Pierre, Clement, Etienne, Isaac, Samuel

[peasandbeans]

DH is French and we don't live in the UK, so we're hoping for a name that will work well in French. Our boys name short list at the moment is

Pierre
Etienne
Clement
Isaac
Samuel

What do you think about how these sound in English? I haven't been living in the UK for so long that they just sound normal to me, but I have a feeling that Pierre end Etienne, and maybe even Clement might sound very girly in English.

I agree with that peas, that's why we're picking going with a French name. Cant bear the French pronunciation butchery.

Pierre - there are over 500,000 of them in France. It dived after the 70s but there are literally thousands registered each year.

Clement - possible new entry to the top 20.

Etienne - much less common, consistently betweeen 500 and 1000. Around 50,000 living.

Isaac - getting super-trendy in France

Samuel - took off in the 1970s, something like 2,000 registered each yera.

From an English perspective Pierre is stereotypically French, Etienne is French-trendy, Clement will be said with a t at the end/be seen as girly, Isaac and Samuel popular.

Etienne tends to be Etty-en in English, but I take the view you can beat it into people by saying 'actually, it's Etienne, we're French (so ner)'.

I would go for Pierre, I'd go French rather than something ordinary in English like Issac or Samuel, and surely every English person can pronouce Pierre!!

My bf and her DH had to pick names that worked in 3 languages! The pronunciations are slightly different in each, but they realised that they would have to accept that, and picked names where they liked the pronunciation in each language. As you can imagine the list of names they could pick from after doing this was very short! So you probably need to be comfortable with the pronunciation in both languages rather than try to ensure the French pronunciation is always used as I think that could be hard if you do move to the UK.

So I think assume Clement will always be pronounced Cle-meant in English and that Isaac will be I-zak rather than Ee-zak and see if you are happy. Samuel is Sam-you-el (I assume same in French?).

Pierre and Etienne are obviously French and therefore may well actually be pronounced the same as you do (give or take mangled English pronunication!)

FWIW, I love Isaac and think both Etienne and Pierre would be seen as stylish or cool in schools here rather than plain odd. There are plenty of kids with unusual names, and particularly if you plan to live in a city or big town in the UK multiculturalism will mean they really don't stand out.

I think Clement will be seen as a little bit girlie here - Clementine is what people would think of I think. And Samuel will get shortened to Sam whether you like it or not, so you need to be certain you're happy with that!

I think that's good advice megonthemoon. For dcs 1-3 we tried really hard to find names which were pronounced the same in both languages, and which we liked in both. We succeeded for the two girls, but boys' names are much harder in French and English.

I don't think I really like Clement in English, though I do in French. I think you are all right though, that it will get mangled, which will irritate me!

I am so lucky that my parents managed to choose me a name which works in both, though they could hardly have guessed that I would need one. I feel really grateful that I don't have to be endlessly explaining to people how to pronounce my name; and I actually like my name in both languages too!

Frakkit your statistics are really interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that Clement would make it to the top 20, or that Isaac was getting super trendy. I don't think I know any little Isaacs here. I do know lots of Samuels and Pierres, and one or two Etiennes.

Isaac and Samuel are way too Jewish in French - unless you have Jewish heritage you will feel uncomfortable.

Clement sounds good.

Bonsoir I thought that might be the case for Isaac. Is it really the case for Samuel as well?
FWIW there are lots of "Jewish" names which I really like. I consistently feel surprised when French people say 'oh that sounds really Jewish', which they often do, as though it were a good reason not to choose it.

Dh's anglophone sil is called Rachel, all his family laugh about the fact that her parents gave her a "Jewish" name. I think sadly the French are really hung up about Jewish names for some reason.

I get really annoyed by the slightly racist edge when dh's family do this, odd because they have lots of Jewish friends and colleagues, but the names are definitely not transferable as far as they are concerned, and are considered laughable for Christians. Fortunately dh has spent a huge amount of time in the anglophone world and no longer considers Old Testament names to be exclusively Jewish.

I was thinking with an English head about your names, but now Bonsoir has pointed it out I have to agree, Isaac definitely would be considered Jewish. Dh is unsure about Samuel, but only because he knows a priest called Samuel, who is not actually French, but Armenian. He thinks his friends would say it's a Jewish name.

Wouldn't go for Clement for a boy - has a very papal ring! Plus will get called Clementine in primary school.

Love Samuel though

LOL my sister is Rachel and I am Anna, and our father is David, and lots of nationalities have assumed we must be Jewish when we are just bog standard atheist Anglicans!

I would be very careful in France with Old Testament names, unless you have Jewish heritage.

FWIW, I went for a totally neutral name for DD (DP is French-Jewish).

How about Arnaud or Anatole? Still love Clement.

Bernard? Works well in French and English!

I love Etienne, thats a lovely name. Hmm, depends where you live in the UK. Only numpties wouldn't be able to say it properly. I have always had people getting my name wrong and its really annoying.

My grandad was Samuel Clement, but universally known as "Clem". We gave DS the name Clement as a middle name and I really love it.

Named somewhat after Mark Twain?

Etienne is my favourite.

mathanxiety - I doubt it to be honest!