Pride 2017: 13 Baby Names Inspired By Eminent LGBT Figures

Trying to find inspiration for baby names can feel like an impossible task; you want something original, which will stand the test of time and which has an inspiring back story.

So why not take inspiration from some of the most important figures in modern history who fought for LGBT rights.

Here are 13 suggestions to get you started.

1. Harvey

Harvey Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

2. Gilbert

Gilbert Baker, an openly gay artist and civil rights activist, designed the Rainbow Flag in 1978. The flag has since become a prominent symbol to the gay community around the world.

3. Sylvia

Sylvia Rivera was an American gay liberation and transgender activist and self-identified drag queen. She was a founding member of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance.

4. Ellen

Ellen Page is a Canadian actress who came out in 2014, and has since spoken openly about the double standards around LGBT actors in Hollywood, she said: "Now I’m gay, I can’t play a straight person?!”

5. Martina

Martina Navratilova is a Czech and American retired tennis player and coach. In 2005, Tennis magazine selected her as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005. In 2000, she was the recipient of National Equality Award from the USA's largest gay and lesbian activist/lobbying group for her campaigning.

6. Audre

Audre Lorde was a African-American writer, feminist, poet and civil-rights activist. She took part in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979 and used her theory of difference to establish the fight for gay rights. She quickly became the best known out-of-the-closet Black radical lesbian feminist.

7. Ian

Sir Ian McKellen is an actor and the recipient of six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He is one of the founding members of Stonewall UK, along with John Miskelly and Michael Cashman.

8. Keegan

Keegan Hirst is Britain's first openly gay rugby player who came out in August 2015.

9. Laverne

Laverne Cox is an American actress on the hit Netflix series 'Orange is the New Black'. Cox has made history as being the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy award in an acting role and to be on the cover of Time magazine.

10. Edie

Edie Windsor is an American LGBT rights activist and former technology manager at IBM. She was the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court of the United States, which successfully overturned Section 3 of the Defence of Marriage Act, considered a landmark legal victory for same-sex marriage.

11. Bayard

Bayard Rustin is best known for his work with Martin Luther King in the civil right's movement, but in the 1970s, he became a public advocate on behalf of gay and lesbian causes as well.

12. Ruby

Ruby Rose is an Australian model, DJ, recording artist, actress and television presenter. She has spoken openly, and extensively, about her sexuality and identifying as gender fluid.

13. Larry

Larry Kramer is an American playwright, author, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist.

Whether you’re looking for a name that is ‘cool’, ‘cute’, ‘pretty’, or ‘unique’, our Baby Name Generator is here to inspire you. Discover the meaning of your favourite name, browse the 100 most popular baby girl names and baby boy names in England and Wales, or let our Random Name Generator throw up an unusual suggestion.