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Original poster

Noticing a trend for French-inspired names...

36 replies

bealos · 18/10/2014 12:34

Heard of a new baby Delphine and a Mirabelle recently.

Is this a new trend?

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TempsPerdu · 20/10/2014 13:48

Loads of little Elodies and Sylvies round here in Norf London. French boys' names not so much though.

Think Amelie's taken off partly as an 'original' spin on to Amelia. (Not quite so original now, obviously!)

moxon · 20/10/2014 12:27

My favourite Mireille - great voice:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mireille_Mathieu

AnathemaIsANiceNameForAGirl · 20/10/2014 12:11

Love Manon...I tend to think Lescaut more than des Sources. I knew a girl when I was at school called Mireille, have loved that ever since.

squoosh · 20/10/2014 12:11

I don't know where the 'old' came from! She was definitely young and nubile and got them all in a lather.

ArsenicChaseScream · 20/10/2014 12:09

Old!?

Noticing a trend for French-inspired names...
squoosh · 20/10/2014 12:01

I wasn't having a conversation with myself there by the way, Grin I was quoting Arsenic.

squoosh · 20/10/2014 12:00

Manon is a great name. Why did it never take off after the film?

I think it would be mangled in your average UK/Irish voice. Mann-onn, rather than the Mah-noh or however it's supposed to be pronounced.

Trying to remember those films. She was old bare footed and blonde and there was something about a stream being blocked.....

moxon · 20/10/2014 08:37

French British Work colleague: but you're not French.
Me: No.
WC: you don't meet many [my name]. The female version of your name is quite old-fashioned. Some old grandmother in the countryside growing potatoes. The British equivalent would be names like Edith or Evie or Violet.
Me: so, quite trendy then?
Grin

ViviPru · 20/10/2014 08:26

Sylvie, Estelle, Celeste, Cecile, Margot, Aurelie are all on our list.

Original poster
bealos · 19/10/2014 19:04

Yes, erm, ORALLY, anyone?

I know a Lucian too!

OP posts:
threepiecesuite · 19/10/2014 19:01

I love French names, always have.

I like Arnaut and Lucien for a boy.

Aurelie doesn't sound great in English.

Original poster
bealos · 19/10/2014 18:56

Looking through this list - I recognise from recent births / small children:
Aubin
Aurelie
Celeste
Clothilde
Corin
Lucille
Margot
Maximillian
Yanick

Adults I know include Beatrice, Bernadette, Emilie, Ghislaine.

I totally don't have a baby to name right now (like, why I am talking names?!) but :) if I ever had to write a baby name list again, then I think it would include Clovis, Constance, Ines, Odile...

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Original poster
bealos · 19/10/2014 18:45

(though - again - TinTin in Belgian, like Poirot)

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Original poster
bealos · 19/10/2014 18:45

I bet there's a TinTin somewhere. You seen the discussion about someone naming their kid Huckleberry today? Along the same lines...

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Original poster
bealos · 19/10/2014 18:44

www.sheknows.com/baby-names/french-baby-names

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moxon · 19/10/2014 14:30

shakes lillets, methinks.

LilAnnieAmphetamine · 19/10/2014 14:24

Magali
Cyprille

Love both of these and they are the names of my goddaughters (both French). In the case of Cyprille, the parents faced opposition by the authorities.

ArsenicChaseScream · 19/10/2014 14:23

Manon is a great name. Why did it never take off after the film?

shakemysilliesout · 19/10/2014 14:21

Lisette makes me think of
Sanitary protection for some reason.

I love claudette- makes me think of st. Clare's.

Any baby Tintins around?

AWombWithoutAFoof · 19/10/2014 08:27

I love both French and Scandinavian names.

Of the French ones, I love Sylvie, Manon, Coralie, Heloise, Elodie and Camille.

NormHonal · 19/10/2014 06:39

love the name Coralie. Mirabelle made it to our short list some years ago [trend-setter emoticon].

I love the name Corentin for a boy.

It works both ways. The French have been using the name Kevin quite a lot in recent years. Grin

moxon · 19/10/2014 06:35

This isn't my name either, but I don't see Lisette offered enough as an option, and it is a great girls' name - easy to pronounce, quite classy but simple, and has a plain cross-cultural spelling.

moxon · 19/10/2014 06:28

arsenic alas no.

RabbitOfNegativeEuphoria · 19/10/2014 06:28

My DDs both have french names. DD1 is 16. I think there are some french names which have always been popular, but I agree that the pool of names seems to be widening a bit.

OverAndAbove · 19/10/2014 06:27

Ottilie and Elodie are also getting more popular, I think. So e of the French names I forget are actually French, they are so widespread - Charlotte, Sophie, Madeleine