I'm currently working on a story and need help with naming a character.
The character is a woman born in the 1940s. Her family is from London, England, where she grew up with her (also still unnamed) wealthy parents and brother Clive. While vacationing in New York City, she met a fascinating Italian-American businessman, Anthony. The two of them started dating and before long he asked for her hand.
After the wedding, the two moved to Long Island to build a family. In the beginning of the 70s, she gave birth to a son, who's named after her husband. However, the happy family life was disrupted for her, as she struggled with the pressure of high society's expectations and her own stigmatized mental illness, all the while lovingly raising her son practically on her own due to her husband's many work obligations.
Physically, she's a very classic, elegant beauty. She carries herself with grace, a habit from having grown up in a very posh household. Long blonde hair, pale skin, green eyes, slim build. She cares about looking put together, wearing blouses and skirts even on lazy days. Her passion for the aesthetically pleasing translates into a love for art, decor and movies.
So far, I've only decided that her last (maiden) name is going to be Paddington.
The catch is, that the character's son will later go on to name his own daughter after her, so I'm looking for a first name that would work just as well in modern times. All the while, it should reflect the era and environment she grew up in. I wouldn't mind a somewhat unexpected name (within reason), though. Classics like Catherine and Elizabeth may be tried and true but are also not as strongly assosciated to a character "type" anymore, if that makes any sense at all.
Some names I've been toying with so far include: Alice, Audrey, Charlene, Diana and Scarlett.
My question is, given the character description, what name comes to your mind? Does your mental picture of this character look like a *insert name* to you?
Also, please comment which name you would choose from the ones mentioned. Maybe with a quick explanation on why you think it works best?
Thanks for the help everyone!