What are female names that are also actions?

April 28, 2015 7:08 PM

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.
posted by Grandysaur to Writing & Language (51 answers total)

Scout
Blaze
posted by the webmistress at 7:10 PM on April 28, 2015

Weaver
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:10 PM on April 28, 2015

Sue. Drew.
posted by orange swan at 7:11 PM on April 28, 2015

Carol
Dawn
Grace
Hope
posted by Deflagro at 7:13 PM on April 28, 2015

Blossom
posted by invisible ink at 7:13 PM on April 28, 2015

Actual: Harper, Piper
Proposed: Coder
posted by Poldo at 7:14 PM on April 28, 2015

Sally, Piper, Chase
posted by Ideefixe at 7:14 PM on April 28, 2015

Harper
Piper
posted by darchildre at 7:14 PM on April 28, 2015

Parker
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

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

Sailor or Saylor
posted by tamitang at 7:22 PM on April 28, 2015

Hunter and Taylor can be girls' names.
Sojourner and Sailor, I suppose.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:22 PM on April 28, 2015

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

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

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

Skylar (or in the original Dutch spelling, Schuyler) means scholar.
posted by third rail at 7:27 PM on April 28, 2015

Lace, Carol, Candy,
posted by Ideefixe at 7:33 PM on April 28, 2015

Peg.
posted by trunk muffins at 7:37 PM on April 28, 2015

Bubbles!
posted by xingcat at 7:46 PM on April 28, 2015

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

Dash
posted by [tk] at 8:23 PM on April 28, 2015

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

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

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

Rider/Ryder
posted by Sassyfras at 8:49 PM on April 28, 2015

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

Delver
Singer
Learner
River (ha)
Listener
Smith
Hope
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:18 PM on April 28, 2015

I thought Hunter was a girl's name.
posted by manderin at 12:16 AM on April 29, 2015

Barb
posted by klanawa at 12:37 AM on April 29, 2015

Sally.
posted by Pigpen at 12:52 AM on April 29, 2015

I've known of a girl (young woman now) named Naveigh (pronounced navy).
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

Paige
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

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

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

Moon Unit
posted by goethean at 9:01 AM on April 29, 2015

Sophia = lover of wisdom (Greek)
posted by Brittanie at 11:09 AM on April 29, 2015

"Sophia" just means "wisdom".

"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

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

Bailey
Bailey is a noun (part of a castle).

Pat. Tip. Tipper. Flo.
posted by w0mbat at 11:52 AM on April 29, 2015

Most of these seem more like nouns, but - Epiphany?
posted by mmiddle at 12:26 PM on April 29, 2015

I think Chase is a great girl's name.
posted by cmoj at 1:17 PM on April 29, 2015

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

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

I know a little girl named Sway ...
posted by bluebelle at 8:58 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

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

You guys are pretty wonderful! Thanks for all the wonderful answers.
posted by Grandysaur at 5:59 PM on May 1, 2015