Using a name family don't like

Yes. Which is Just as ridiculous that Everyone in France will laugh at a woman called Beau.
I know of many gendered Welsh names that have been used for the ‘wrong’ sex.
The footballer Rhian Brewster.
A man I know called Rhisian.
Every female Bronwyn, Heulwyn, Eowyn…as -wyn is a masculine ending.
I don’t laugh about it though, I just get on with my day.

Well, you do you.

But personally if I knew that calling my child a particular name could cause problems for them in later life, I wouldn't do it.

Well I have a petite brunette son who has been described so many times, even medical professionals have described him as petite. I understand they are gendered in French, but in English we use petite and brunette for both sexes.
Its a daft comparison to a name anyway because loads of names that began as gendered names are not anymore. Language evolves and we can use any name we see fit.

This thread has escalated somewhat. Am I correct in understanding that the entire sovereign nation of France is being instructed to ‘grow up’?

You're living in cloud cuckoo land.

Imagine you had a stupid name. Say your name was Will Anker or Tom Watts, and people kept sniggering at the fact that your name spells W-Anker or T-wat. Or imagine you're not from the UK and your name is (or is very similar to) a word like "sexy" or "smelly".

People will laugh at your name, and yeah, maybe that makes them "immature bullies", but they will forget about you five minutes later and get on with their day. You will probably get the same thing again five more times today, and also every other day until you either move to a non English speaking country or change your name.

It is very definitely your problem, not anyone else's.

No it's the immature bullies who have the problem.

But it's not their problem.

It's the person with the daft name that has the problem.

So yes, if a child named Beau travels to France, or God forbid ever wants to live there or has to go to a professional meeting there, people are going to laugh.

That's their problem. They should grow up.

Just to give you an idea. The French are by no means immune to trendy, modern or American sounding names.

According to the latest stats, 500 baby boys born in France last year were named Jayden. There's a Jayden in my son's crèche. (And also a Kayden.) I'd say these were fairly equivalent names to Beau in the UK.

The number of babies (boys or girls) named Beau in France last year was fewer than three. That probably means it was zero. It's just that they don't collect statistics on names used fewer than three times.

So yes, if a child named Beau travels to France, or God forbid ever wants to live there or has to go to a professional meeting there, people are going to laugh.

OP, I know you and many others like it, but do you really think it's wise to call your child something that will make it awkward for them to travel in much of Europe and various other places worldwide?

I think I would be a bit pissed off if I couldn't travel to several major countries including some of the nearest ones, or learn French at school, without people sniggering at my name.

I don't think Beau will stand the test of time in the UK either. It'll be one of those daft fad names that was briefly popular for a few years, and which a lot of the people who were called it will stop using and go by their (hopefully less embarrassing) middle name instead. I don't get why you'd knowingly lumber a child with it.

Not really, no. I would never describe a boy as either of those things because I know they're exclusively feminine adjectives in French.

I'd describe a girl as brunette or petite (although the French would be more likely to say a girl or woman is "brune" - apparently brunette is more of an adult film search term these days), but I'd say a boy was small or brown haired if speaking English, or "petit" or "brun" (which are pronounced very differently) if speaking French.

It does but only if the pretty thing is male.

I know a woman who named her daughter Beau and was upset when people assumed the baby was a boy. She’d thought Beau meant pretty in French

@TheOriginalEmu , can a girl be virile? No they can't be because they are adjectives that describe someone according to their sex.

I'm fine, thanks.

So boys can’t be brunette or petite? Really? Are you ok?

Good grief! Take a hideous name and make it worse! Poor child.

I told my mum my name of choice and her reaction literally ruined the name for me. It was Penelope and she said, that’s “very English” in a non complimentary way. I was like, it’s actually from Greek mythology… but alas it’s already ruined. So I will not be telling her my latest choice until baby is born!! My name is rather nuts so she really doesn’t have a leg to stand on and shouldn’t be judging others name choices.

@TheOriginalEmu , if you think that, then I despair for you.
Don't tell me, your DD is called Virile, and your DS are called Brunette and Petite.

Beau is nice and you like it.
Don't tell family until the child is named. My MIL named her new cat a name that was my favourite; a diplomatic way of changing my mind.

Yes it is Nordic and usually masculine. I'd never met a female Bo until I'd lived in the UK for a long time. Yet here it's more usually used as female.

Much like Beau is becoming unisex. Op my mother told me ds name was "Horrid" ffw 11 years she told me "I always liked the name Conrad it's such a good strong name".. yes it is.. but no I've never forgotten. Still love his name he is 21 now

I know it doesn’t mean pretty. I said girls can be handsome. In English it means admirer, in French it means handsome. Nothing wrong with using a masc noun for a girl.

When we announced our DS1's name everyone grimaced. My mother said she would call him as a nickname 'PJ'. (His first name was Paul and his second John).

I said she would most emphatically not call him PJ.

They came around.

They have no say.

End of.

My MiL literally wrinkled her nose and said "what!?" when we told her our son's name. (Rare name in the UK but common in certain European country. No heritage link for me or DH but we just loved the name). Other members of DH's family have made some (rude) comments or 'jokes' about it but I literally don't care. We love his name and that's all that matters to us. Your family don't have to live with that name right, just your child :) Go for Beau!

My mum didn’t like the name we chose for our daughter because she said it was ‘too posh’ and she’d struggle to spell/write it. She’s 4 now and can spell and write it perfectly well 🙄😂