Name my baby daughter after a superhero...

December 8, 2005 5:57 PM

SuperheroNameFilter: Name a baby girl after a comic book superhero...

I'm a comic book geek, I admit it. And I named my first son after Daredevil (he's "Matthew Murdock Lastname").

Well, the wife is pregnant again, and we'd like to keep with the comic book or literary theme. We already have a male name picked out, and now we need a female name.

There just don't seem to be that many female superhero names that translate over ... Diana Troy might work, but it doesn't spin our wheels. Totally wacky names like Elektra Natchios and Ororo Munroe won't pass the teasing-on-the-playground test.

Ideas? If you were going to name a daughter after a superhero, or some other literary character, what would it be?

posted by frogan to Grab Bag (78 answers total)

How about Jean Grey?
posted by nomad at 6:04 PM on December 8, 2005

lois?
kabuki?
i always thought domino was a cool name.

i could probably come up with more, but instead i'll just point you to this page which should be of immeasurable help.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 6:10 PM on December 8, 2005

zatanna?
posted by jimmy at 6:14 PM on December 8, 2005

Julie Newmar
posted by furtive at 6:18 PM on December 8, 2005

Felicia Hardy?
posted by Fourmyle at 6:19 PM on December 8, 2005

Jean Grey is good. Some other ideas:

* Betty Kane or Barbara Gordon (Batgirls at various points)
* Helena Rosa (Huntress)
* Jennie-Lynn Hayden (Jade)
* Jesse Quick (daughter of Jonnie Quick, a Flash)

But I'm especially fond of the name Carrie Kelly, the female Robin from The Dark Night Returns. (Yeah, I'm a DC fanboy. So sue me.)
posted by Plutor at 6:20 PM on December 8, 2005

Kitty Pryde, of course!

(I could have sworn her real first name was spelled Kathryn, but MarvelDirectory.com says it's Katherine. Huh. Of course, you could make like big ole Piotr Rasputin and call her Katya, too.)
posted by Asparagirl at 6:21 PM on December 8, 2005

Dinah Lance (Black Canary)
Shayera Hol (Hawkgirl)
Merina (Aquagirl)
posted by riffola at 6:24 PM on December 8, 2005

Rei
Mina
Ami
Makoto
Usagi
("Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!")
posted by SPrintF at 6:26 PM on December 8, 2005

Kara Zor-El, of course! (Supergirl.)
posted by litlnemo at 6:27 PM on December 8, 2005 [1 favorite]

Buffy Summers? ;) She saved the world! A lot!
Some X-Men--Sage, Chance, Jean Grey
Liz Sherman from Hellboy
Jennie-Lynn Hayden, Green Lantern's daughter

Wikipedia has a short list of superheroines--some of the pages have the "real names" of heroines with less than desirable baby names.
posted by xyzzy at 6:28 PM on December 8, 2005

I confess that I kind of like Jesse Quick. How about Alison Blaire (Dazzler) or Mary Batson (Mary Marvel)?
posted by snarkout at 6:28 PM on December 8, 2005

Ramba
posted by ouke at 6:30 PM on December 8, 2005

Dido, queen of Carthage.
posted by boo_radley at 6:30 PM on December 8, 2005

I like Kitty Pryde or Dakota North.
posted by mkultra at 6:33 PM on December 8, 2005

I suggest Planetary's Jenny Sparks.
posted by redfoxtail at 6:37 PM on December 8, 2005

No big-name heroines here, but decent "real" names, I think:

Jennifer Walters (She-Hulk)
Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow, anglicized)
Angelica Jones (Firestar)
Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch)
posted by cerebus19 at 6:40 PM on December 8, 2005

(Planetary, Stormwatch, and The Authority, that is, she corrected herself geekishly, while still probably missing something.)
posted by redfoxtail at 6:41 PM on December 8, 2005

Certainly, Jean Grey is the most normal on Earth-Prime of the Earth-One names that come to mind. (Wow, that was nerdy. And inaccurate since these are Marvel characters...) How about Janet Pym?
posted by nicwolff at 6:42 PM on December 8, 2005

Jean Grey seems like the best choice -- seems like a normal name, like Matthew, but also reflects a pretty important character. I like the name Jean, too, it was my grandmother's name :) There's also Susan Storm/Richards (Invisible Girl).
posted by dagnyscott at 6:44 PM on December 8, 2005

Eartha Kitt
posted by terrapin at 6:48 PM on December 8, 2005

Ayla, Tinya, Laurel, or Imra from the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Illyana or Rahne, from the New Mutants.

Maybe a little on the unwieldy side, but not as much as Elektra or Ororo..
posted by ipe at 6:49 PM on December 8, 2005

Kevin Smith beat you to "Harley Quinn"...
posted by jozxyqk at 6:51 PM on December 8, 2005

All from the Batman series (although some are villains) -

Harley Quinn Lastname (Harlequin or Harley Quinn)

Selena Kyle Lastname (Catwoman)

Barbara Gordon Lastname (Batgirl)

Pamela Isley Lastname (Poison Ivy)

and then

Jessica Drew Lastname (Spiderwoman)

Jubilation Lee Lastname (Jubilee)

Neena Beatrice Thurman Lastname (Domino)

I'm very curious to know what male name you've picked out. Please share.
posted by iconomy at 6:53 PM on December 8, 2005

Angelica Jones (Firestar)
Jenny Sparks
Lorraine Reilly (Firehawk)
posted by oddman at 6:58 PM on December 8, 2005

Nausicaä - Alita
posted by Tenuki at 7:09 PM on December 8, 2005

Response by poster: I'm very curious to know what male name you've picked out. Please share.

Charles Xavier Lastname

Great suggestions all ... some good ones I knew (Jean Grey), some great ones I had never heard of (Jesse Quick) and some really good ones I had completely, embarassingly forgotten about (Felicia Hardy).

Keep 'em coming, if you're in the mood ... the more, the merrier...
posted by frogan at 7:15 PM on December 8, 2005

Well, there's Ysabell, after the heroine from Mort...

My wife and I have talked about naming our girl, when and if she ever manifests, after the day she is born. As a general example, we've been using Thursday as a sample name, mayhaps after Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next..
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:20 PM on December 8, 2005

Jennifer Walters
posted by cosmicbandito at 7:21 PM on December 8, 2005

Carol Danvers?
posted by ori at 7:22 PM on December 8, 2005

Dr. Doom?
posted by johnsmith415 at 7:28 PM on December 8, 2005

Actually, "She-Ra, Princess of Power" would be sooooo awesome...
posted by johnsmith415 at 7:29 PM on December 8, 2005

Emma Peel!
posted by dty1 at 7:38 PM on December 8, 2005

That's easy. Abigail Arcane (Swamp Thing, 'natch).

ARRRCAAAAAAANNNEEEEEE

or maybe Gwen Stacy, or Harlene Quinzel (KS didn't steal that one).
I've always wanted to name my kids Doombot #1 - #X, where X is whatever number they popped out.
posted by zerolives at 7:39 PM on December 8, 2005

Also: I don't think I've ever seen an ask.mefi question fill up quite this quick. Like sharks tasting blood, you are.
posted by zerolives at 7:41 PM on December 8, 2005

Dinah Lance Lastname (Black Canary).
posted by grabbingsand at 7:53 PM on December 8, 2005

Laurie Juspeczyk?
posted by 88robots at 8:18 PM on December 8, 2005

Mary Jane Watson. Lana Lang.

And yeah, you can call her M.J. which would be cute.
posted by filmgeek at 8:44 PM on December 8, 2005

Rahne Sinclair
posted by iced_borsch at 8:45 PM on December 8, 2005

Psy Judge Cassandra Anderson
posted by stray at 8:45 PM on December 8, 2005

psi, doh!
posted by stray at 8:45 PM on December 8, 2005

I haven't seen yet Illyana Rasputin or Emma Frost.
posted by The Bishop of Turkey at 8:53 PM on December 8, 2005

Diana Prince? Lori Lemaris? Sue Storm? Carrie Kelly? Mary Marvel? Karen Starr?

You could always do the tried and true Elizabeth (Betty) Cooper or Veronica Lodge.
posted by MegoSteve at 8:53 PM on December 8, 2005

If you want to have a "normal" name and still keep an in-joke about the superheroine name, name her "Diana", which is the name of Wonderwoman. Wonderwoman is strong and kicks a lot of ass. (If you want a middle name, call her "Diana Lynda" or "Diana Carter" in honour of the beautiful Lynda Carter who played the role of Wonderwoman in the TV series.)

Do you really want to call your girl Shayera Hol and have her ridiculed endlessly throughout her life? :)
posted by madman at 8:53 PM on December 8, 2005

She's not a comic book character, but Ellen Ripley is one bad ass action hero and a great name.
posted by macadamiaranch at 9:12 PM on December 8, 2005

Susan Storm Lastname.
posted by jimfl at 9:32 PM on December 8, 2005

Jean Grey was never a character, more like some teenage boy's image of what a woman is: strong, loyal, beautiful, constant, the rest of it... she was killed and brought back to life a zillion times (the sign of a thin character).

bleh.

Go for her daughter: Rachel Summers. She always had more spark, more sensitivity, more believability.

Kitty Pryde would also work. But I sorta think you'd have to be Jewish to pull it off ;)

You are such a badass for naming your son Matt Murdoch. Your wife, too.
posted by scarabic at 9:36 PM on December 8, 2005

Jubilation Lee

This also came to mind. Not a bad choice.

While Ororo Munroe might not be so great, the middle name of Storm would kick ass the world over.

[googles madly]

I can't believe Rogue doesn't have a real name!
posted by scarabic at 9:40 PM on December 8, 2005

Okay, really, I wanted to suggest Rhane and Illyana from the New Mutants, but both of those are already taken. So:

Danielle Moonstar
Xian Coy Mahn (That'll confuse the hell out of her teachers)
Amara Aquilla
Lila Cheney

Let's see... who else...

Misty Knight (Power Man and Iron Fist)
Jocasta (Avengers)
Mantis (Avengers)
Rebecca Golden (Elementals)
Jeanette Crane (Elementals)
Evey Hammond (V For Vendetta)
Sophie Bangs (Promethea)
Betty Ross
Debra Whitman (One of Peter Parker's girlfriends)
May Parker
Kara (Supergirl)
Allison Blaire (The Dazzler)
Lila Cheney (The New Mutants)

There must be a hundred more.
posted by Clay201 at 9:50 PM on December 8, 2005

*Emma Frost (The White Queen)
*Gwen Stacy (this would be my choice)
*Anna Marie (AKA Rogue)
*Elisabeth Braddock (Psylocke)
*Iris West (Barry Allen's wife)
*Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch)
*Lorna Dane (Polaris)
posted by Dreamghost at 10:05 PM on December 8, 2005

Heh. Scrolled to the bottom looking for Elisabeth Braddock (rhymes with Murdock).

What about Xavier's lover from the Shai'ar?
posted by klangklangston at 10:27 PM on December 8, 2005

If you do use robocop is bleeding's suggestion, don't name her after the day of the week if she is born on a Monday. No one likes Monday.

*sigh*
posted by Monday at 10:32 PM on December 8, 2005 [1 favorite]

She's not a comic book character, but Ellen Ripley is one bad ass action hero and a great name.

I have a friend who named her daughter Ripley.

Lori Lemaris?
posted by mkhall at 10:34 PM on December 8, 2005

Selena Kyle is nice. Plus she'd share the name of a Latin-pop sensation - double bonus!

Vicki Vale

Lois Lane - Too Obvious?

April O'Neil - Ninja Turtles.

Jennifer Mays

Carmen Sandiego

Marge Simpson

Hester Prynne

Matilda Wormwood

Encyclopedia Brown

Maya Angelou

sorry
posted by dgaicun at 10:43 PM on December 8, 2005

Jesus, looking through these names, it's like the credits to a very B porno: Sophie Bangs, Kitty Pryde, Jenny Sparks, Rebecca Golden, Shayera Hol, Danielle Moonstar, etc.
posted by dgaicun at 10:53 PM on December 8, 2005 [1 favorite]

My wife and I named our son Jorell. You could name your daughter Jorelle or Kalelle.
posted by faceonmars at 11:52 PM on December 8, 2005

Another vote for Kitty Pryde here.
posted by krisjohn at 12:31 AM on December 9, 2005

Don't name your kid Kalelle (or however it's spelled)...unless you're Nicholas Cage, in which case it's still not Ok...
posted by johnsmith415 at 12:58 AM on December 9, 2005

I like Jenny Sparks, although if you want to go all-out there's always Jenny Quantum. I'm a really, really big fan of the (aforementioned) name Jennifer Walters, too - and hell, it might lead to a career in law. Or her turning green. Either is good.

How about Kay Challis? It's a really nice name, although there might be problems when your daughter asks who she was named after.

Karen Starr (Power Girl's one-time secret identity)? Mary Marvel? Um...
posted by terpsichoria at 3:24 AM on December 9, 2005

Edie Sawyer or Kitty Pride.
posted by Sticherbeast at 6:50 AM on December 9, 2005

PRYDE. I mean PRYDE.
posted by Sticherbeast at 6:50 AM on December 9, 2005

I know someone who named his daughter Gracyn, which is really a different spelling of Greyson which is the last night of Bruce Wayne's ward, Dick Greyson.
posted by plinth at 6:56 AM on December 9, 2005

Another vote for Edie Sawyer. Or Venus Dee Milo.
posted by COBRA! at 7:13 AM on December 9, 2005

Super girl? Kara Zorel, or Kara Inze (dropping the hyphens, and middle names can be a little funky) for her Kryptonian names, or Linda Lee or the obscure Lucy Regent for the human name

Johanna Constantine

Theresa Rourke Cassidy (apt if you have a particularly noisy little girl)

Mary Marvel would keep the M alliteration going

And I'd like to second (third?) Felicia Hardy or Ellen Ripley (mostly because Ellen is a GREAT name *grin*)


As a side note: Please, for the love of Pete do not name you daughter Carmen Sandiego (if you were considering it t o begin with) I can promise everyone born in the eighties will die laughing when they meet her.
posted by nelleish at 7:19 AM on December 9, 2005

Ellen Ripley is a great one.

Someone earlier suggested Jessica something for some comic book character (not a comics fan myself...) so it's worth throwing out there that Jessica is in fact a literary name - it was invented by none other than Shakespeare: she's Shylock's daughter in "The Merchant of Venice".

We were going to name our latest addition Inara, after the character in Firefly/Serenity, but had a boy instead and went with Xander (the wife vetoed Buffy early on). I'm not sure my folks are too thrilled with it, but it's not their kid.

(My wife also vetoed Luke early on. I don't honestly like the name too much, but it would have been fun to tell him who his dad was.)
posted by robhuddles at 8:44 AM on December 9, 2005

Oh, and just to be different and since you did ask: other literary female characters I think make great namesakes even if they aren't superheroines, technically speaking...

Elizabeth Bennet
Josephine March
Rosalind
Anne Shirley (only if you're likely to get a redhead though!)

And just because it's fun and they'd be great movies to have in your potential daughter's collection: Animated Heroines
posted by nelleish at 8:47 AM on December 9, 2005

Comic Book Superheroines
Heather Hudson (Guardian)- Alpha Flight
Julie Power (Light Speed), Katie Power (Energizer) - Power Pack
Connie Ronnin Southern Knights
Kristin Austin Southern Knights
Zatana (various DC Titles)

Not comic book, but superheroine-
Helen Paar (Elastigirl)- The Incredibles
posted by notbuddha at 9:23 AM on December 9, 2005

Not a superheroine, but a super character: Stranger In Paradise's Katina Marie Choovanski, known universally as Katchoo.
posted by lhauser at 9:47 AM on December 9, 2005

I call dibs on Jocasta - best name ever.
posted by heartquake at 11:38 AM on December 9, 2005

Aeon
posted by UnclePlayground at 11:39 AM on December 9, 2005

Wasn't Jocasta also the name of Oedipus' mom from Greek mythology? You're just asking for trouble down the family tree with that one.
posted by dagnyscott at 11:58 AM on December 9, 2005

Abbey Chase (Danger Girl)
posted by deborah at 3:12 PM on December 9, 2005

Here's another vote for Kitty Pryde. Abbey Chase would also be cool :)
posted by starscream at 4:09 PM on December 9, 2005

Comic book characters?!\

Betty, or Veronica!


posted by Megafly at 4:30 PM on December 9, 2005

I would only point out that if you name your son Charles Xavier , and he winds up using Charles X. Lastname, people will assume he is a Black Muslim.

I like Lynda Carter as a semi-superheroine name. She was sort of a feminist icon in her own time, and you certainly can't name your daughter W. Woman Lastname.
posted by ikkyu2 at 12:13 PM on December 10, 2005

Thanks a lot dagnyscott ;)
posted by heartquake at 11:52 PM on December 10, 2005

Xena
posted by cass at 11:04 AM on December 12, 2005

Evey (V for Vendetta)
posted by inging at 2:30 PM on December 13, 2005