Claire or similar... French names for girls

[shubiedoo]

I like the name Claire but am wondering if it's too popular. Any other ideas?

[NoblesseOblige]

my uni flatmate was called caroline (she was french) - she would be about 30 now. that was beautiful too.

[EachPeachPearMum]

Mélisande
Clemence
Elodie
Aurore
Aurelie

[Bella73]

Am half-French, here are all the girls' names in the French side of the family (does it matter how popular it is at the mo? in which case I could tell you their generations but otherwise it doesn't matter as English popularity isn't the same as French is it?). Can't work out accents on this laptop, sorry:

Madeleine
Marie-Gil
Isabelle
Helene
Colette
Sophie
Agnes
Laurence
Nina
Lola
Fann y (!)
Manon
Celine
Stephanie
Marianne
Therese
Camille
Josephine
Patricia
Caroline
Christine
Alizee
Ines

There are two of my cousin's children I can't remember so might be back to add those later...

[Anna8888]

LOL there's a Fanny on my DP's side too

[castille]

Caroline isn't very now. The youngest one I know in France is 31.

Baby girls born to French friends of ours recently have been called

Adélaïde
Eugénie
Clara
Victoria
Noémie
Jeanne

[brimfull]

Manon is awful

[Ripeberry]

Charlotte
Geraldine
Adele
Fleur
Carmela
Madeleine

[claireybee]

Claire is a great name

There were loads of us when I was at school but I don't know any children called Claire so I wouldn't say it was a popular name.

[FanjolinaJolly]

My Meme is called Marie-Louise
My Mum is a Suzanne and her sister was a Jeanne-Marie

[shubiedoo]

Wow, lots of ideas, thanks everyone!
To complicate things, our surname is Irish so it can't be TOO French ifywim.
I like Madeleine too but there are so many round here.
But it seems Claire is not that common so I may go for it after all...
Claire with Yvonne for a middle name.

[shubiedoo]

Some French names that are also Irish:
Bernadette (no!)
Colette
Marie-Therese
Catherine/Kathleen

[tortoiseshell]

I don't like Yvonne as a middle name with Claire - it makes the Claire run into it - Clar-ey-vonne. Something like Simone would work better...

Claire Simone

or what about Victoire - Claire Victoire would be glorious!

[clayre]

i like claire

my dd is Aimee which is french for to be loved

[shubiedoo]

I thought of Claire Colette but the sounds are too choppy.

[Anna8888]

Just be aware that being called Claire Yvonne - or Claire Colette - is a bit like being called Jane Pauline in English ie very dated...

[shubiedoo]

Interesting. We don't live in France so it's not like we have to keep up with the trends there!
There's "dated" vs. "classic"...
I think, too, with the Catholic thing in Ireland, the French-ish names are old because they were popular saints' names.

[Anna8888]

Yes, but we live in a globalised world and your DD might end up in France or in a French-savvy environment. If you want to give her a French name, let it at least be a classic one or one of her generation rather than an outmoded one

[ChacunaSonGout]

Hortense

[shubiedoo]

Hmm, without revealing our surname it's difficult to explain why Amelie or Fleur or Sandrine are just not going to work!
But I adore French names and I love reading all the possibilities...

[Anna8888]

The headmistress of my daughter's school is called Marie-Hortense. Horrible name but absolutely lovely woman.

[FrockHorror]

I would definately go with Clare...

[shubiedoo]

And in Quebec (we're in Canada) Claire is in the top 20 baby names!

[peacelily]

What are the classic ones Anna? I'm v interested in a French girls name IF I get pg and have a girl (trying soon).

Love France and French culture spent much of my childhood there and have worked in France, still go every year hence wanting a French name. I think it's important to know which ones are in vogue/classic e.g. I went right of Sylvie when I realised how old womany it was (French equiv of Ethel).

Personally like Beatrice and Marthe.

please advise

[Anna8888]

Oh crikey . Can't you just tell me the names you are considering and I'll tell you how they sound?

[expatinscotland]

My old boss's dad is Quebecois and she is called Nathalie.

I always thought that was pretty and doesn't date.