Laurence for a girl

[peperethecat]

I really like the name Laurence but my husband is French and we live in France, and Laurence is a girl's name here.

You definitely couldn't call a boy Laurence in France, but could you call a girl Laurence in the UK? Too weird?

I think you'd have to pronounce it the French way, but yes.

I think I like it, but I also think people will think they've misheard and call her Florence.

I don’t think it’s too weird. I’ve never come across a girl called Laurence but then I haven’t come across a boy called Laurence either! It’s quite a feminine sounding name.

It would be weird here but if you live in France then I don't see that it would be an issue.

We won't necessarily always live in France though so really we should choose names that work in both countries.

I'd think it was weird sorry.

No, it won't work, it's ridiculous.

I think you totally could. I find mumsnet generally disapproving of traditional boys’ names on girls and traditional girls’ names on boys. But names evolve and I personally like it.

Also, if she gets called Laurie as a nickname, as the name Laurence does here for a boy, Laurie in itself is a unisex name.

My children all have "foreign" names and sometimes they are mispronounced in the UK but nobody has ever said they are ridiculous! It is in some ways an advantage as the spelling will be clear.

Lawrence, Lawrie. Yes. It’s a girls name in the Antonia Forest books.

I know a Laurence and Larry (both male) and Laurentia (female). Her nickname is Tia

I thought it was weird the first time I saw it and then I saw it a few more times so I asked my husband whether Laurence was a girl's name and he was like, yes, obviously...duh! He thinks it's weird that we use it as a boy's name.

I do think it is quite féminine.

Would Lauren work in France?

I think you'd need to do it in full acknowledgement that in Britain you would be signalling I Am Foreign.

If you don't want to do that, go with Pauline or Charlotte or Julie or something.

I've heard of a 'laureece' before. It may be spelled laurice, I'm not sure

It's a female name I mean.

I think it’s OK. As you say, it’s a girl’s name in France. There are several other names that swap over as they swap languages, so it’s quite a known fact.

It's the same as calling a girl Alan or Dave or Jim in the UK.

I wouldn't do it.

No, don’t like it at all!

Absolutely not, certainly not in the UK. Laura is nice.

I have come across one female Laurence here in the uk - she was french/american. It was a work thing and I totally expected her to be a him until I met her. Once I knew it didn't seem weird. But would also be reasonable to expect people in the uk to make the same mistake. as long as you're relaxed about that I think it's fine.

Yes of course it works! I've known a female Laurence here in London. I didn't even bat an eye... AND it's DH's name and still, I didn't bat an eye. But of course, it's all in the pronunciation.

It's a perfectly nice name and lovely if you live in France but on balance I wouldn't. Florence yes.

How is it pronounced as a girls name? I cant imagine