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Baby names

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

Original poster

Thibault

108 replies

Diggersandloaders · 22/10/2021 06:39

I am part French but live in the UK, as will our child. Does this name work in English (pronounced tee bow)? I guess a nn would probably be Thib or Bo or something, though we would let that naturally evolve.

The main alternative currently is Felix, though I have a real soft spot for Ludovic.

Please help!!

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Ellmau · 22/10/2021 14:26

I think it's great.

It might even be easier having a pure French name than Felix which I think is pronounced slightly differently in French and English.

Clandestin · 22/10/2021 14:26

@MerryChristmasToYou

Over your lifetime you end up correcting a lot of people, and most people don't like being corrected

Some people won't accept the correct pronunciation

I spent 26 years living outside of Ireland with an unusual (unusual even in Ireland) Irish name and surname that looks phonetically impossible to foreigners. I never had an issue with repeated mispronunciation or ‘refusal to accept the correct pronunciation’.

What would that even look like? ‘No, your name’s not Aoife (EEF-uh) it’s Ay-o-wife’?

Blubells · 22/10/2021 14:22

Some people won't accept the correct pronunciation

What do you mean? They knowingly continue to mispronounce someone's name?

FreeBritnee · 22/10/2021 13:59

@LemonMuffins

First time round I would pronounce that Tybalt, as in from Romeo and Juliet Blush a lot of people will say it wrong.

I prefer Felix. Don't like Ludovic at all.

Same.
MerryChristmasToYou · 22/10/2021 13:58

Over your lifetime you end up correcting a lot of people, and most people don't like being corrected

Some people won't accept the correct pronunciation

Blubells · 22/10/2021 13:16

When I first saw Niamh I pronounced it Nee-am

Once told how to pronounce it. I remember.

Namechangedforthethousandthtim · 22/10/2021 12:26

When I read it I pronunced it like thigh-bolt Blush

Regularsizedrudy · 22/10/2021 11:47

I would pronounce it thee-bolt but I am very uncultured

Sportsnight · 22/10/2021 11:45

I really like it. I would have pronounced it wrongly first time, for sure, but not second time. It’s got a lovely sound, and it looks good written down.

midsomermurderess · 22/10/2021 11:40

I've seen the nickname Titi, in spiral, I think.

Blubells · 22/10/2021 10:47

Tybalt is nice too actually.

scottishnames · 22/10/2021 10:25

The name DOES exist in English, but - as others have said - as Tybalt (best known from Shakespeare) or as 'Tibbald' or 'Tybald' - the traditional pronounciation of Theobald's Road and still preserved in the name of the nearby Tybalds Estate (both in Holborn, London).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobalds_Road
www.camden.gov.uk/tybalds-estate

Thibault and Tybalt/Tybald are both versions of Theobald. There is also Teobaldo (Italian and Spanish) and yet other versions in different European languages.

I'm sure a child with this name would be OK in English-speaking countries.

MerryChristmasToYou · 22/10/2021 09:52

It will be said as thib-alt, and will be written as Tibo or Teebo.

I prefer Ludovic but he's not my baby

EdgeOfTheSky · 22/10/2021 09:33

It’s lovely.

But most people will say Tybalt before hearing the correct pronunciation, and if they have heard it first, won’t know how to spell it.

Namechangeforthis88 · 22/10/2021 09:24

My French exchange partner had a huge crush on a boy called Thibault. I thought it was a fantastic name then and still do. Not many Brits would get it right first time, but once you've heard it, it's easy to say.

Yogawankonobi · 22/10/2021 09:12

I love it but have a close relative called Thibault and he gets called all manner of wild things. Fi bolt, the bait, the bolt etc. He is lovely though and doesn’t mind the confusion. He automatically spells his name out for people when on a call.

Peggytheredhen · 22/10/2021 09:10

It's a lovely name.

However, I have a French degree and first thought, Shakespeare pronunciation Blush

It won't matter though as I agree with the Irish name comment.

Felix is lovely but definitely more popular now.

Ludovic is great! (Spin fan)

EvilRingahBitch · 22/10/2021 09:05

I do however think that "it's pronounced Tee-Boh, it's French" will be a much easier and less irritating conversation to keep repeating than "it's spelled T H I B A (yes, A) U L T, can you just read than back to me, no, with an A, and an L in front of the T, yes that's right". People will get the pronounciation quickly but I suspect they are going to need hand-holding with the spelling all the time.

Saisong · 22/10/2021 08:59

I like it, and knew how to pronounce it (not sure from where, something literary I imagine). I like Theobald too, from which it is derived. Also like Thaddeus.

Clandestin · 22/10/2021 08:49

@EvilRingahBitch

I like it. It's easy for anglophones to pronounce once they've been told once. It'll be a pain to keep spelling over the phone though.

I like the idea that teenagers who are introduced to him will assume he's called T-Bo.

Exactly. He has a readymade rapper name if he needs it. 😀
Darceyhemingway · 22/10/2021 08:45

Not he might struggle pronouncing jr- he might struggle with it in life

Darceyhemingway · 22/10/2021 08:45

I did struggle to pronounce it when I saw it and think he might struggle. Ludovic is a fantastic name and ludo is a great nickname

EvilRingahBitch · 22/10/2021 08:40

I like it. It's easy for anglophones to pronounce once they've been told once. It'll be a pain to keep spelling over the phone though.

I like the idea that teenagers who are introduced to him will assume he's called T-Bo.

Lightswitch123 · 22/10/2021 08:34

Love it!!!!! What girls names would people put with it?

MumsOnTheGin · 22/10/2021 08:28

I like it

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