Life
For such a short month, February is packed with lots of reasons to celebrate: Groundhog Day, Presidents Day, Valentine's Day, Leap Day, and perhaps best of all, Galentine's Day. This recent addition may not be part of the calendar yet, but we still honor it by showing love and appreciation to the girlfriends who are always there for us. Celebrants who also happen to be expecting around this time would do well to give their child a Galentine's Day baby name that reflects the awesomeness of this special day.
The Galentine's Day tradition is one that dates allll the way back to...um...nine years ago, on a now-classic episode of Parks & Recreation. As explained on IMDb and other sources, the show featured Leslie Knope creating a February 13 holiday specifically to show love to her best gal pals. In the words of Leslie Knope (as quoted in The Atlantic): "Every February 13, my ladyfriends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas."
When it comes to naming children, we have no problem taking inspiration from occupations (Taylor, Cooper), flowers (Rose, Violet), locations (Brooklyn, Cheyenne), virtues (Grace, Serenity), and other sources. Giving your baby a name inspired by the beauty of sisterhood and girlfriends is just as legitimate and powerful as any of the others. Better still, it acts as a constant reminder that we need the support and understanding of our female friends more than ever once we become mothers. With all of that in mind, here are some suggestions for Galentine's Day-themed baby names. They're particularly fitting for February 13 births, but they're so good that they work for children born all year round.
1
Leslie
How could we not start with the woman who founded Galentine's Day? Ambitious, fair-minded, and caring, Leslie Knope is a fine (if fictional) namesake, and it just happens to be a great name, too. As The Bump confirmed, it's a Scottish name meaning "holly garden."
2
Ann
Any list that includes Leslie also has to include the character's own BFF, Ann. Although it's used more as a middle name nowadays, it deserves to take its rightful place back up front. As Baby Name Wizard explained, it's a variant of Anna, meaning "full of grace and mercy," and was the name of the mother of the Virgin Mary.
3
April
Why name a February baby after this spring month? Simple: It's also the name of Leslie Knope's sardonic coworker, April Ludgate.
4
Amy
If you're a fan not only of female bonding, but also of brilliant comedy, you could opt for the name of Amy Poehler, the actress who made Leslie Knope so memorable. From the French for "beloved," Amy isn't as popular as it was a generation ago, according to Nameberry. All the more reason to bring it back. You could also alter it to Amie, the French word for "friend" — talk about an appropriate name for Galentine's Day!
5
Rashida
You can't talk about Parks & Rec actresses' names without mentioning Rashida, a beautiful Arabic name meaning "rightly guided," per The Bump. No wonder Quincy Jones gave it to his gifted daughter.
6
Aubrey
Aubrey Plaza, who plays the perpetually deadpan April, also happens to have the 31st most popular name of 2017, as reported by the Social Security Administration. It means "elf ruler," so it would also appeal to all the fantasy lovers out there.
7
Lakota
For a Galentine's baby girl, a name reflecting friendship would also work perfectly, such as this Native American name meaning "friend to us."
8
Ruth
Talk about BFs: This Hebrew name meaning "friend" is also the name of a Biblical heroine who pledged her loyalty to her mother-in-law after her husband's death: "Whither thou goest, I will go." (Also a must for fans of the beyond-awesome Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Like... Leslie Knope!)
9
Winifred
From the Gaelic for "friend of peace," according to Essential Baby, Winifred may seem a little stuffy as a full name, but shorten it to Winnie or Freddi, and you've got a winner.
10
Karalee
Obscure yet still fresh-sounding, this Latin/Greek/Gaelic name means "beloved" or "friend."
11
Wendy
Believe it or not, this name wouldn't have existed if Peter Pan had never been written. As Baby Name Wizard explained, author J.M. Barrie was inspired by the nickname given to him by the young daughter of a friend. The girl called him "Fwiendy," for "friendly," which eventually became "Fwiendy-Wendy," and... you can guess the rest.
12
Phoebe
When you think about famous TV friends, the women of Friends naturally come to mind. The lovably ditzy GF of the group has a gorgeous Greek name meaning "radiant, shining one," according to Nameberry.
13
Rachel
The Friends gang's names were just made for a day centered around female friendship. This Hebrew name meaning "ewe" (because Jacob met Rachel when she was tending sheep, as The Bump explained) has slipped in popularity, but still ranks in the top 200 names on the SSA's list. (Don't worry; your Rachel doesn't have to have that signature haircut.)
14
Carrie
You just know that if Galentine's Day had been around back when Sex and the City was in its prime, the famous NYC galpal group would have celebrated it in high style (not to mention a few Cosmos). The name of Sarah Jessica Parker's character can either be used as a stand-alone (from the German for "free man") or as a nickname for Carolyn or other "Car-" name.
15
Charlotte
Interestingly, two SATC characters have names meaning the same thing (Charlotte also means "free man," per Nameberry). But you might prefer to associate the name with the title character in Charlotte's Web, who is eulogized at the end as being "a true friend and a great writer."
16
Lucy
Since this Latin name means "light," according to The Bump, it reflects the light your girlfriends bring to your lives. It's also the name of half of the most iconic TV GF pair of all time. You have to wonder why Lucy didn't invent Galentine's Day long ago.
