Strong Girl Names Like Claudia

Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed. We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight! To have your question considered, email appmtn (at) gmail. Looking for your own private #namehelp post? Order one here.

WHAT GOES WITH CLAUDIA?

Catherine writes:

Our daughter was almost Julia Rose, but after some pregnancy complications (every one is fine now!), we were inspired to name her Claudia Rose instead. It just felt like such a strong name and she absolutely has the personality to live up to it.

We’re expecting another daughter this summer and finding a name that goes with Claudia seems really hard.

We’re not crazy about Julia any more, and Juliette isn’t really for me. I like Scarlett, but I don’t think we want anything that popular/trendy. Georgia is a maybe, but it feels more common than Claudia, and also we don’t want to feel like our vibe is girl-forms-of-boy-names.

Our boy name has always been Frederick, called Freddie. I’m not sure if we’d still use it, but I think it’s a good way to explain what we like. Traditional, but more fun/different than Mary/Elizabeth/Jane.

Other things I’m spending too much time thinking about:

• Should we do another C name? I’m Catherine with a C because my mom is Carol Anne, and my sister is Courtney. I like it, but I’m not sure. My husband’s name starts with a D, so maybe we should have a D name this time?
• We don’t have a nickname for Claudia, so I almost don’t want to have a nickname for her sister, but I do like nicknames. (Like Freddie.)
• I’m really not sure if we’ll have a third baby in the future, but it’s possible.
• We will probably use the middle name Anne for my mom. Rose is from my husband’s side.
• Our last name sounds like Casella with a V, which sounds like it would be hard to match, but we’re usually okay with most names. We probably wouldn’t use a V name. Victoria and Veronica are definitely out. Names ending with ELLA are a hard no.

I really like the way people react to Claudia’s name, the way they recognize it but it’s still a surprise. I’d love for her sister to have the same experience.

Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.

FINDING MORE STRONG GIRL NAMES LIKE CLAUDIA

Abby replies:

Congratulations on your new daughter!

As challenging as it can be to name our first, that blank slate quality can be helpful. That second child’s name is almost always weighed in relation to our firstborn, and it can feel like a real challenge.

When it comes to strong girl names like Claudia, there are plenty of options.

What I’m tempted to suggest: Frederica or Winifred. I really love Claudia and Frederica, especially. But … it sounds like a third child is still possibly in your future, and you might want to reserve Frederick for a future son. Maybe. So I’m going to hold off on those ideas … well, expect I’ve just said that Frederica would be amazing.

CAMILLE

Camila is a very popular name, but Camille is the less common French form. I love it with Claudia.

CONSTANCE

The first name that came to mind. I love that it’s strong, but feminine, and not really a masculine form of anything else. (There’s Constantine, but that’s more a case of two names with a shared origin.) I’m not sure about the S sounds with your surname, but I’m also not sure it would stop me.

CYNTHIA

Like Claudia, Cynthia is a name that was more popular in the past. I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone who was set on a nickname, because Cindy? Still a Brady. But Cynthia in full is an overlooked goddess name.

DAVINA

On to the D names, for your husband. I think the middle V sound in Davina pairs perfectly with a V surname.

DIANA

Another goddess name, Diana is traditional and nicely underused.

ELIZA

The most common name I’m suggesting, I like Eliza’s spirit and strength.

PERSEPHONE

A longer name that doesn’t easily shorten. (It can, of course – Persie and Sephie are obvious options.) I think Claudia and Persephone sound great together.

RAMONA

Another name with plenty of history and an undeniable strength.

Overall, I’m having a hard time picking a favorite. Camille Anne seems like it checks all of the boxes. Though I wonder if you’d consider Camille Carolanne? If not Camille, I’m drawn to Persephone Anne or even Frederica Anne.

Readers, over to you! Can you suggest some strong girl names like Claudia?