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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

French female names

110 replies

Rororowmeboat · 20/03/2013 11:03

I like Madeleine and Cecile but not 100% happy with them - does anyone have any suggestions for similar?

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WormCanner · 21/03/2013 14:03

Emmanuel is a boy's name, the feminine is Emmanuelle which sadly is tarnished for a generation by a series of soft porn films Wink

INeverSaidThat · 21/03/2013 14:03

I like Capucine. (Pronounced ca-poo-sin ) I also like Mireille and Lise

Absy · 21/03/2013 14:02

You can't name a child Cherie - Cherie Blair has pretty much ruined that name for eternity

GirlOutNumbered · 21/03/2013 13:56

Laurianne and Emmanuel

Laquila · 21/03/2013 13:55

Garance Dore (sorry can't do the accent on this keyboard) = popular but mildly irritating French beauty and fashion blogger. It's a lovely name, actually, but I think Gary would sadly be used as a nn in the UK.

I LOVE Ines and Sidonie. Whilst there are some names on this thread that sound fine in an English accent, though, there am definitely some that need a French accent to sound "right", so you may want to consider whether you're going to be moving to France or whether your daughter will have a lot of French friends!

pinkandyellowbutterfly · 21/03/2013 12:56

Cherie
(pronounced she-ree) from the French name Cher meaning beloved.

Absy · 21/03/2013 12:14

There is a weird trend in France at the mo (from what I've seen from DH's friends) to give your DCs names that were popular in the UK in the 70s/80s like Kim, Steve [puke] and now Lily is HUGELY popular. Lilou is also popular - i know two. One is in their 90s, the other is 4. Hmm

I like Camille though, pronounced like "cah-mi"

abbyfromoz · 21/03/2013 12:08

We have a list of names for DD's sister (should we ever conceive one)
They are:
Aureya/Aurelia
Eloise
Adele
Amandine
Adeline

Yes we like 'A' names but prefer those that end in 'a' (sounds somehow more sophisticated to me? No idea why)

FossilMum · 21/03/2013 12:07

How about Amélie?
Or Audrey?

HazleNutt · 21/03/2013 11:58

I have a name not popular in my country of origin and popular, but old lady name in a neighbouring country. So whenever I meet someone from that country, there will be the inevitable "Oh my granny/great-aunt is called that!".

Doesn't bother me the slightest.

LeslieWrinkle · 21/03/2013 11:40

I didn't know Mirabel was a fruit. I prefer it to Clementine. Mirabelle sounds nicer.

Honestly that #French list has some real howlers on it! Jade, Pauline, Marion, Hermence, Garance, Denise, capucine! ............ I wouldn't worry about what works in France.

I think my dc's name is dated in France but if we ever go there, or if she ever goes there, then I think people will cope with that because they won't be expecting her to have a name that is typical of her generation in france, because she is not french. so, go with what works in the UK.

WormCanner · 21/03/2013 11:37

I've never heard Garance before. Do they get called Gary for short?

Umlauf · 21/03/2013 09:34

Oh I love Garance! Would love a Garance but we aren't at all Francophiles and it wouldn't suit us. But it's beautiful!

WormCanner · 21/03/2013 00:25

Well I think it's a bit off to scoff at the name Mirabelle because it's a fruit, while fully accepting Clementine, which is also a fruit ....

As for Capucine, I could say it would be ridiculous to call a child Nasturtium which is what it means in English. But I won't. :) There was an actress called Capucine, wasn't there. She didn't use a surname, she was just known as Capucine.

Cremolafoam · 20/03/2013 23:04

Anouk

Cremolafoam · 20/03/2013 23:04

Isabelle
Marie-Luce
Cecile
Pascale
Denise
Francoise
Morgane
Manon
Noemi
Artemise

caughtinagiggleloop · 20/03/2013 22:53

Genevieve, Leah, Jocelyne, Aurelie, Chantal, Angelique, Marie, Nathalie, Celine, Martine, Stephanie, Sabine, Ombeline, Amandine, Claudine, Sophie.

LeslieWink1e · 20/03/2013 22:45

like the monkey!?

ThePathanKhansAmnesiac · 20/03/2013 22:45

How is capucine pronounced?

These names are so pretty.

I love Laure < spiral addict!>.

jkklpu · 20/03/2013 22:32

Odile
Margaux
Colette

BigSpork · 20/03/2013 22:31

Mirabelle is an old Latin name rather than a French name. It's more popular in England (and more used in English speaking countries).

And I'm quite eccentric anyways, even without it being DD2's name Grin.

vitaminC · 20/03/2013 21:00

Hmm, Clémentine has been a pretty popular name here in France for the past 15-20 years and I know quite a few... I've never ever met a Mirabelle and it would sound pretty eccentric to me if I did !

WormCanner · 20/03/2013 20:46

Mirabelle is a fruit and not a particularly common name. a bit like naming your child "Damson"

Well, so is Clementine which you have listed!

Mirabelle (or Mirabel) is a known name in the UK, unusual but not unfamiliar, whereas the mirabelle plum is not very well known at all here.

vitaminC · 20/03/2013 19:45

Mirabelle is a fruit and not a particularly common name. a bit like naming your child "Damson" Hmm

Agathe is pronounced ah-gatt

Some of my Dds' friends' names include:
Adèle
Garance
Chloé
Emma
Bérénice
Violette
Rosa
Théa
Elise
Marie
Camille
Estelle
Claire
Anaïs
Louise
Aurélie
Laure
Alix
Alice
Maëlys
Mélissandre
Anabelle
Eloïse
Ludivine
Lucie
Capucine
Juliette
Jeanne
Hélène
Valentine
Clementine
Clémence
Inès
Amélie

laikalooo · 20/03/2013 19:31

How about Adèle?