Anglo-French girl's name

[Dru6]

We're really struggling to decide on a name for our DD2 due in October. My DH is French so we need to choose a name that works well in both languages - with the spelling and pronunciation the same. Our DD1 is called Sylvie.

Our short list is Alice, Elodie, Fleur, Florence (Flo for short), Olive.

I think we're going to go for Alice or Fleur. I didn't originally want to go for Fleur but it's growing on me and it's the only name where the pronunciation is exactly the same.

What do you think? x

[TooTiredtoGoogle]

Clara ?
Clemence ?
Constance ?

[InstantAtom]

Elodie or Florence.

[minipie]

Delphine
Lisette
Carine

all lovely names and pronounced right in English. Fleur or Elodie are also pretty.

[Dru6]

Thanks for all your replies. I really can't decide, I'm so indecisive. I think it makes it worse because with Sylvie, as soon as we thought of the name we both liked it and never turned back. With the pronunciation being the same, it's important for us that my husband and I say it the same way. Hmmmm.

[BikeRunSki]

My Anglo-French niece is Stella Alice.

Her older brother has a failry ordinary name which is spelt and pronounced differently in English and French. My sister/his mother has spent 11 years correcting/convincing French people (they live in France) to use the English version, but no. To a (wo)man they use the French version (ie not his name, but almost) pronounciation and spelling- including his French GPs and school teachers. Hence the requirement for DN's name to be multilingual.

[BikeRunSki]

Anna
Sophie/a
Suzanne
?

[PatriciaHolm]

Emilie?

[scottishmummy]

fleur is really nice
florence is really overdone at mo.and dont like diminutive flo
alice is also nice but v popular
elodie like that too
olive,sorry just dont like it. too foody.oil and snacks

[TheFlyingOnion]

Genevieve or celeste are lovely...

[scottishmummy]

what about
celine
louise
madeleine
gabrielle
Audrey
Juliette
genevieve is nice too

[mathanxiety]

Ariane
Chantal
Christiane
Lucie
Laetitia
Noemi
Maryse
Ines

[OhBuggerandArse]

Elise?

[menagerie]

Love Elodie (and Sylvie. If we'd had a girl...)

Not so keen on Fleur - though that could be because I once knew a very stout, matronly, bossy and neurotic one so the name reminds me of her.

Claude?

How about Agnes - beautiful in French but not in English, unless there's a different spelling.

I know three young Amelies.

Lucille? Anna, Anoush, Marie-jeanne? Vivien? Valerie?

[DoesBuggerAll]

I have a daughter called Elodie as the wife is French.

What about Axele?

[DoubleDegreeStudent]

I just spent the year in Paris - girls I came across included
Amelie
Nastassia
Sibylle (I LOVE this, but the English is less pretty, and not ideal with a Sylvie)
Justine
Agathe
Antoinette
Pauline
Emma
Valentine
Jessica
Adele
Marie
Fanny (it sounds the same, but I realise you CAN'T do it to a child in England)
Alexia
Chloe
Claire
Nadia

For whoever suggested Eve, the French pronounce it "ev" for a girl, and "eeve" for a boy (but spelled as in Yves Saint Laurent).

Not all traditional, but just to give you some more to think of

[freerangeeggs]

Elodie and Fleur are beautiful names! So is Sylvie.

My favourite French name is Capucine. I don't think it's too difficult to pronounce for English speakers and sounds pretty much the same. I've heard it's kind of old-lady-chic in France :) I also love Lilou but it's perhaps a little babyish and would date quickly.

Maeva
Nina
Leonie
??

[chandellina]

someone else said it too but i'm a fan of - Elise.

[Primafacie]

You have so much choice! Think of all the names ending in -ine (Mazarine, Catherine, Josephine), in -a (Olivia, Natacha, Theodora, Alexandra), in -ique (Dominique, Veronique), in -ette (Colette, Juliette), or -elle (Gabrielle, Marielle) .

Personally I would avoid a name starting in S or ending in -ie as too similar to Sylvie, so would not pick Elodie, but all the other names on your shortlist are fine.

[Ilikepinkwine]

I love Manon and Aurore.

[chaya5738]

What about Charlotte?

[Zone2mum]

You have chose nice name, but also I suggest Catherine or Delphine?

[RedHotPokers]

DS would have been Alice if he hadn't been a DS!
LOVE Elodie, but I'm afraid Fleur makes me thinks of 'Urgh'. Sorry.

[Quenelle]

French acquaintances of ours have just named their DD Scylla.

I like Fleur and Florence.

Sybille is lovely but agree to similar to Sylvie.

[Blu]

Celeste

[malinois]

Nathalie is lovely. Not really in fashion at the moment though.

Quenelle - Scylla???? Really???? Naming your kid after six-headed sea monster is a bit, ermm, odd.