See the results of this poll: Is Océane pretentious?
Respondents: 36 (This poll is closed)
- Yes : 12 (33%)
- No: 24 (67%)
I don’t think it’s pretentious, not in the middle spot. If it were used as a first name, I would say yes. But because you would be using it in the middle, I think it’s fine.
I’ve been wondering the same thing lately, so I didn’t vote. I think [name_u]Ocean[/name_u] could be used for a boy or girl, but [name_f]Oceane[/name_f] does make it more feminine. In case you’re interested, [name_f]Oceana[/name_f] might be less pretentious and still have the sound you like in [name_f]Oceane[/name_f].
Ditto. Pretentious is not the word I would use though. I’m personally not fond of word names, so as this one is not as well-known I’d keep it for a middle.
You mentioned you were digging natures names as mn options.
I don’t think many things are too pretentious for a mn. I think if the french version of a name sounds better with the fn you want then that’s a perfectly valid reason to choose it over the english version. Most people won’t know what your kids mm’s are anyway.
I don’t think it’s too pretentious for a middle name. Not even a first name really.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] curious, how to you pronounce it?
No not pretentious, it’s lovely. I’m sure people will ask for and accept the pronunciation you give because they will be thrown by the -e at the end.
I love [name_u]Ocean[/name_u] and [name_m]Forest[/name_m], boy or girl. In spite of the history of [name_m]Forrest[/name_m]/[name_m]Forest[/name_m] as a man’s name, I consider [name_m]Forest[/name_m] unisex and perfectly fine for a girl (but this is coming from someone with [name_m]Jasper[/name_m] as a top girl name so my opinion isn’t the norm). Fun fact: the actor [name_m]Forest[/name_m] [name_m]Whitaker[/name_m] has a son named [name_u]Ocean[/name_u]
I love Océane! So pretty! And [name_m]Forest[/name_m] is nice, too, on either gender. 
I do like the O-ceh-ann (the a in ann would be pronounced like the a in “aswer” if you say it with a british accent) pronunciation better than the [name_u]Ocean[/name_u] one.
I don’t think people will mispronounce it often, as you’ll introduce her, but they’d misspell it.
As a middle name it’s perfect though and even as a first name it would work (if you don’t mind spelling it out).