We want another French name for this one but are conscious of not having a name that is just butchered in English or said completely differently. Though a slight anglicised attempt would be fine and we aren’t bothered about.
Our list at the moment we can’t seem to narrow it down at all.
I like old fashioned names which could (and do) get side eyed on a child in France
My top five are [name_u]Laurence[/name_u], [name_f]Antoinette[/name_f], [name_m]Jos[/name_m]éphine, [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] and [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çoise
Firstly, I am not a [name_m]French[/name_m] speaker nor am I 100% sure on how their pronunciations go, so I’ll let you know now that I cannot pronounce Pétronille, [name_m]Beno[/name_m]îte
and [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çoise. They look lovely and I am sure they are, but I have no idea how to start with pronouncing them, so hopefully that helps with your hope in picking a name that doesn’t get butchered.
With [name_u]Michel[/name_u], my favourites would have to be [name_f]Antoinette[/name_f], [name_m]Jos[/name_m]éphine, [name_f]Jocelyne[/name_f] and [name_f]Lucienne[/name_f]. My favourite overall is [name_f]Lucienne[/name_f] and I think [name_u]Michel[/name_u] and [name_f]Lucienne[/name_f] make for a great sibset.
Thanks.
I’m shocked by [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çoise. I thought that [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çois was pretty known outside of Francophone countries so the female version wouldn’t be a big stretch.
My favorites are [name_f]Lucienne[/name_f], [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] and [name_f]Antoinette[/name_f]. I think they sound beautiful and nicknames would be easy to make, if they don’t want to go by it - [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], [name_f]Maggie[/name_f], [name_f]Andi[/name_f]/[name_f]Toni[/name_f].
I love [name_f]Petronille[/name_f] as well as Petroline, which is a family name for me. Unfortunately with Petroline it’s hard to get past the Petrol part.
From your list, my absolute favorites are [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] and [name_f]Josephine[/name_f], I think they cross perfectly from one language to the other without much of a butchering. Between the two, I do prefer [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f], for it’s literary use through the Lady of the Camellias by [name_m]Dumas[/name_m], but also because of the daisy flower.
The only ones that work are [name_f]Sibylle[/name_f], Clémence, [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f], [name_m]Jos[/name_m]éphine. There are really nice. [name_f]Antoinette[/name_f] could eventually work.
To be honest [name_m]Beno[/name_m]îte is terrible in [name_m]French[/name_m] and [name_f]France[/name_f]
[name_f]Jocelyne[/name_f] - it’s a nice enough name but just not to my personal taste.
[name_f]Paulette[/name_f] - I don’t know why but i just don’t like it.
[name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] - I kind of have neutral feelings towards [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f].
[name_f]Lucienne[/name_f] - really like this.
[name_f]Sibylle[/name_f] - [name_u]LOVE[/name_u]!
[name_u]Fran[/name_u]çoise - I once knew a little girl named [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çoise and it’s so sweet but I can see it being mispronounced/misspelled.
Clémence - I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] this too. It reminds me of Clémence [name_f]Poesy[/name_f]. Again the accent problem though.
I think your best bets are probably [name_f]Sibylle[/name_f], [name_f]Lucienne[/name_f] and [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f].
I have only ever come across the name on Nameberry so obviously only written and not spoken, and I wouldn’t know where to start with pronouncing it. I think it’s the ç that throws me off.
We live in a country were accents are used although not in [name_m]French[/name_m], do part of me thinks that because they are known and used seeing one used in another language wouldn’t be so foreign or maybe they are still difficult because it is in another language.
[name_m]Beno[/name_m]îte is getting no love so think I’ll remove it and it will stay a guilty pleasure
I think they are the only ones that work because I’m [name_m]French[/name_m] and I know that a little [name_f]Claudine[/name_f], [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çoise, [name_f]Lucienne[/name_f], [name_f]Paulette[/name_f], [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] would get teased in [name_f]France[/name_f]. I had in my class a girl called [name_f]Vivianne[/name_f] and an other one called [name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f]. They are also out-dated names and a lot of people were making fun of them :/. So, because of my experience and of my origin, I have a hard time to picture those names on a baby. That’s why I think they don’t work.
I’m happy you like [name_f]Domitille[/name_f] and Léopoldine
Ahh okay, fair enough
I think [name_f]Bernadette[/name_f] is off the list, it doesn’t get any love and my DH worries that it will be seen as too religiously-old fashioned here. He also now hates [name_f]Jacqui[/name_f] (or [name_u]Jacky[/name_u] or etc) so guess [name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] is out also
I’m from a Francophone country (not [name_f]France[/name_f]) so know that some are names that will certainly be side eyed by some people I know. But think we could get away with in a way that we probably wouldn’t back home or in [name_f]France[/name_f].
I think it’s the ç that throws me off.