It's French/English saints again, but for a boy this time.

[FingonTheValiant]

Good morning,

I posted a few months ago about trying to find a Saint's name for a French/English baby, who will be born in England, but who will be living in France from about 1yr onwards. Dh and I have now found out that it he will be a boy, and last time I asked for girls names.

We've managed to shortlist about 8 names, and we're definitely going with 1 of those 8. They will all sound absolutely fine in France, but I'm worried people will think we're massively pretentious in England:

Valérian (dh's fave, and really mine too, but I worry about it)
Raphaël (next fave, and leaning towards it)

Then, in no particular order:
Alexis
Theodore
Valentin
Axel (do not like, but dh loves)
Vincent
Xavier

This will hopefully not be our only child, but as we can't guarantee another boy I don't really want to save one for later if we can never use it. Also, middle names are set, so we can't slot them in there.

I'd like to know how people in the UK are likely to react to these, so I'd like your reactions please.

Many thanks, and sorry for a lengthy post

Puts in an extra vote for Xavier. Okay, I know I've already voted...

Mind you, if it's unusual you're looking for then I think Valérian is the one to go for as there are quite a few Xaviers around (at least here in Brussels) too.

Stats from 2006:

Xavier was 243rd in 2006 with around 200 registered There are currently 100,437 of them in France in total, most of them born in the 60s, 70s and 80s...

Raphael (79,848 total, meteoric rise in popularity from obscurity, 3,600 born in 2006 and growing - been in the top 10 in 2008 and 2009)
Valerian (also fairly meteoric rise, only 1,999 of them but all born in the last 30 years, 50 odd born in 2006)
Alexis (113,789 of them, also another metoeric rise from obscurity over the last 20 years, 5,832 of them born in 1992!)
Theodore (5,121 of them, took a big slump in the 80s but rapidly coming back into fashion - possibly the grandparent factor? and Theo is now a 'name' in its own right and in the top 10)
Valentin (79,828 of them, another huge spike over the last 20 years, number 30 in 2006)
Axel (49,714 most of them born in the last 25 years, 3,281 in 2002)
Vincent (211,882 of them, very big in the 60s, 70s and 80s with 7,118 in 1981)

In the category of super-rare:
Philemon?
Alphonso?
Vivian?

Shame you don't like popular names or I'd suggest Kevin? There were over 14,000 born in 1991 and overall 158,293 French men are called Kevin - most of them born in the last 20 years!

The top predictions for 2010 are:

1. LUCAS
2. MATHIS
3. MATHÉO
4. ENZO
5. NATHAN
6. NOAH
7. RAPHAËL
8. LOUIS
9. KYLIAN
10. ETHAN
11. HUGO
12. THÉO
13. YANIS
14. GABRIEL
15. THOMAS
16. EVAN
17. TOM
18. MAXIME
19. CLÉMENT
20. ARTHUR

So that would make Raphael in there for the 5th year running (I think)

TOM??????

Mais oui! Actually a 'proper' name

My mind boggled too when I was told 'X, Y et notre petit, Tom' (Cue me going 'Ah, Thomas?' and them saying 'Non, Tom'). His brother, by contrast, couldn't have a more French name if they'd tried. It's weird...very weird.

I'm yet to meet an Ethan though. It sounds so weird in French.

wow frakkit, good work!

Raphaël is a definite no now, I think. Unless dh objects massively.

Two of my german cousins (aged about 35) are called Kevin and Brian, how on earth did they take Europe by storm? The french Kevins in particular make me laugh.

All the Xaviers I know are over 30, I think it's been unusual for a few years now.

I love that Noah is so popular, despite the fact that if you accidentally say Noah instead of Noé the French have no idea who you are talking about

Vivian is just too much of a girls name for me. Alphonse sounds a bit like a character in a Provencal story, possibly with a pet goat. Philemon.. well, it's Philemon.

Dh is from Marseille, and there are tons of kids called variants of Enzo, Lorenzo, Lucas, Mathéo etc, very into Italian names down that way.

I do love that Evan, Hugo, Tom and Arthur are in the top 20, the Brits are clearly trying to invade by stealth

Gosh, it's incredible how much we must be products of our generations. I hadn't looked a top 20s etc until a few weeks ago, and I'm shocked by how many of the names I like are really popular, girls and boys, France and England.

Cant wait to meet a french Ethan now

Thanks for all your research frakkit

Ooh, I know 3 French Ethans!
I agree, it does sound weird in French.

You know if you'd come on here and said 'Philemon? Alphonso? How LOVELY' I'd have had to go and top myself. I just looked up the office of national statistics and picked the rarest saints names I could find for you.

Lol, thank goodness for that, I didnt want to be too rude in case you were serious and did the whole "actually, my eldest ds is Alphonso; and nephew is Philemon" thing

3 Ethans! Very jealous I think I'll get dh to say it repeatedly when he gets home for a bit of fun

how is Ethan said in French? Ee-tan? Ay-tan?

Ay-tanne I think is how DH is saying it...

Ay-tan from dh here, so same as frakkit's

I must confess I'm making him say it repeatedly for my amusement. He's looking very confused

I got a very odd look too

Nooo, Ethan sounds like étang (pond). Listen here.

(That is a nooo for not choosing it, not nooo for how your French-speaking dhs are pronouncing it .)

Here's a site with lots of French names in different categories (www.meilleursprenoms.com)

Theophane? Blaise?

Thanks for that mathanxiety, the site looks great I did suggest Theophane, and Theophile, which were deemed ok but not great. Dh laughed his head off at Blaise, according to him it's very démodé and for old men

Will look at the site more closely.

Fabien?