Grateful for opinions on boys' names

[fretfree]

We are having a little boy. DH and I have really struggled to come up with a name we both like. We live in a francophone environment and for me it is really important that the name works in french as well as english, as he will be in a french speaking creche and then hopefully a bilingual school. DH's favourite name is Alexander, which I hate (don't want to offend anyone with offspring of that name, it is just that I have a bad association with it). I also do not want a traditional / pure english name.

What do you think of the names on my shortlist?

Aryton (will anyone ever get past Senna?)
Dominic
Emeric (too french? does this work in english?)
Felix
Leon / Leonardo
Loic (too french? does this work in english?)
Louis
Luc / Lucien / Luca
Matisse
Milo
Rafael / Raphael
Rafferty
Tariq
Theo
Xavier
Yannick

Surname will be that of my DH (one syllable) and middle name will be my two-syllable surname (both quite 'hard' names)

Thanks very much and all the best to everyone for the New Year!!!

i think those that are most translatable from your list are - felix, milo, theo, leon, louis. I do love Xavier, though not sure how many people will pronounce correctly. Good luck when he arrives.

Really like Raphael. Emeric and Loic possibly a bit too French.

Also have you considered Gabriel or Philip?

Like Xavier too but agree difficult to pronounce.

I know Anglophone kids with the names Dom, Felix, Louis, Luc, Milo, Raff, and Theo. All works for them in an English speaking environment, but also work in a Francophone setting. And all equally lovely names.

Emeric doesn't work in English, even my iPhone corrects to emetic ( which is something that makes you sick). I know nice kids called Dominic, Felix and Luca, all good names. Leon and raffetty a bit chav/ celeb rOund here, but that is just opinion. Tariq and yanick lovely names but I would expect the first to be of middle eastern heritage and the second to be Jewish, which you may well be!

I like Dominic, Felix, Milo, Theo and Xavier.

Like Felix, Leon, and Loic.

Hate Matisse but that's because I used to work with one who was evil.

Dominic, Lucien, Leon and Louis are all great I think.

I have a similar problem with Alexander in that I love the name (and so does OH) but I still can't get over an unpleasant person of that name I used to know!

spasms please call it Aryton!!!

Ayrton surely if
Like the racing driver

I love Dominic, Felix, Leon and Xavier.

Aryton is brilliant too. But I do think it will always be associated with Senna as he was fabulous

I love Luca and Theo - they are lovely names and think either would work well.

I actually think most people would be able to pronounce Xavier fine, although I'm not to keen on it.

Thanks everyone for your input. I suggested Felix earlier to DH and ....... he likes it!! A huge plus :). I also love the fact that its meaning is "happiness" - what more could you wish for a child? I was actually getting quite down thinking that we would not be able to find a name that we both like - there are a few threads on Mumsnet from people who hate their DC's name and I find that really sad. The whole thing was getting me very a bit depressed.

Kayzr - I love Aryton, but I really don't think it would ever be anything but 'named after Senna' - agree with you that he was fabulous though. Have you seen the documentary that came out recently called "Senna". Really, really good. Get's right behind the (french) politics of formula 1 at the time and I had never realised how absolutely avoidable Senna's death was.

I thought that Emeric and Loic were pushing it a bit far...... DH was not a fan of these!!

No not seen it yet. My Mum loved him and as a child I was taken to Silverstone every year. I'll have to borrow it from her.

I've been trying to persuade DP that Felix is great but he just says cat food at me

Really like:
Dominic
Louis
Luc or Luca

Quite like:
Leonardo
Raphael
Theo

Congratulations, Félicitations.

Felix is a cat for me too :)

Out of those I'd go for either Dominic (and try to get past that Dom that's always on the TV!!) or Luc. However, none of them really float my boat so I'd keep looking

Mathieu
Georges
Henri
Marc
Philipe

I really like Ayrton and Loic, both work well in English but, also sound nicely French.