First Lady of the United States is the title held by the wife of the President of the United States, concurrent with the president's term of office. Although the first lady's role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the nation. When coming up to baby girl names, you could consider name your little girl after one of these gorgeous American first ladies.
Abigail: Abigail Adams was the closest advisor and wife of John Adams, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams. She is sometimes considered to have been a Founder of the United States, and is now designated as the first Second Lady and second First Lady of the United States, although these titles were not in use at the time.
Anna: Anna Harrison, wife of President William Henry Harrison and grandmother of President Benjamin Harrison, was nominally First Lady of the United States during her husband's one-month term in 1841, but she never entered the White House. At the age of 65 years during her husband's presidential term, she is the oldest woman ever to become First Lady, as well as having the distinction of holding the title for the shortest length of time, and the first person to be widowed while holding the title. She was the last First Lady to have been born in British America.
Barbara: Barbara Bush is the wife of George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of George W. Bush, the 43rd President, and Jeb Bush, the 43rd Governor of Florida.
Betty: Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Ford was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford. As First Lady, she was active in social policy and created precedents as a politically active presidential wife.
Caroline: Caroline Harrison was a teacher of music, the wife of Benjamin Harrison and mother of two surviving children; after his election as President of the United States, she was First Lady of the United States from 1889 until her death.
Claudia: Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson was First Lady of the United States, as the wife of the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson.
Dolley: Dolley Madison was the wife of James Madison, President of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted for her social graces, which boosted her husband’s popularity as President.
Edith: Edith Wilson, second wife of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, was First Lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921. She married Woodrow in December 1915, during his first term as President.
Eleanor: Eleanor Roosevelt was an American politician, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, having held the post from March 1933 to April 1945 during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office, and served as United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements.
Eliza: Eliza Johnson was the First Lady of the United States and the wife of Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States.
Elizabeth: Elizabeth Monroe was First Lady of the United States from 1817 to 1825, as the wife of James Monroe, fifth President.
Ellen: Ellen Axson Wilson was the first wife of Woodrow Wilson and the mother of his three daughters. Like her husband, she was a Southerner from a slave-owning family, as well as the daughter of a clergyman. She was First Lady of the United States from Wilson's inauguration in 1913 until her death. During that period, she arranged White House weddings for two of their daughters.
Florence: Florence Harding, wife of President Warren G. Harding, was the First Lady of the United States from 1921 to 1923. She married the somewhat-younger Harding when he was a newspaper publisher in Ohio, and she was acknowledged as the brains behind the business. Known as The Duchess, she adapted well to the White House, where she gave notably elegant parties.
Frances: Frances Folsom Cleveland Preston was married to the President of the United States Grover Cleveland and was the First Lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1897. Becoming First Lady at age 21, she remains the youngest wife of a sitting president.
Grace: Grace Coolidge was the wife of the 30th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge. She was the First Lady from 1923 to 1929. She met Calvin Coolidge in 1904, and the two were married the following year.
Hannah: Hannah Van Buren was the wife of the eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. She died in 1819, before Martin Van Buren became President. He never remarried and was one of the few Presidents to be unmarried while in office. During his term, his daughter-in-law, Angelica, performed the role of hostess of the White House and First Lady of the United States.
Helen: Helen Herron "Nellie" Taft was the wife of William Howard Taft and First Lady of the United States from 1909 to 1913.
Hillary: Hillary Clinton is an American politician who was the 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, U.S. Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, and the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election.
Ida: Ida Saxton McKinley, wife of William McKinley, was First Lady of the United States from 1897 to 1901.
Jacqueline: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and First Lady of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.
Jane: Jane Pierce, wife of U.S. President Franklin Pierce, was First Lady of the United States from 1853 to 1857.
Laura: Laura Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, and was the First Lady from 2001 to 2009.
Letitia: Letitia Christian Tyler, first wife of John Tyler, was First Lady of the United States from 1841 until her death.
Lou: Lou Henry Hoover was the wife of President of the United States Herbert Hoover and served as First Lady from 1929 to 1933. Marrying her geologist and mining engineer husband in 1899, she traveled widely with him, including to Shanghai, China, and became a cultivated scholar and linguist. A proficient Chinese speaker, she is the only First Lady to have spoken an Asian language.
Louisa: Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, was First Lady of the United States from 1825 to 1829. The daughter of the American Consul in London, she was the first First Lady to be born outside the United States, or outside areas that were later to become part of the United States, such as the Thirteen Colonies.
Lucretia: Lucretia Garfield, wife of James A. Garfield, was First Lady of the United States in 1881.
Lucy: Lucy Hayes was a First Lady of the United States and the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes. Lucy Hayes was the first First Lady to have a college degree. She was also a more egalitarian hostess than previous First Ladies.
Mamie: Mamie Eisenhower was the wife of United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and First Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961. Mamie married Dwight Eisenhower at age 19 in 1916. As First Lady, she entertained a wide range of foreign dignitaries, who reacted well to her confident style and splendid costumes.
Margaret: Margaret Taylor was the wife of Zachary Taylor. She was First Lady of the United States from 1849 to 1850.
Martha: Martha Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States.
Mary: Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865. A member of a large, wealthy Kentucky family, Mary was well educated. She supported her husband throughout his presidency.
Nancy: Nancy Reagan was an American actress, and the wife of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. She served as the First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989.
Patricia: Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974. As First Lady, Pat Nixon promoted a number of charitable causes, including volunteerism. She oversaw the collection of more than 600 pieces of historic art and furnishings for the White House, an acquisition larger than that of any other administration. She was the most traveled First Lady in U.S. history, a record unsurpassed until twenty-five years later. Her name Pat is occasionally rendered as Patricia.
Rachel: Rachel Jackson was the wife of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States. She lived with him at their home at The Hermitage, where she died just days after his election and before his inauguration in 1829.
Rosalynn: Rosalynn Carter is the wife of the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, and in that capacity served as the First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981. She was politically active during her White House years, sitting in on Cabinet and policy meetings as well as serving as her husband's closest adviser.
More Baby Naming Ideas...