Hi, we’re expecting our second child in May - a girl - and need help deciding on a name!
We’re a Franco-British family living in England. Our first child is called Félix (officially with the accent but it gets dropped here) and we pronounce it two ways depending on what language we’re speaking: Feh-leeks (FR) or Fee-lix (EN).
His name means a great deal to me - it’s the name of the hamlet where I spent all my summers as a child, and it means happiness
I would like our girl to have a meaningful name too. Something not too frilly, easily recognised in both languages, with obvious spelling, and with a significant meaning. And ideally not overused! Slight preference for names that don’t end in A…
Our list, compiled over many years:
Zoé (I’m obsessed - love the life meaning and the international vibe… and think it goes so well with Félix! Except I don’t think the sound is as beautiful as the others.)
Maya (my husband’s favourite. We love the sound, I’m less keen on meaning/association with Félix)
Lila (same as Maya, and very popular. And I’d pronounce it Leelah in French. Also too many L’s after Felix?)
Amélie (love the sounds, not keen on meaning. Husband thinks it’s too cliché for a French girl?!)
Clémentine (pronounced ‘teen’, not keen on Clem/Clemmie nn)
Olive
Léonie (but I find it hard to say in English? My default would be Lee-oh-nee and don’t like the Lay-oh-nee pronunciation)
I am probably the least familiar with [name_m]French[/name_m] of the other major European languages but I’ll try my best!
I like [name_f]Léonie[/name_f] and if it helps I’m American and would say Lee-oh-nee by default but I’m not sure about [name_f]British[/name_f] [name_f]English[/name_f].
And this is kinda weird/maybe discount my opinion because I’m in the US but [name_f]Amelie[/name_f] is a bit…cliché I think.
A few others that come to mind but may not necessarily be what you want in [name_m]French[/name_m] even if I love the way they work internationally:
[name_f]My[/name_f] first suggestion is [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], because it is a beautiful name with a beautiful meaning and it is spelled the same way in [name_m]French[/name_m] and [name_f]English[/name_f].
Some other suggestions include:
[name_f]Daphne[/name_f]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Sophie[/name_f]
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f]
[name_f]Camille[/name_f]
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f]
[name_f]Claire[/name_f]
[name_f]Genevieve[/name_f]
[name_f]Eloise[/name_f]
[name_f]Adeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Ottilie[/name_f]
[name_f]Estelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Sabine[/name_f]
[name_m]Felix[/name_m] and [name_f]Amelie[/name_f]
OR
[name_m]Felix[/name_m] and [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
(PS as someone who knows a [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] irl, I’m very sorry to inform you that Clem/Clemmie is unavoidable)
[name_f]Alice[/name_f] (means noble)
[name_f]Béatrice[/name_f] (means traveller)
[name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] (in my opinion, I think [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] works the best with [name_m]Felix[/name_m] out of this list!)
[name_f]Chloé[/name_f] (means green shoot; related to growth in spring)
[name_f]Clara[/name_f] (means clear, bright)
[name_f]Elodie[/name_f]
[name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f] (means rainbow)
[name_f]Lara[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Rose[/name_f]
[name_f]Sophie[/name_f] (means wisdom)
Oooh, I love [name_m]Felix[/name_m] (both pronunciations), it’s one of my top choices if I ever have a boy.
I love [name_f]Amélie[/name_f] the most for you. It sounds perfect next to [name_m]Félix[/name_m]! A little cliché maybe, but shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for such a pretty name, imo.
Clémentine is a close second. I always love this name. I’m not fluent in [name_m]French[/name_m], but after I learned it I noticed I tend to give my name choices second thought if the pronunciations are very different. Like, if a lot of people pronounce it -tine instead of teen would that bother you? Also, if family or friends end up calling her [name_m]Clem[/name_m], would you be okay with it?
[name_f]Zoé[/name_f], [name_f]Olive[/name_f] and [name_f]Léonie[/name_f] are also lovely choices with [name_m]Félix[/name_m].
From your list I like [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] I also hate [name_m]Clem[/name_m] or [name_f]Clemmy[/name_f] as nicknames but I have heard of [name_f]Minnie[/name_f] and [name_f]Minty[/name_f] as nicknames so if that helps you could go with one of those options.
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f] → gorgeous, bright, warm and lovely - I think it has a lovely sound
[name_f]Maya[/name_f] → bright and sharp and charming. It has an international vibe with various meanings (magic/water/good mother) which you could choose from?
[name_f]Lila[/name_f] → it’s sweet and lively, but not my favourite for you
[name_f]Amelie[/name_f] → beautiful and bubbly - I don’t mind the ‘hard-working’ meaning but I guess it’s up to you
[name_f]Clementine[/name_f] → warm and sweet, with nice meanings. [name_f]Emmie[/name_f], [name_f]Mina[/name_f], [name_f]Cece[/name_f], [name_f]Minnie[/name_f], [name_f]Nina[/name_f], [name_f]Kitty[/name_f] could be other nicknames
[name_f]Olive[/name_f] → vintage, clunky cute and charming
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] → I’m in the UK and I know several Leonies, all who say it lee-oh-nee - I think that would be the default pn, especially with the popularity of [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and familiar [name_f]Leona[/name_f]?
[name_f]Love[/name_f] [name_f]Leonie[/name_f], [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], and [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] for you
I love your list of potential names, especially [name_f]Amelie[/name_f], [name_f]Leonie[/name_f], [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and [name_f]Clementine[/name_f]
Here are some other ideas, focussing on lovely meanings and easy pronunciation in [name_m]French[/name_m] and [name_f]English[/name_f]. (I couldn’t add the accents on, so please imagine these!)
[name_f]My[/name_f] favourites on your list are [name_f]Maya[/name_f] & [name_f]Lila[/name_f]! They have the same sleek sound as [name_m]Felix[/name_m] and also work well in both [name_f]English[/name_f] & [name_m]French[/name_m]
some other ideas
[name_f]Lucille[/name_f] - meaning light
[name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] - meaning she who brings happiness
[name_f]Estelle[/name_f] - meaning star
[name_f]Celeste[/name_f] - meaning heavenly
[name_f]Florence[/name_f] - meaning flourishing of prosperous (would match well with [name_m]Felix[/name_m] imo)
To go with [name_m]Felix[/name_m] I would suggest
[name_f]Colette[/name_f] (Koh-Lette) quite classic [name_m]French[/name_m]
[name_f]Manon[/name_f] (Mah-noh in [name_m]French[/name_m] Mih-non for English)
[name_f]Rubie[/name_f] (Ruby) Not the most [name_m]French[/name_m] but has an obvious french pronounciation
Maybe [name_f]Mila[/name_f] (same in [name_m]French[/name_m] as in English) similar to [name_f]Maya[/name_f] and [name_f]Lila[/name_f], but less Ls