In this era of boys’ or at least boyish names for girls, feminizations — classic feminine forms of male names such as Charlotte and Georgia — seem almost quaint.  Why not just name your daughter Charlie….or George?

Well, there are a lot of reasons.  And choosing a more traditional feminization can give you the best of all name worlds.  Most are distinctly female without being frilly, have deep roots yet feel right for the contemporary world, let you honor a male ancestor without creating any confusion about the gender of his little namesake.

There are so many great feminine forms that it was difficult narrowing the list down to just a dozen.  But these are our current favorites:

Antonia – Antonia is a lush and gorgeous name that has not found favor the way sisters Charlotte and Georgia have.  In fact, it fell off the US Top 1000 in 2007 — which may be a very good reason to use it now.  While some may find it too Old World, we think it’s lovely in its full form, not shortened to the considerably less classy Toni or Tonia.

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