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Baby names

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Original poster

Alizé/Alizée

83 replies

Brazie · 10/04/2024 09:14

Hi all, DHs mum is French, she moved to the UK as a child but has maintained strong links. To tribute this we are giving our children French names. We have a little boy named Louis Timothée Arthur and are now expecting a second baby.

We were set on Camille being our girls name of choice but are currently on holiday in France and have met someone called Alizé/Alizée pronounced Ah-Lee-say. I think I've fallen in love!!

Full name would be Alizé Camille Inès.

Should we stick with Camille or go for Alizé?

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KirstenBlest · 10/04/2024 15:58

@BeautyGoesToBenidorm , but you inspired it!

peaceinourtime · 10/04/2024 15:55

Camille of the two. People won’t know how to pronounce Alizee some will probably pronounce It as it’s spelt Ali-zee with a see or zee sound at the end 😳

DramaAlpaca · 10/04/2024 15:45

Loving the angry camel face Grin

I think both Alizé and Alizée are very pretty. I tend to prefer the simpler version of names, but with this one I'd probably pick Alizée as it might be more obvious in the UK how it should be pronounced.

BeautyGoesToBenidorm · 10/04/2024 15:40

KirstenBlest · 10/04/2024 14:31

@BeautyGoesToBenidorm , it was worth you posting for the description of the face your DP pulled. Grin

@KirstenBlest 😂😂 Thank you for the much-needed laugh!

CurlewKate · 10/04/2024 14:38

The double e makes it a girl's name. Personally, if she's found to grow up in the UK then I think you should pick a name that's at least familiar to English speakers. So Camille gets my vote.

KirstenBlest · 10/04/2024 14:31

@BeautyGoesToBenidorm , it was worth you posting for the description of the face your DP pulled. Grin

Alizé/Alizée
BeautyGoesToBenidorm · 10/04/2024 14:25

I love both! Alizée is so fresh and pretty. If I'd had a daughter, I'd have loved to use it, but A: my surname is VERY Nordic, and B: DP screwed his face up like an angry camel 😅

I know a 13yo Camille, she was named after Camille Claudel. Her dad is French-Canadian so uses the French pronunciation. She really suits it, it's lovely.

I've been no help whatsoever, I'm sorry 😅

ColonelPine · 10/04/2024 14:16

I would stick with Camille because of the accent/pronunciation issues with Alizee in the UK. This reminds me of the name Aimee actually, which seems to be pronounced Amy in the UK, but I often read it in the French way, Em-ay. I think she'd get called 'Ali-zee' a lot.

MrsCrumPinnett · 10/04/2024 14:13

I’d always steer clear of anything needing an accent not commonly used in English, as so many computer databases in this country don’t allow for them.

It’s pretty, though.

KirstenBlest · 10/04/2024 14:08

I noticed. We cross-posted. Thanks for being nice though.

Thinking of it, I think people might mangle Alizée. probably as Alliz-ay. Urg!
Even OP's Ah-Lee-say seems dodgy to mes oreilles.

Mich8 · 10/04/2024 14:07

I think Camille is the hardest to pronounce from the names. Alizée not so much. We briefly considered Camille but my DH said most people in the UK won’t be bothered to pronounce properly. He actually said “It feels forced to non natives like saying paella properly” 😂

Mich8 · 10/04/2024 14:03

KirstenBlest · 10/04/2024 14:02

@TheHorneSection, Cam-ee(-uh)

Ha just saw this!

Mich8 · 10/04/2024 14:03

TheHorneSection · 10/04/2024 13:54

What’s the French pronunciation of Camille?

Alizeé is pretty but you will need to spend a lot of time explaining how it’s pronounced, not everyone who has English as their first language will know how to pronounce it with the second é

Cah-mee-uh (don’t know how to phonetically write the end though - it’s very, very subtle).

KirstenBlest · 10/04/2024 14:02

@TheHorneSection, Cam-ee(-uh)

TheHorneSection · 10/04/2024 13:54

What’s the French pronunciation of Camille?

Alizeé is pretty but you will need to spend a lot of time explaining how it’s pronounced, not everyone who has English as their first language will know how to pronounce it with the second é

SirChenjins · 10/04/2024 13:49

@Mich8 Ahh, apologies - I missed the bit where the OP said Camille would be given the French pronunciation. I still wouldn't go for Alizée and if I really wanted a nod to the French Granny I'd try and insist on the French pronunciation but would be realistic and accept that it's probably going to be Cah-mill on first meeting (and there will be many of those over the years) in the UK.

Callmeaneggimfried · 10/04/2024 13:46

I wouldn't worry about accents and pronunciation OP. We live in a different time, most places are a lot more culturally diverse and I'd hope that people are better at just quickly asking how to say someone's name if they aren't sure.
We are in the south east and lots of my DCs friends have names I wouldn't know how to pronounce on first look, but you learn fast!

Mich8 · 10/04/2024 13:44

SirChenjins · 10/04/2024 13:39

I'd steer away from anything which has an acute given they are overwhelmingly British living in the UK (I presume - you didn't mention any other heritage?) so for that reason I'd go with Camille.

But surely the reasons you’ve given will mean they’ll just have their name mispronounced as Cah-mill all the time, rather than the French pronunciation.

SirChenjins · 10/04/2024 13:39

I'd steer away from anything which has an acute given they are overwhelmingly British living in the UK (I presume - you didn't mention any other heritage?) so for that reason I'd go with Camille.

KirstenBlest · 10/04/2024 13:33

Guinness is often used as a pet name.
It's a surname and surnames as first names are popular. It would get misspelt a lot, i expect.

Pernod or Noilly Prat as a first name?

KirstenBlest · 10/04/2024 13:29

@aesopsgables , Daniel as a middle name for Jack is common.

VeryQuaintIrene · 10/04/2024 13:28

Chardonnay is a name, I guess. But personally, I wouldn't do it.

aesopsgables · 10/04/2024 13:25

Brazie · 10/04/2024 13:21

MIL absolutely can't know any names before the baby is born, she has a big mouth and lots of opinions. Even if it was an otherwise lovely name and she just didn't like it she wouldn't be able to be impartial like that.
I'm not too worried if it's dated in France if I'm honest!
The drink doesn't bother me either, loads is alcoholic drinks have human names and we still use them (Jack, Daniel, Morgan to name a few!)
I think Alizée would be the better spelling though.

Show quote history

But has anyone really called their baby Jack Daniels or Captain Morgan 😅

In my head it's like calling your baby Guinness. Like a single word name brand.

Though I agree Alize is a pretty name!

ALunchbox · 10/04/2024 13:23

Alizée would be seen as not very classy in France. Perhaps because of the singer, I'm not sure.

aesopsgables · 10/04/2024 13:23

KnickerlessParsons · 10/04/2024 09:34

Alizé is an alcoholic drink.

Came here to say this! If you said Alize to me I would definitely think of the drink. I spent a lot of my childhood in the States though, so maybe less risk of association with that in UK/Europe?