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Mary Claudia, Mary Claudine or Mary Claudette?

33 replies

FreedomOfTheTess · 24/04/2013 13:02

We've starting to lean strongly towards Mary for girl bump (due mid-July) and would like to honour my late grandfather, Claude in the middle name spot.

Our options are:

Mary Claudia - obviously Claudia is the 'go to' feminine form of Claude, but we don't think this sounds great.

Mary Claudine - this sounds better but it still isn't great.

Mary Claudette - we think this has the best sound to it, but is Claudette a bit fusty?

The only other option is to use Claude itself. In France, the name Claude is both feminine and masculine, but I appreciate we're not in France and would therefore be met with puzzling looks if we simply named her Mary Claude.

Thoughts/comments? Are there any other feminine forms of Claude you're aware of that we're missing?

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KittenofDoom · 24/04/2013 13:06

Obviously it depends on the surname, but as it stands I think Mary Claudia has the nicest flow and rhythm.

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rubyhaha · 24/04/2013 13:07

go with what you like best as she is just going to be known as Mary anyway. so for that reason claude itself would be ok.

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FreedomOfTheTess · 24/04/2013 13:12

Kitten - good point - I meant to mention the surname. Starts with a W and is 10 letters long. Has a flow similar to Whittington.

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MerryMarigold · 24/04/2013 13:14

I think Claudia is good. It doesn't have to sound fabulous as it won't be used on a daily basis and Claudia is the best name of the 3 I think (personally, would go for it as a first name - Claudia Mary sounds fantastic!).

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FreedomOfTheTess · 24/04/2013 13:16

Merry - I do love Claudia, but Mary as a FN is a better fit with our DCs' names; Jack, Alexander and Sarah.

The more I say 'Mary Claudia' out loud, the better it starts to sound.

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Ruralninja · 24/04/2013 13:18

Ooo I like Claudine!
I've got to male relatives names for middle names and I really love it, so you could just go with Claude?

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CruCru · 24/04/2013 13:19

I like Mary Claude.

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KittenofDoom · 24/04/2013 13:20

Ah, then I'll stick with Mary Claudia. It flows well. Although I think Claude would be fine as well, tbh.

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showtunesgirl · 24/04/2013 13:23

I would actually go for Marie Claudette. Marie said like "marry" in the French way. I think it flows better than Mary.

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abbyfromoz · 24/04/2013 13:36

Claudette or Claudine... Claudia sounds very American whereas Claudette and Claudine sound more French. Also agree 'Marie' has a nicer ring with that middle name... Although i do like Mary as a name.

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KittenofDoom · 24/04/2013 13:38

Claudia doesn't sound American to English ears.

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abbyfromoz · 24/04/2013 13:45

I just remember reading babysitters club as a little girl and i think one of the characters was Claudia- hence the affiliation Grin

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KittenofDoom · 24/04/2013 14:03

I agree that Claudette & Claudine are more French, but I don't think OP is looking for a French name. If she was, Marie Claude would tick all the boxes.

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ithaka · 24/04/2013 14:07

I would go for Marie not Mary, purely because I have a friend called Mary and there are no words to describe how much she hates her name - she thinks it is boring, frumpy and unimaginative.

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ItsYonliMe · 24/04/2013 14:07

Mary Claude. Lovely idea and a beautiful name.

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abbyfromoz · 24/04/2013 14:07

Fair enough- will let the OP decide. Just my opinion

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Michellephant · 24/04/2013 14:12

I prefer Mary Claudette.

I don't like Claudia but that's because me and my mum know someone we don't like with a baby called Claudia and my mum refers to her as Chlamydia.

:X

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Michellephant · 24/04/2013 14:14

I also don't like the name Mary and think it is a bit boring, but it's not particularly popular so at least there wont be loads of girls called Mary at nursery/school!

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FreedomOfTheTess · 24/04/2013 14:46

Thanks for the feedback so far. Lots to chew on.

To clarify, we're not necessarily looking for a name that sounds French, it's just I'm aware that Claude is both f/m in France, so in that respect it wouldn't be wrong to use it as a middle name for a girl.

NB: My grandfather was actually half French, his mother was French, so I could perhaps use the fact I have a tiny amount of French blood to justify using Claude and not one of the feminine forms! Wink

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FreedomOfTheTess · 24/04/2013 14:50

Fair dos to anyone who doesn't like Mary, but DH and I love it.

As my work colleague said to me, hearing a baby girl called Mary would be a pleasant surprise to most, as opposed to yet another baby girl being named Olivia/Ruby/Grace/Amelia/Isabella. Wink

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thegreylady · 24/04/2013 15:21

I love Mary and would use Claudia for mn however Marie-Claude has a good ring to it :)

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olympicsrock · 24/04/2013 15:34

I like Mary Claude or Marie Claude best. Good choice OP. Maybe outing myself but I'm actually a Mary myself (surname also begins with W and longish like yours>>. With fairly long surname I've always been glad to have a simple classic first name that everyone understands and can spell. I've never thought of my name as boring or frumpy :)

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LackaDAISYcal · 24/04/2013 15:43

Marie-Claude would sound better imo than Mary-Claude

Or forget Mary completely (a bit old fashioned, but not trendily so) and use Anne-Claude; I know an Anne-Claude and she (and the name) are fab!

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fussychica · 24/04/2013 16:48

Love Marie Claude, Mary Claude just doesn't sound right.

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mrspaddy · 24/04/2013 16:52

Ah we are calling our baby Mary if it is a girl! We are just going for Mary though. Are you going to use both names all the time? I really love the name.. it is a special name to us anyway but I love it because it is not too common anymore yet still traditional. Pretty.

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