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Baby names

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Original poster

Names for a Franglais baby

58 replies

Steoh1 · 08/11/2024 13:31

Hi All

we are a French/ English couple living in the uk and expecting a boy.

my wife likes the name Sacha (amongst others) which is more popular in France.

at first I didn’t like it (reminds me of Sacha baron cohen and Borat) but now it’s growing on me.

It quite unusual but wondering if we may grow to dislike it over time.

any thoughts?

thanks

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TheDowagerCountessofPembroke · 09/11/2024 20:33

I have a friend who had exactly this problem.
She is English, he is French but his family Portuguese, and they lived in Welsh speaking Wales. So they had to have a name that worked in English, French, Portuguese and Welsh.

Max was their solution.

CallMeCrazyButIDontLikeStoreBoughtPesto · 09/11/2024 20:05

French family here but I'm English. For a boy I would have used Nicolas but Niko for short to have a French flair. Modern but has that classic full name when needed (if they are even needed anymore).

WineseCuisine · 09/11/2024 10:19

Oriunda · 09/11/2024 05:51

I think the Sacha/Alexandre thing might have something to do with Russia. My son’s friend has a Russian parent.

Show quote history

Yes, Sasha/Sacha is one of the more common nicknames for both Alexander and Alexandra in Russia.

At first glance, it makes about as much sense as calling a Margaret 'Peggy'. But it might be because the 3rd syllable ('sa') is the stressed one in both those names, and 'sha' is a common diminuitive suffix in Russian (also Daria > Dasha and Maria > Masha, for example)

downwindofyou · 09/11/2024 07:36

Roaminginthegloaming · 08/11/2024 13:43

Joel ?

(You could even put the two accent dots above the e but I don’t know how to do it on my phone! It’s unnecessary for the English spelling of Joel though).

Holds your finger on the letter on the keyboard. Options pop up

urbanbuddha · 09/11/2024 06:08

I like Sacha

Flustration · 09/11/2024 06:02

I like Sacha!

I know 2 French/English boys from 2 different families in the UK, both teens. They are called Alex (short for Alexandre, I presume) and Jules.

CrazyAndSagittarius · 09/11/2024 05:52

"I'm a big fan of Louis, but my wife things it might be pronounced Lewis in the UK."

This is incredibly unlikely.

Oriunda · 09/11/2024 05:51

Steoh1 · 08/11/2024 20:30

Yes Matteo/mateos/matthieu is super popular.

I know Sacha is the nickname for Alexandre but still not sure how that one came about!

Frédéric is one I hadn’t considered that I like

Show quote history

I think the Sacha/Alexandre thing might have something to do with Russia. My son’s friend has a Russian parent.

Petesbowtie9 · 09/11/2024 05:50

I love Sacha

user1492757084 · 09/11/2024 05:42

Nicolas
Pierre

CurledUpLikeADog · 09/11/2024 00:10

I think Sacha is fine in the UK. I’ve known a couple of male Sachas.

AuxArmesCitoyens · 08/11/2024 22:18

Sacha wouldn't be my choice but it is OK in a French context. Not so much in the UK.

Xyz1234567 · 08/11/2024 21:59

Tom

Correlation · 08/11/2024 21:43

@CurledUpLikeADog I like Loïc too but all the British people I used to work with pronounced it "Lock", it was cringeworthy. Even after being corrected, people still persisted to call the guy Lock.

Original poster
Steoh1 · 08/11/2024 21:37

Rtmhwales · 08/11/2024 20:41

We are the same. French English couple. Can I ask your girls names you loved because we always get stuck there!

For boys we loved:
Samuel
Xavier
Theodore
Sébastien
Matteo

Sure. this was the long list. I know some are dated in France but still sound nice in English. And some aren’t French at all.

Faye
Emilia
Aida
Annïse
Leila
Charlotte
Alice
Gisele
Eloise
Eloide
Amelie
Esmee
Delphine
Aurolie
Indigo
Maia
Louella
Layla
Amilie
Lilly
Ruby
Ada
Ines
Scarlett
Jasmine
Robin
Isla
Hazel
Evie
Imogen
Aurelie
Ellie
Fern
Amber

OP posts:
CurledUpLikeADog · 08/11/2024 20:45

I love Sacha (as I loved Sacha Distel and both Alexandre and Sebastien. However, my favourite name is Loïc - though I know lots of people wouldn’t know how to pronounce it.

Rtmhwales · 08/11/2024 20:41

We are the same. French English couple. Can I ask your girls names you loved because we always get stuck there!

For boys we loved:
Samuel
Xavier
Theodore
Sébastien
Matteo

Original poster
Steoh1 · 08/11/2024 20:39

AuxArmesCitoyens · 08/11/2024 20:33

Frédéric and Benoît peaked in about 1970. Wildly off trend.

They’d become Ben (timeless in uk) and Freddie which is really popular now.

assuming you are French what’s your perspective on the original name I mentioned- sacha? Seems to being going down between with my French contacts that the Uk based folk

OP posts:
AuxArmesCitoyens · 08/11/2024 20:33

Frédéric and Benoît peaked in about 1970. Wildly off trend.

SchoolQuery1981 · 08/11/2024 20:32

I like Benoit. Not sure how dated it is en France, but it's a good name.

JaneJeffer · 08/11/2024 20:31

AuxArmesCitoyens · 08/11/2024 19:36

MN excelling again at suggesting ridiculous names. Most of these are like calling a kid Brian or Roger or Trevor.

Oh la la

Original poster
Steoh1 · 08/11/2024 20:30

Oriunda · 08/11/2024 19:23

We’re in France. Boys that my son knows that come from French or French/anglophone families include: Samuel, Théo(dore), Alexis (silent s), Stefan, Félix, Arthur, Louis, Max, Thomas. I also really like Luc, Ludovic, Frédéric. Son also knows a Sacha, whose real name is Alexandre, and three Matteo / Mateos.

Edited

Yes Matteo/mateos/matthieu is super popular.

I know Sacha is the nickname for Alexandre but still not sure how that one came about!

Frédéric is one I hadn’t considered that I like

OP posts:
AuxArmesCitoyens · 08/11/2024 19:36

MN excelling again at suggesting ridiculous names. Most of these are like calling a kid Brian or Roger or Trevor.

Oriunda · 08/11/2024 19:23

We’re in France. Boys that my son knows that come from French or French/anglophone families include: Samuel, Théo(dore), Alexis (silent s), Stefan, Félix, Arthur, Louis, Max, Thomas. I also really like Luc, Ludovic, Frédéric. Son also knows a Sacha, whose real name is Alexandre, and three Matteo / Mateos.

Original poster
Steoh1 · 08/11/2024 19:09

Elias is one I haven’t heard before. Thanks will add that to list

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