What are female names that are also actions?
April 28, 2015 7:08 PM Subscribe
I've recently realized, much to my dismay, that guys get all the active, doing, [enter verb here]-er names, like Hunter, Cooper, etc. Female names seem to get inactive nouns, like Rose or Patience. Laaaaame. Can ya'll think of any active, female names of the [Verb]-er construction? Or even any cool verbs that aren't traditional names, but would make a nice name? The best I've come up with is Runner, which I think sounds lovely, but that's just me.
Weaver
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:10 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:10 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Sue. Drew.
posted by orange swan at 7:11 PM on April 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by orange swan at 7:11 PM on April 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
Blossom
posted by invisible ink at 7:13 PM on April 28, 2015
posted by invisible ink at 7:13 PM on April 28, 2015
Best answer: Actual: Harper, Piper
Proposed: Coder
posted by Poldo at 7:14 PM on April 28, 2015 [34 favorites]
Proposed: Coder
posted by Poldo at 7:14 PM on April 28, 2015 [34 favorites]
Parker
posted by Luminiferous Ether at 7:15 PM on April 28, 2015
posted by Luminiferous Ether at 7:15 PM on April 28, 2015
Chandler
Well... That's more of a noun, actually, but it sort of applies...
Also Parker
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:16 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well... That's more of a noun, actually, but it sort of applies...
Also Parker
posted by Hermione Granger at 7:16 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Christie Brinkley's daughter is named Sailor, which I love.
And there's Parker Posey.
I love the name Porter for a girl, but I've never seen it before.
posted by mochapickle at 7:21 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
And there's Parker Posey.
I love the name Porter for a girl, but I've never seen it before.
posted by mochapickle at 7:21 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hunter and Taylor can be girls' names.
Sojourner and Sailor, I suppose.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:22 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
Sojourner and Sailor, I suppose.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:22 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
I've met an Imagine, but I mostly found that kind of eye-rolly to be honest.
posted by Donuts at 7:22 PM on April 28, 2015
posted by Donuts at 7:22 PM on April 28, 2015
Best answer: guys get all the active, doing, [enter verb here]-er names, like Hunter, Cooper, etc
You can name your daughter Hunter or Cooper, by the way. Both are beautiful and would make really great names for either gender. There was (is?) a soap actress named Hunter Tylo and there's an actress named Cooper Harris.
posted by the webmistress at 7:23 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]
You can name your daughter Hunter or Cooper, by the way. Both are beautiful and would make really great names for either gender. There was (is?) a soap actress named Hunter Tylo and there's an actress named Cooper Harris.
posted by the webmistress at 7:23 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Ones that haven't been named yet that I could see as a female name: Miller, Painter, Walker. I think most of these verb-names could go male or female, though. The only one I definitely think of as female is Sojourner, but that's because of Sojourner Truth.
posted by juniperesque at 7:26 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by juniperesque at 7:26 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
Skylar (or in the original Dutch spelling, Schuyler) means scholar.
posted by third rail at 7:27 PM on April 28, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by third rail at 7:27 PM on April 28, 2015 [6 favorites]
Lace, Carol, Candy,
posted by Ideefixe at 7:33 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 7:33 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Peg.
posted by trunk muffins at 7:37 PM on April 28, 2015 [29 favorites]
posted by trunk muffins at 7:37 PM on April 28, 2015 [29 favorites]
Honor is lovely. I know a little girl named Hunter.
Melisma is unusual and pretty.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:20 PM on April 28, 2015
Melisma is unusual and pretty.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:20 PM on April 28, 2015
Dash
posted by [tk] at 8:23 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by [tk] at 8:23 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]
Penn Jillette famously named his daughter Moxie Crimefighter Jillette.
Now that I write that, Penn could also be both a female name and a verb.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:25 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Now that I write that, Penn could also be both a female name and a verb.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:25 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Fletcher? I've never met one but I think it'd be a fine girls' name.
posted by miyabo at 8:35 PM on April 28, 2015
posted by miyabo at 8:35 PM on April 28, 2015
The verb+er construction names like Hunter and Cooper are jobs. As such, they and a bazillion names like them are traditionally surnames. Generally speaking, outside of family names the surname name thing is pretty modish anyway and so I think whatever you like is fair game. I think Ranger is pretty for a girl.
Semi-common unisex or girl occupational surname names: Schuyler, Taylor, Harper...
posted by peachfuzz at 8:38 PM on April 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
Semi-common unisex or girl occupational surname names: Schuyler, Taylor, Harper...
posted by peachfuzz at 8:38 PM on April 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
These aren't verbs, but they're active and badass:
Hero
Electra (Greek for "brilliant")
Oriane (Latin for "to rise" apparently)
Regan (Queen, from "reign"), or Rania which is the Sanskrit / Arabic version of Queen
Victoria (Victory)
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:07 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]
Hero
Electra (Greek for "brilliant")
Oriane (Latin for "to rise" apparently)
Regan (Queen, from "reign"), or Rania which is the Sanskrit / Arabic version of Queen
Victoria (Victory)
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:07 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]
Delver
Singer
Learner
River (ha)
Listener
Smith
Hope
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:18 PM on April 28, 2015
Singer
Learner
River (ha)
Listener
Smith
Hope
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:18 PM on April 28, 2015
Barb
posted by klanawa at 12:37 AM on April 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by klanawa at 12:37 AM on April 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Sally.
posted by Pigpen at 12:52 AM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Pigpen at 12:52 AM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've known of a girl (young woman now) named Naveigh (pronounced navy).
posted by bryon at 2:56 AM on April 29, 2015
posted by bryon at 2:56 AM on April 29, 2015
Reeve, Taylor, Bailey...Dancer, maybe...and like others have said, most occupational first names that are traditionally considered male could also be used by girls. I'd argue that goddess names - Athena, Artemis/Diana, etc- are also pretty active-sounding and could also be considered occupational names. But really, most male names aren't active nouns either. (Also, I don't think Hope/Honor/etc are active nouns).
posted by three_red_balloons at 4:56 AM on April 29, 2015
posted by three_red_balloons at 4:56 AM on April 29, 2015
Paige
Taylor
Harper
Piper
Scarlett
Bailey
Justice
Yvonne
Regina
Hilda
posted by melissasaurus at 5:25 AM on April 29, 2015
Taylor
Harper
Piper
Scarlett
Bailey
Justice
Yvonne
Regina
Hilda
posted by melissasaurus at 5:25 AM on April 29, 2015
There are also occupational names with non-English origins, though it sounds like you're looking for something understandable in English. For example, Yvette (archer), Georgia (farmer), Althea (healer), Penelope (weaver), Fia (weaver in Portuguese), etc.
posted by three_red_balloons at 5:36 AM on April 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by three_red_balloons at 5:36 AM on April 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Mary is a verb, sort of.
If misspelling is OK, then Terri (tarry) and Carrie (carry) work too.
posted by maryr at 7:11 AM on April 29, 2015
If misspelling is OK, then Terri (tarry) and Carrie (carry) work too.
posted by maryr at 7:11 AM on April 29, 2015
I know girls/women named Fletcher and Sawyer, but I also know boys/men with those names. I feel like most of those -er names are pretty flexible in terms of gender.
posted by mskyle at 7:12 AM on April 29, 2015
posted by mskyle at 7:12 AM on April 29, 2015
Moon Unit
posted by goethean at 9:01 AM on April 29, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by goethean at 9:01 AM on April 29, 2015 [3 favorites]
"Sophia" just means "wisdom".
"Philosophy" is love of wisdom.
posted by kenko at 11:22 AM on April 29, 2015
"Philosophy" is love of wisdom.
posted by kenko at 11:22 AM on April 29, 2015
I knew a girl in high school named "Palmer," which I always thought was a pretty great name.
posted by saladin at 11:33 AM on April 29, 2015
posted by saladin at 11:33 AM on April 29, 2015
Farrow.
(damn I wish I could use this but I already have a daughter named Mia and that would just be silly)
posted by kitcat at 11:43 AM on April 29, 2015
(damn I wish I could use this but I already have a daughter named Mia and that would just be silly)
posted by kitcat at 11:43 AM on April 29, 2015
Bailey
Bailey is a noun (part of a castle).
Pat. Tip. Tipper. Flo.
posted by w0mbat at 11:52 AM on April 29, 2015
Bailey is a noun (part of a castle).
Pat. Tip. Tipper. Flo.
posted by w0mbat at 11:52 AM on April 29, 2015
I think Chase is a great girl's name.
posted by cmoj at 1:17 PM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by cmoj at 1:17 PM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I thought Hunter was a girl's name.
It is in our family.
I also knew a girl named Archer once.
posted by vignettist at 3:27 PM on April 29, 2015
It is in our family.
I also knew a girl named Archer once.
posted by vignettist at 3:27 PM on April 29, 2015
Best answer: Verb Names
Names That Are Verbs
Verb Names and a follow up post on the same siteVerb Names -- Don't go away
Hebrew names that are (supposedly) verbs (clicking on individual names sometimes got name meanings that didn't look like verbs to me).
Verb Names
posted by Michele in California at 3:34 PM on April 29, 2015
Names That Are Verbs
Verb Names and a follow up post on the same siteVerb Names -- Don't go away
Hebrew names that are (supposedly) verbs (clicking on individual names sometimes got name meanings that didn't look like verbs to me).
Verb Names
posted by Michele in California at 3:34 PM on April 29, 2015
They aren't as common here, but I always thought Ursula - like a bear - is quite badass.
posted by mippy at 8:06 AM on April 30, 2015
posted by mippy at 8:06 AM on April 30, 2015
Bailey is a noun (part of a castle).
<disgusting pedantry>
Strictly speaking, occupational names are generally nouns. Hunter—one who hunts. Cooper—one who coops (makes barrels).
And "Bailey" has sometimes been a title for a castle administrator (like "Bailiff"). But I agree with you that it doesn't quite capture the sense of "one who does X thing".
</disgusting pedantry>
OP—if that's the sense you're going for, I think you could pick any meaningful-to-you verb. Like action movie and comic book names. Avenger. Walker. Looker. Kickpuncher?
posted by peachfuzz at 10:39 AM on April 30, 2015
<disgusting pedantry>
Strictly speaking, occupational names are generally nouns. Hunter—one who hunts. Cooper—one who coops (makes barrels).
And "Bailey" has sometimes been a title for a castle administrator (like "Bailiff"). But I agree with you that it doesn't quite capture the sense of "one who does X thing".
</disgusting pedantry>
OP—if that's the sense you're going for, I think you could pick any meaningful-to-you verb. Like action movie and comic book names. Avenger. Walker. Looker. Kickpuncher?
posted by peachfuzz at 10:39 AM on April 30, 2015
Response by poster: You guys are pretty wonderful! Thanks for all the wonderful answers.
posted by Grandysaur at 5:59 PM on May 1, 2015
posted by Grandysaur at 5:59 PM on May 1, 2015
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Blaze
posted by the webmistress at 7:10 PM on April 28, 2015 [4 favorites]