Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

French First Name and Jean as Middle for Girl

34 replies

SunshineFlowersFood · 08/01/2025 14:28

Hi everyone,

I am planning to give my daughter a French first name even though we don't have any French routes. It's not too out there. However, I also want to honour my granny Jean as middle name but I know Jean means John in French. Am I overthinking this? Or would it be weird like the English equivalent of a French person having a Sarah Peter??

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
PokerFriedDips · 14/01/2025 13:07

Just don't choose a first name beginning with B.
Jean is a little dull as a middle name but understandable given you want to honour a relative with that name. In the absence of an interesting middle name, using initials as a nickname (eg with CJ Cregg in the West Wing) isn't unusual but no girl would want to be know with the initials BJ. Choose initials carefully.

HugoYorway · 14/01/2025 13:01

@Maxorias , the threads on names from other languages usually are. They are generally names of celebrities like film or sport stars, so they are likely to be names that were popular when the celebrity was born.
Cosette means 'little thing' and Marie-Jeanne would be about 60 yrs old, I think.

Marie-Jean would be a man, as would Jean-Marie.

Maxorias · 14/01/2025 11:22

As a French person it's pretty funny to see which names are popular on here. Most of them are horribly dated !

It is possible to have a composite name with both genders (eg - Marie Pierre or Marie George are female names, Jean Marie is male). But I've never heard Marie Jean before. Jean-Marie is a LOT more common.
This said, if it's a middle name I wouldn't sweat it. Spell it Jeanne if it really bothers you.

For what it's worth I had Célestine and Séraphine on my list. Ended up going with another name but still love those two. Don't like Cosette. Sounds very nothingy to me. And it was a nickname, Cosette's real name was Euphrasie. But clearly I'm in the minority here.

ErinAoife · 09/01/2025 19:12

Middle name is rarely used so they should be no issue using Jean

ExceededUsefulEconomicLife · 09/01/2025 18:46

Aimée - prepare for a lifetime of incorrect spelling
Amélie - probably confused with Amelia
My favourite is Anazarde, Ana for short
Camille
Elodie is gaining popularity
Désirée
Aurelie
Margot is gaining popularity too
Nathalie
Adeline

Illegally18 · 09/01/2025 18:37

Pebbles16 · 08/01/2025 21:40

Jean isn't exclusively male in French, there are plenty of female Marie Jeans but it is likely to be pronounced in the French way if coupled with an obviously French first name

eh? Marie-Jeanne, or Jean-Marie, but Marie Jean?

user1492757084 · 08/01/2025 23:35

Claudette Jean
Cosette Jean
Madeleine Jean
Stephanie Jean
Caroline Jean
Anastasie Jean
Lilou Jean
Marie-Claire Jean

mdinbc · 08/01/2025 23:28

One of my great grandmothers was Marie Jeanne

Also in my family:
Pelagie
Desiree
Cecile
Francoise
Marguerite
Denise
Marie (lots of those!)

HugoYorway · 08/01/2025 23:15

@SunshineFlowersFood , I'd not take the word of random strangers from the internet about your baby's name.

Interactive tool on first names

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 08/01/2025 23:15

@Alleycat321

Do you know the first famous woman called Eponine? She wa the epitome of the loyal and resourceful wife ( of a defeated Gallo Roman chief).worth looking up if you don’t.

Hugo called Eponine after her, because she did not want to live without the man she lived.

WellsAndThistles · 08/01/2025 23:09

Charlotte

Céline

Juliette

Caroline

Colette

Genevieve

Louise

Manon

Amélie

Anaïs

Chloé

Josephine

Sophie

Élise

Alice

Aurélie

Béatrice

Camille

Françoise

Margot

Noele

Sylvie

Adeline

Agathe

Branleuse · 08/01/2025 23:09

How about Jeannine as the first name or Jeanne.

JC03745 · 08/01/2025 23:06

Fleur Jean
Amelie Jean
Avril Jean
Margaux Jean

Or possibly a flower/colour/plant which has a French connection or is the French word for that thing?

Original poster
SunshineFlowersFood · 08/01/2025 22:56

Pebbles16 · 08/01/2025 21:40

Jean isn't exclusively male in French, there are plenty of female Marie Jeans but it is likely to be pronounced in the French way if coupled with an obviously French first name

Ohh, that's interesting! I thought it was John for a man.

Thanks all!

OP posts:
HugoYorway · 08/01/2025 22:20

Marie but swap the names around Grin Feel free to add a hyphen.

Pebbles16 · 08/01/2025 21:40

Jean isn't exclusively male in French, there are plenty of female Marie Jeans but it is likely to be pronounced in the French way if coupled with an obviously French first name

mathanxiety · 08/01/2025 21:35

Names that are French but completely recognisable in English might be your best bet to keep people from assuming Jean is the boy version. I don't know what name you've chosen, but maybe something to bear in mind. I think most English speaking people would think of Jean as a girl's name regardless of whether the first name was French

A few examples of familiar French names.
Genevieve
Gabrielle
Leonie
Estelle
Marianne
Stephanie
Madeleine
Adrienne
Amelie
Margot
Isabelle
Emmeline
Ariane
Celeste

WhereIsTheSnowItsNotHere · 08/01/2025 20:58

Nicole is nice

Nextyearhopes · 08/01/2025 20:48

Mirabai · 08/01/2025 19:40

I love Manon and Anaïs. Also Apolline, Romane and Maëlys.

Show quote history

Have always loved Manon. So unusual yet easy to spell and pronounce for a British teacher and friends!

Alleycat321 · 08/01/2025 19:57

My daughter’s French name is Eponine (Les Miserables) Therese (Therese Requin).

Coopilot · 08/01/2025 19:55

Mirabai · 08/01/2025 19:30

I might use the French femine Jeanne (pronounced Zshaan) to specify it’s not pronounced Jon.

I would have used this, or Renee if I'd had a daughter

Illegally18 · 08/01/2025 19:49

Jean' is 'John' in French. The equivalent of 'Jane/Joan/Jean' in French is 'Jeanne'

Waggytail · 08/01/2025 19:45

Amélie Jean
Lucie Jean
Sophie Jean
Ophélie Jean

Think all these are really pretty! Manon is my favourite French name but Manon Jean will encourage mispronouciation of the Jean as John

Mirabai · 08/01/2025 19:43

MrsEmmelinePankhurst · 08/01/2025 19:36

Claudine Jean would be nice

or go with the feminine French version of the name - Jeanne??

Claudine is a granny’s name in France, see also Odette, Simone, Colette.

MumonabikeE5 · 08/01/2025 19:43

Before meeting you/your child I might pronounce Jean with a french pronunciation.
but on meeting you and realising you were English, or because you said the name, I’d revert to English.
that said how likely am I to know a strangers middle name, apart from if I worked in a very admin role.