little southern girl by 2 names.

Katherine Grace (Katie Grace)

Emily Katherine (Emmie Kate)

Isabella Grace (Bella Grace)

Sarah Elizabeth (Sarah Beth)

Mary Ellen

 

You get the idea. I also found this website...https://usads.ms11.net/namelist3.html.

Good luck. I'm also a southern girl and really want a strong, traditional southern name for our daughter (if we have a girl). 

kacelle

I'm from the Deep South as well and rarely meet girls with the names posted as being Southern on these boards!  But my votes are Magnolia, Clementine, Tallulah, and Georgia.

CatiJ

Georgia Kate

gervaisj6

Emma, Louise, kate, opal, ruby, jewel, violet, scarlett, charlotte, anna, grace, emily, sara beth, mary blanche,

gervaisj6

I forgot a few...Rose, Camille,

meplusone

I like Sara Beth

or Molly Katherine --Molly Kate

Talie Katie

Tess

Georgia Grace (Gigi)

I also really like Susanna

Sadie

Annabelle

Adeline

Frances

Iris

Anna Elizabeth

How about Elizabeth with the nn of Eliza or Libby

Sarah Jane

I think Clara Jane sounds cute.

Fancy3Face

My hubby is a southerner and we named our daughter Annabel.  Annabelle is a more common spelling.

I agree with Shelby too.  Any double name, Mary Grace being my current fave.   

ButternutSquash

Mary Claire

Laura Jean

Joyce Ann

 

erbear

Virginia (Ginny)

Elizabeth

Hattie

Savannah

 

HeyJune

Thanks for the suggestions! There are quite a few that I like. 

HeyJune

mkd00:

Oh, and not to be mean, but I hate the name Shelby. It sounds like Southern trash to me. It blends in with all of the Southern Raylees, Blakeleys, Raelynns etc.

I think this is kind of funny because where we live Shelby is often used as a double name and is VERY upper class (Shelby Ann, Shelby Jane, etc.). On the other hand, Savannah is viewed as a lower class name and is reserved only for the city here. It just shows how names and their connotations can be so different depending on where you live.

scoutkate

I live in the South.  Names that are Southern to me are very classic names (Margaret, Elizabeth, Caroline, Catherine, etc), family surnames as first names, and double names.  I LOVE double names--Betsy was almost named Mary Eleanor (Mary Nell), and we also considered Anne Everett.  Girls I know with double names include:

Mary Elizabeth (Mary Beth, Mary Lib, Mary Liza)

Margaret Ann

Anna Vaughan

Anne Wells

Mary Brent

Mary West

Mary Morgan

Emma Claire

Mary Alice

Mary Winslow

Mary Weathers

Anna Bennett

Mary Bruce

You get the idea!

 

magnoliablossom00

HeyJune:

mkd00:

Oh, and not to be mean, but I hate the name Shelby. It sounds like Southern trash to me. It blends in with all of the Southern Raylees, Blakeleys, Raelynns etc.

I think this is kind of funny because where we live Shelby is often used as a double name and is VERY upper class (Shelby Ann, Shelby Jane, etc.). On the other hand, Savannah is viewed as a lower class name and is reserved only for the city here. It just shows how names and their connotations can be so different depending on where you live.

That is so funny, b/c where I live, only "bumpkins" use that name! Ha! iI guess thats why I don't like it. I think that name is in Steel Magnolias, correct? Julia Roberts' name- who is actually from the South anyway! Savannah is definitely more upper class where I live.

AKSchilb

erbear:

Virginia (Ginny)

Elizabeth

Hattie

Savannah

 

These are my favorites!   

AKSchilb

erbear:

Virginia (Ginny)

Elizabeth

Hattie

Savannah

 

These are my favorites!   

KittyMarie219

Alice is the first name that comes to mind.

ElinJ

mkd00:

Oh, and not to be mean, but I hate the name Shelby. It sounds like Southern trash to me. It blends in with all of the Southern Raylees, Blakeleys, Raelynns etc.

Shelby is my grandfather's name.

To help original commenter, what about Josepine, Joelene, Kathleen, or Geraldine? Those are names a friend & I came up with to continue a "een" sound tradition.

And ditto previous commenters on the "double name". I knew a Mary Chris, a Maribrooke (who also had a middle name), Carol Ann, etc. 

quartz02

Some ladies I've known down south: SueAnn, Sally, Hattie, Pearl, Myra, Faye, Gail, Jolene, Maribeth, Ruby

quartz02

Some ladies I've known down south: SueAnn, Sally, Hattie, Pearl, Myra, Faye, Gail, Jolene, Maribeth, Ruby, Nell, Carolyn, Ora

andcapitals

kacelle:

I'm from the Deep South as well and rarely meet girls with the names posted as being Southern on these boards!  But my votes are Magnolia, Clementine, Tallulah, and Georgia.

I'm not from the South at all, but these are the names I think of when I think Southern Girl names.

(A part of me wishes I was Southern so I could name a baby girl Tallulah.) 

AliciaS1411

HeyJune:

mkd00:

Oh, and not to be mean, but I hate the name Shelby. It sounds like Southern trash to me. It blends in with all of the Southern Raylees, Blakeleys, Raelynns etc.

I think this is kind of funny because where we live Shelby is often used as a double name and is VERY upper class (Shelby Ann, Shelby Jane, etc.). On the other hand, Savannah is viewed as a lower class name and is reserved only for the city here. It just shows how names and their connotations can be so different depending on where you live.

Linguistically, that would be a really interesting study. To me, Shelby is what it is to you, an upperclass name. But Savannah isn't southern to me at all. haha  

December192009

*Note, this is all written very tongue and cheek*

Born and raised in a very traditional southern "city". Most girls of a certain breed here are named in the following manner:

Double Names: Mary, Martha, Ann, Anna, Katie (short for Katherine/Catherine) or Jane insert other classic name OR mother's maiden name, grandmother's maiden name or MIL maiden name - basically the most impressive one for small town social hierarchy    

If that doesn't work, ladies here LOVE to name their daughters Caroline - there are usually at least 5 or 6 per graduating class in each high school.

Other pop. picks: 

Montgomery (Monty)- I've only ever known girls by this name

Savannah - with an H is the only way to spell it here!

Margaret - Maggie, Margee (that's with a hard g) - we had over 12 Maggies in my SEC sorority....

naming daughter after Daddy in a girly way - ex: Charlsie - I know, I know.... 

clangley09

December192009:

*Note, this is all written very tongue and cheek*

Born and raised in a very traditional southern "city". Most girls of a certain breed here are named in the following manner:

Double Names: Mary, Martha, Ann, Anna, Katie (short for Katherine/Catherine) or Jane insert other classic name OR mother's maiden name, grandmother's maiden name or MIL maiden name - basically the most impressive one for small town social hierarchy    

If that doesn't work, ladies here LOVE to name their daughters Caroline - there are usually at least 5 or 6 per graduating class in each high school.

Other pop. picks: 

Montgomery (Monty)- I've only ever known girls by this name

Savannah - with an H is the only way to spell it here!

Margaret - Maggie, Margee (that's with a hard g) - we had over 12 Maggies in my SEC sorority....

naming daughter after Daddy in a girly way - ex: Charlsie - I know, I know.... 

 

My thoughts exactly.

 We have an Olivia June. It was between OJ & Harper Pearl. We also have a lot of Raegans, Callans & Baileys. Savannah is very common here in GA because of the tourists town of Savannah. Margaret, Ann, Mary Alice, Georgia, Pearlie, Annette, Beatrice, Cora, Anne Marie, Louis, Marion are some examples of some of my families names.