First of all happy new year! I know it’s a bit late, but it is the first time I post in the forum in 2016 and it is still [name_u]January[/name_u].
I would like you guys’ opinion on the Medieval [name_m]French[/name_m] name Aélis. It derives from [name_m]Ad[/name_m]élaïde and is considered a medieval version of [name_f]Alice[/name_f].
My girlfriend recently told me she liked this name and I have liked it since I read it in a chivalry book as a teen.
But now I’m curious, how would an anglophone pronounce this name? What impression would that name leave on an English speaker?
I would pronounce it A-eh-leess as I am a native [name_m]French[/name_m] speaker (my girlfriend is Irish-American)
Looking forward to reading y’all’s thoughts and impressions
I’d pronounce it AIL-iss or AY-liss. I don’t exactly like the name as it’s too foreign for my tastes. Too many people would have trouble pronouncing it and that really bothers me! But, it is unique and different.
Thank you for your answer. Yes the pronounciation is what worries me too. It is an actual challenge, coming from two different cultures.
My girlfriend is American of Irish origins and I am [name_m]French[/name_m] so I’m looking into [name_m]French[/name_m], American, Irish and [name_m]Breton[/name_m] names (as my mom’s family comes from [name_f]Brittany[/name_f] in N-W [name_f]France[/name_f])
The difficulty is that [name_m]French[/name_m] names sound “over the top” in English and American names have a negative connotation in [name_m]French[/name_m].
My ideal sibset would be:
[name_f]Kiera[/name_f] (Americanized spelling of the Irish name [name_f]Ciara[/name_f], which would make the pronounciation easier for everyone)
[name_f]Nolwenn[/name_f] (A breton saint from [name_u]North[/name_u]-Western [name_f]France[/name_f], I don’t think the spelling and pronounciation would be too much of a hassle)
[name_m]Liam[/name_m] (An Irish name that works well in [name_m]French[/name_m])
Yes, I think she likes it because it looks close to the Irish name [name_f]Ailis[/name_f] (which is pronounced Ay-leesh)
I would pronounce it the same as you, but I’m not a native [name_m]French[/name_m] or English speaker…
It’s a really sweet name, but do have a slight preference for [name_f]Ala[/name_f]ïs or [name_u]Alix[/name_u] when it comes to [name_m]French[/name_m] variations of [name_f]Alice[/name_f].
It depends on whether or not there was an accent when I saw it. If it was written as Aélis I’d pronounce it as you do. If it was simply shown as Aelis I’d pronounce it “AY-liss” or “AYL-iss”.
I speak no [name_m]French[/name_m] whatsoever. I said it Eye-liss. Like a cross between [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_f]Iris[/name_f].
What country do you live in/language is commonly spoken where you live? My suggestion to blend your cultures would be to choose a name that’s easy to pronounce where you live with the other as a middle name. For example: [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f] Aelis. Irish first name that’s easy to pronounce in English with your [name_m]French[/name_m] heritage still present with the middle name.
I really like [name_u]Alix[/name_u] too, my girlfriend finds it too plain.
I currently live in [name_f]France[/name_f] and people in my family speak [name_m]French[/name_m]. Everyone in her family speaks English. We would probably be living in [name_f]France[/name_f] for a while and then maybe move back to the US.
Thanks for the recommendation but my girlfriend’s name is… [name_f]Caitlin[/name_f]! Haha
My family tends to pronounce and write her name “[name_f]Kathleen[/name_f]” (she has a series of pictures with all the spellings my family tried: [name_f]Kathleen[/name_f], [name_f]Cathleen[/name_f], [name_f]Katelyn[/name_f], [name_f]Caitlyn[/name_f], [name_f]Kaitlyn[/name_f]. She gets a new one for every [name_u]Christmas[/name_u] :D)
It is interesting that you bring up the middle name topic because it is another cultural difference. I suggested we choose a name we both like and put our two favorite names as middle names.
She thinks it is strange to give two middle names. Americans do not do that as much apparantly when it is extremely normal in [name_f]France[/name_f] (middle names were usually given after the godmother and the godfather).
We somewhat agreed on [name_f]Marie[/name_f] as a middle name as it is her middle name and my mom’s third name.
I like to put meaning in a name when she likes them more for the sound of it. Which is why or personal tastes are drastically different.
She likes: [name_f]Juliana[/name_f], [name_u]Kendall[/name_u], [name_f]Marlene[/name_f], [name_f]Melina[/name_f], [name_f]Ciara[/name_f] etc. and I’m more into: [name_f]Florence[/name_f], [name_f]Elise[/name_f], [name_f]Aude[/name_f], [name_f]Adeline[/name_f] or Angélique etc.
We both tried to suggest names we liked in the others’ language but there always were too connected to a certain generation or we knew someone who bore that name.
Ex: I like: [name_f]Amy[/name_f] (too 80s), [name_f]April[/name_f] (gross girl from preschool) , [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] (her mom’s generation), [name_f]Autumn[/name_f] (a friend of hers)
She likes: [name_f]Sylvie[/name_f] (my mom’s generation), [name_f]Nathalie[/name_f] (my mom’s generation) , Aurélie (our generation, I know like 8 Aurelies)
Sorry to expose myself like this. I’m just a name lover facing a personal challenge. Thought it’d be interesting to share with other name lovers
@valmort I see. I think 2 middle names is a great idea. It’s becoming more popular in the US to do so as well.
[name_f]May[/name_f] I suggest [name_f]Aurora[/name_f]? It’s similar to [name_f]Aurelie[/name_f] but maybe different enough? I also love [name_f]Coralie[/name_f] and [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] which I think are [name_m]French[/name_m] in origin, so they might work.
I’m from the US and would pronounce it AYE-liss unless someone told me otherwise. Visually I like how it looks but I’m not the biggest fan of how it sounds, I’d prefer [name_f]Alice[/name_f] as the name if it was between the two (since they’re similar).
Those are pretty suggestions, unfortunately my ex girlfriend’s name was [name_f]Aurore[/name_f]. I also have a cousin named [name_f]Coralie[/name_f], a nice girl but not someone I would name my daughter after. We’re having the same occurence with the name [name_m]Sol[/name_m]ène, with the slight difference that I am really fond of this cousin. And it is breton in origin.
Yes, I think these two look fairly similar. I had seen it spelled with an A though: Ailís. Irish names are very pretty but they can be a mouthful. I like [name_f]Aoife[/name_f] (ee-fa) or [name_f]Caoimhe[/name_f] (Kwee-va) but they’re already hard to use in the US, I can’t imagine them in [name_f]France[/name_f].
Bonjour Valmont
Difficile de trouver un prénom qui se prononce de la même façon dans les deux langues. [name_u]Ici[/name_u] c’est l’homme qui est américain, et moi française.
Enough [name_m]French[/name_m] haha! I obviously pronounce it [name_m]Ah[/name_m]-eh-leess. I would write it Aëlis.
My first thought would be AY-liss. It seems pretty, but I’m not sure I like the look of it as much as the sound (my prn. or yours are both nice). Best of luck!
Oui c’est très difficile d’autant plus que les modes fluctuent différemment entre les US et la [name_f]France[/name_f]. [name_f]Michelle[/name_f], le prénom de ma grand-mère est connoté années 80/90s aux US.
Aimes-tu personnellement le prénom Aélis ou Aëlis? Côté français on le trouve soit bcbg soit “à hélice”, alors avec mon nom de famille propice aux jeux de mots…
Yes, enough [name_m]French[/name_m] My girlfriend isn’t too found of the trema (ë) as it looks very “Germanic” according to her. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you have children yourself? Or are you planning to have any? Was it a challenge to find a name that matched your respective tastes?
Oh oui les modes sont très différentes. Les Américains aiment souvent des prénoms de la génération de nos parents je trouve (Marjorie, Marine, Monique, Sylvie, etc).
Je trouve Aélis plutôt joli, mais très proche de Maëlis/Maëlys qui est malheureusement extrêmement mode en France. Si vous aimez c’est le principal
We don’t have any children and don’t plan to have one for the next 2-3 years. I have been a name nerd since 2008 so baby names is a recurrent topic for my boyfriend and I. We seem set on a few names, it was not very challenging. But right now we are just talking about it for fun… It might be challenging later haha! I would like to give our kids 4 names (on the birth certificate) but they would only use 2 in life.
Are you expecting a baby?
Here are some names that are easily pronounceable in French and in English:
Esmée
Maxine
Elinor
Olive
Liv
Gabrielle
Calypso
Callie
Romy
Rose
Clarisse
Ellie
Charlie
Charlize
Florestine
Bohème
Ebony (maybe Ebène)
May
Liselotte
Adèle
Léonie
Eloïse
Philippine
Suzanne
Swanne
Lys
Freyja
Lily
Zelda
Isaure
Cleo
Hannah
Willow
Tess
Thaïs
Rosalie
Neve
Eve
Erilys
Elowen
Alma
Alaska
Elle
Emme
Cerise
June
Wildrose
Flora
Lucie
Elsie
Elsa
I would pronounce it like you and I’m neither a french native speaker or a anglophone. Aélis is really pretty, but you are right about the concerns about how to pronounce it.
Maybe you could consider using officially [name_f]Alice[/name_f] or [name_f]Alicia[/name_f] or something similar easier to spell or prnounce and using Aélis as a nickname. I know a girl whi did that with her daughters’ name!
