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Baby names

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

Original poster

Help French boys name!

188 replies

wildswimmer20 · 09/05/2023 17:22

Pregnant with no. 2, hubbie is French but we live in the UK. 1st child has an unusual Celtic name and this time would like to choose a French name but struggling! Needs to be fairly easy to say/spell in both languages. Wouldn’t probably go for a very traditional French name.

Top choice at the moment is Artus, like the nicknames Art and Artie. Would be pronounced quite differently in French and English, does it sound ok in English?

Other options -
Léon
Sylvain
Mathis / Matisse
Malo

Open to suggestion!

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StillWantingADog · 12/05/2023 08:10

NameChange30 · 12/05/2023 07:51

Ah, it wouldn't be a mumsnet French baby name thread without someone suggesting Beau Grin

"This is my son, Beautiful" 😂

Show quote history

people have called their daughters Beau.

my colleague was thinking of it before I gently suggested it wasn’t a good idea

checktoolate · 12/05/2023 07:58

@NameChange30 In that case I think people should go all the way and call the child "beaugosse" ;-)

"Voici mon Beaugosse" sounds better than "voici mon fils Beau"

NameChange30 · 12/05/2023 07:51

thelengthspeoplegoto · 11/05/2023 23:10

Beau

Ah, it wouldn't be a mumsnet French baby name thread without someone suggesting Beau Grin

"This is my son, Beautiful" 😂

merrymelodies · 12/05/2023 07:09

Sébastien, Dominique, Xavier, Cédric, Léo, Arthur, Augustin, Thibault, Louis-Edouard, Antoine, Jacques, Yves, Aurélien, Bastien, Dax, Mattéo

puttingontheritz · 12/05/2023 06:57

thelengthspeoplegoto · 11/05/2023 23:10

Beau

That'd be the equivalent of calling a boy Handsome in English. It's not a name. As much as English people can do what they like, this child is going to have French grandparents and so on, they would be so embarrassed.

AuxArmesCitoyens · 12/05/2023 06:39

Beau, Soizic for a boy 🤣

thelengthspeoplegoto · 11/05/2023 23:10

Beau

awakeeveeynight · 11/05/2023 22:17

My children have European grandparents from a few different countries so we wanted to give them names that work internationally. Our son is Gabriel which works really well in lots of languages.

Lacoeur · 11/05/2023 22:14

I like the name Pascal

XBealtaine · 11/05/2023 22:14

Soizic, Gaspard, Gaëtan, I'm dying here 😅 some of these would be ridiculous in the uk. I'm in Ireland, but even with a French parent, I think people think wow that does not travel. Picture yrslf losing yr child in Tesco. Gaètan!!! Viens ici Gaëtan 😅🙈

BeverlyBrook · 11/05/2023 22:12

Philippe! A lovely name

moderationincludingmoderation · 11/05/2023 22:11

Aurélian
Yves
Thibault
Pierre

NameChange30 · 11/05/2023 22:10

The beginning is pronounced like the beginning of "soixante" and the ending is pronounced like the end of "musique" - so "soi - zique". According to DH.

CharlottenBerg · 11/05/2023 22:09

That's So - ee - i - zik?

CharlottenBerg · 11/05/2023 22:08

NameChange30 · 11/05/2023 22:06

Can you imagine English speakers trying to read/write Soïzic?! (I'm fluent in French and still had to ask DH how to pronounce it!)

Honestly.

So - ee - i - ik?

CharlottenBerg · 11/05/2023 22:07

Janek · 11/05/2023 21:44

We once met a boy on holiday called Soizic. It might be Breton. That would go with your other Celtic child. Also pp saying Axel made me think of Acel, the name of a half French boy I know of.

Bien que Soizic soit un prénom féminin, il a été donné à 26 garçons depuis 1900, ce qui représente 0.53% des 4 910 naissances.

NameChange30 · 11/05/2023 22:06

Can you imagine English speakers trying to read/write Soïzic?! (I'm fluent in French and still had to ask DH how to pronounce it!)

Honestly.

Janek · 11/05/2023 21:48

Well this is embarrassing, according to Google Soizic is a girl's name. But the one we met was definitely a boy!!!

Help French boys name!
Janek · 11/05/2023 21:44

We once met a boy on holiday called Soizic. It might be Breton. That would go with your other Celtic child. Also pp saying Axel made me think of Acel, the name of a half French boy I know of.

CharlottenBerg · 11/05/2023 21:29

dcadmamagain · 11/05/2023 20:53

Dominic ( pronounced Dominique by the French)

Dominique A is a musician we like.

CharlottenBerg · 11/05/2023 21:28

AuxArmesCitoyens · 11/05/2023 21:20

There was an actor called Artus in Amélie Poulain.

Artus de Penguern, a Breton, born 1957, died 2013. Artus is a Breton name, surname or forename, and means 'bear'. La racine du prénom Artus est celte.

XBealtaine · 11/05/2023 21:27

I love Marcus.
What about Arnaud instead of Artus?

AuxArmesCitoyens · 11/05/2023 21:26

I'll just throw Marcus into the mix. Works well on both sides of the channel and fits your vibe.

AuxArmesCitoyens · 11/05/2023 21:20

There was an actor called Artus in Amélie Poulain.

dcadmamagain · 11/05/2023 20:53

Dominic ( pronounced Dominique by the French)

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