There is absolutely no critical thinking or social analysis here in this post. It is just hippie baby names I love. That’s it. Sometimes I am just a completely one dimensional person and that is okay. ALRIGHT?

(I suspect for Debate-weary folk this may be a bit of a relief… but just for the record: my dear American readers VOTE HILARY.)

How I came up with my hippie baby names

Well, I definitely didn’t say “hmmm, I’m a bit of a hippie so what shall by hippie babies be called?” Honestly, I didn’t. HONESTLY. I just found myself drawn to certain names.

In fact, my children’s names, Ramona and Juno, are quite classic, they are just not mainstream these days. Ramona was popular at the end of the 1800’s and the beginning of the 1900s and when older people hear her name they often break into song, one popular back in the day. The name Ramona sprung out at me from an artist’s exhibition poster when I was outside Kings Cross Station one day when I was 5 months pregnant and I just knew that was my baby’s name. I looked it up and found it meant “nurturing hands” which struck me as being perfect.

Juno is an ancient name, the name of a Roman Goddess who was the protector of women and community and I loved the sentiment and the sound of it. There was also a not-so famous suffragette called Juno in the US. Everyone asks if our Juno was named for the movie Juno, she isn’t, although it is an awesome redemptive story of love, freedom, respect, friendship, so she may well have been in a deeply subconcious way.

I was looking for names that were:

Strong and fairly non-prescriptive in terms of gender

Not very common

Held meaning for me

Whilst Ramona’s name came like divine inspiration, Juno’s name was an intense quest! But in that quest I came up with what I think are flipping AWESOME names!

To save me from emailing this list of names to any more of my pregnant friends (sorry friends) I thought I would put them out there.

What makes a name get on my list of hippie baby names?

No real reason apart from that I like it and I am a hippy, I guess. They are underused. Creative. Not on the list of 1000 top baby names etc. Often based on nature or social change rebels.

To me, the word “hippy” means: loving the earth and loving humankind even if acting on that love questions the status quo. To some people the word “hippy” means “tree hugger” and do you know what? I love that term too! The term tree hugger originates from the 1700’s when a community of peasant women in Northeast India refused to let the king cut down an ancient forest to build a palace. They embraced the trees with their bodies and stood strong while the foresters cut down the trees. Many of them died in this peaceful protest but it began a movement that culminated in forestry reform.

Am I a proud hippy and tree hugger? Heck, yep!

Here’s a video of the names in the back of my notebook when I was pregnant with Juno. I also discuss people trolling me online for calling my children Ramona and Juno AND a little interview with my kids about what they would call their babies… Thanks for that, Ramona, you comic:

A lot of them could be either boys or girls names I think but for ease I will start with those that are more commonly used for boys and then girls:



Hippie Baby Names for Boys

Zebedee

Obadiah

Van

Foy

Caspian

Sebastian

Jasper

Rufus

Pippin

Huckleberry

Hippie Baby Names for Girls

Blossom

Octavia

Meredith

Arietty (the Borrowers! Remember that?)

Eta

Odetta

Beatrice (this doesn’t sound too hippy but the truth is I wanted to call her Beet)

Pippi

Eartha (incredible 20th century performer and activist but I also love the reference to the earth)

Vita



<h2My favourite hippie baby names that friend’s have used:

Fern

Hazel

Brook

River

Aniren (commonly Aneurin in Wales)

Robin

Emmi

Rafael

Jude

Meshach

Arla

Hippie Baby Names based on the Suffragettes (I was absolutely certain both my girls would be named after suffragettes but only Juno was)

Ida

Alva

Matilda

Inez

Izetta

Lena

Maud

Sojourner

Mabel

Edith

Vera

Flora (flo! omg!)

Cicely

Nellie

Adela

Eva

Meri

Ahhh, they are all so brilliant. It makes me want to have fifty babies.

Okay, let’s go: your favourite hippie baby names?? Weirdly keen to hear them….