Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

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

Fleur - yes, no? Why?

63 replies

Allfour1 · 02/12/2020 21:30

Fire away...

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
MikeUniformMike · 05/12/2020 14:03

Thought so, but it made me smile. Thanks.

VinylDetective · 05/12/2020 13:56

@MikeUniformMike

Was that intentional?
No, bloody ipad’s got a mind of its own!
MikeUniformMike · 05/12/2020 13:36

Was that intentional?

VinylDetective · 05/12/2020 13:26

@MikeUniformMike

Yes, because I loved The Forsyte Saga. No, because it wasn't a name before the book was written.

Fine as a middle name but too similar to bleurgh otherwise.

I love it for the same reason, Vanessa wasn’t a name before the novel was written either.

Flour will long outlive “bleurgh”!

coffeecroissant · 05/12/2020 13:10

I know à Fleur, I find it a very beautiful and understated name. It's féminine but not frilly or fussy. I don't really see any issues with accents, everyone I've met loves it and remarks what a lovely name it is.

MikeUniformMike · 05/12/2020 12:20

Yes, because I loved The Forsyte Saga.
No, because it wasn't a name before the book was written.

Fine as a middle name but too similar to bleurgh otherwise.

midnightstar66 · 05/12/2020 10:23

I don't think it sounds nice at all, especially in most British accents. I can actually be quite hard to say in some local dialects. Much prefer flora

BatleyTownswomensGuild · 05/12/2020 10:19

Personally I wouldn't. The meaning is pretty but it's just a horrible sound!

pilates · 04/12/2020 16:40

I don’t like the sound because I think of bleurgh

YoniAndGuy · 04/12/2020 14:43

@purpleme12

I would never associate Fleur with bleurgh My first thought would be flower And I don't understand how it can be like phlegm? It doesn't have an 'm' in!
Well that one was a really good example of the accent problem!

Just an emphasis on the 'euuuu' bit of the word which in a West Yorkshire accent can sound mad. It's hard to explain, imagine someone pronouncing 'phlegm' kind of 'fluuurm', the person introducing herself as Fleur - 'Eh what Fluurrrr? Ah thout yur said FLUUURM for a minute thuuuur!'

Closest I can get but OMG awful.

pinkpinecone · 04/12/2020 11:11

It's pretty and I like it, but can't help think the concept of being called flower would be odd in English.

purpleme12 · 04/12/2020 09:52

I would never associate Fleur with bleurgh
My first thought would be flower
And I don't understand how it can be like phlegm? It doesn't have an 'm' in!

YoniAndGuy · 04/12/2020 09:49

No, sadly. It looks lovely writtten down, and the meaning is great.

But it's just the saying of it. Unless you get it right, it can sound awful. Some accents absolutely ruin it. Even at best, it's so close to not nice words in English - the 'bleurgh' sound, and I've also heard someone hear it as phlegm!!

So I wouldn't.

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 03/12/2020 18:04

I don't like the sound of Fleur, sorry. I don't mind the similar sounding Fern so much though, and I like Flora.

CorpusCallosum · 03/12/2020 17:43

I love it. I have a friend called Fleur and think it's lovely to say, not 'bleurgh' at all. She's beautiful, clever and cool too 😉 x

tsmainsqueeze · 03/12/2020 17:02

I think it sounds pretentious ,[ my mother suggested it when i was having my daughter !] unless you are french .

BiggerBoat1 · 03/12/2020 16:49

Love it!

MerryMarigold · 03/12/2020 16:46

I'm another who doesn't like the sound at all said in an English accent (any of them!). Reminds me of Eurghhhh.

SionnachRua · 03/12/2020 16:45

No from me. Looks beautiful written down but I don't like it when spoken.

VenusClapTrap · 03/12/2020 16:43

Love it. It was on my name list.

Champy87 · 03/12/2020 15:23

Love it! As PPs have said cute flower association for a little girl but smart and elegant as an older woman.

It was on my name list for DD but I was talked out of it and have a bit of name regret. Fingers crossed I get to use it one day.

InTheShadowOfTheMushroomCloud · 03/12/2020 11:44

I love Fleur
And Freya
And Flora

VinylDetective · 03/12/2020 11:43

Such a pretty name. I love it.

toomanypillows · 03/12/2020 11:41

I teach an 18 year old Fleur who is an absolute delight. And actually, almost everyone comments on whag a pretty name it is

Allfour1 · 03/12/2020 11:28

Appreciate the feedback about accents. It seems to sound fine with ours but I can't actually imagine what it sounds like in any other accents now I've said it too many times in my head.

I love that description @MercyBodle that's how it sounds to me too. I can't think of any other that have that same distinctiveness that Fleur does.

OP posts:
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread