My husband and I are expecting our first child, our rainbow baby girl after several years of infertility. We are confident in naming her Odette, and our last name is Mercier (pronounced MER-see-ay in the US). We are struggling a bit with middles names, as we would like to honor my deceased mother Patricia and, ideally, another important woman in my life who was like a grandmother to me named Beatrice “Bea.” We would like for these tribute names to be obvious (so something visually and phonetically similar to these names, not a different name with a similar meaning, like “Joy” or “Felicity” for “Beatrice,” for example).
We’ve played around with Patricia, Patria, and Patrice for my mom as well as Beatrix, Beatrice, Bea, and Beata for my surrogate grandma. We’re open to hyphenated names (I myself am an Ann-Margaret!) or even to giving our daughter two separate middle names, which is allowed in our state. We would like a middle name(s) that matches the general artsy/European vibe of Odette Mercier for consistency.
Our top choices are currently: Odette Beatrix Patrice Mercier and Odette Beatrix-Patrice Mercier.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Other ideas? Thank you for your input
I think [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] [name_f]Patrice[/name_f] might genuinely be one of my favorite names I’ve ever seen on nameberry. I adore it!! Either way, with or without the hyphen, it’s lovely.
Congratulations! [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] [name_f]Patrice[/name_f] Mercier is absolutely gorgeous! I prefer it visually without the hyphen, and I think it’s probably not super necessary in a middle name. I’m usually a huge fan of [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] but I agree that [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] is nicer with [name_f]Patrice[/name_f] because of the different endings. Good luck choosing a name!
[name_m]Oh[/name_m] I love [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] [name_f]Patrice[/name_f], what a stunning and stylish name! I don’t think it needs the hyphen [name_f][/name_f]- less cluttered without it. [name_m]You[/name_m] could just use [name_f]Bea[/name_f]trice since it shares letters with [name_f]Pa[/name_f]tricia, but understandable if you want a distinct nod to [name_f]Patricia[/name_f] as well. [name_f]My[/name_f] only other thought was Phoebe[name_f][/name_f]? But I love the combo you have come up with, it feels international, stately, glamorous but has a real sparkle and liveliness.
I would be honest to say [name_f]Patricia[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] are the most beautiful version of names to me, but understandable if you want to honor your relatives more. [name_f][/name_f]I think both [name_f]Patricia[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] flow badly with Mercier, tho.
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[name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Patricia[/name_f] [name_f]Bea[/name_f] Mercier [name_f][/name_f]- flow is fine here, so that would be my suggestions.
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other ideas for you, if you want to use different names [name_f][/name_f]- [name_f]Beatriz[/name_f], [name_f]Patty[/name_f], [name_f]Trish[/name_f] (nickname for both [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] and Patricia)
[name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] [name_f]Patrice[/name_f] is lovely [name_f][/name_f] [name_f][/name_f]- it has flair and artiness and I think works really well for you!
[name_m]Welcome[/name_m] to Nameberry! [name_f][/name_f] What a beautiful name you’ve chosen (and even lovelier with your surname!). [name_f][/name_f] I wish I could be so lucky! [name_f][/name_f]
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[name_f]Do[/name_f] [name_f]Pia[/name_f] and [name_f]Patsy[/name_f] feel like too much of a stretch for [name_f]Patricia[/name_f]? [name_f][/name_f] We have a [name_f]Patricia[/name_f] on here who goes by [name_f]Pia[/name_f], and I know a [name_f]Patricia[/name_f] nn [name_f]Patsy[/name_f], and I think [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Pia[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] or [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Patsy[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] would be lovely! [name_f][/name_f] Otherwise, I really like your idea of [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] Patrice—it’s beautiful! [name_f][/name_f] I also like [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Patricia[/name_f] [name_f]Bea[/name_f] or [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Patria[/name_f] [name_f]Bea[/name_f] from your other options.
Odette Béa Patrice Mercier (Béa being pronounced BAY-ah) (super chic)
I love how Betty could be a family nickname - with Odie & Etta etc.
I don’t warm to the “Beatrix Patrice” middle ordering, with the almost repeat sound “trix” and “trice”. I also find the rhythm a little jumpy. Works better the other way imo, with three syllable Beatrix after Patrice, if using these two together. Gorgeous names & swish last name to play with!
I absolutely love [name_f]Odette[/name_f] [name_f]Beatrix[/name_f] [name_f]Patrice[/name_f] such a lovely name that feels elegant, strong with a pan European flair. [name_m]The[/name_m] overall name is gorgeous and sounds perfect with your surname.
You bring up some good points! I thought about Béa and LOVE the name (it’s actually my sister’s Spanish sister-in-law’s name), but we can’t legally have accent marks in names in California They won’t print it on a birth certificate. I think there might be a law being rolled out that will change that, but it’s hard to tell from my Googling. I guess we could legally change her name later if it becomes legal, but I don’t know if my husband would go for that!
Update: The California bill (the Name Accuracy Act, AB 64) allowing accent marks after an almost 40-year ban was signed into law in October 2025! It may be a while before the systems catch up, but apparently we can legally have her name be Béa and correct it later if the system only allows for Bea. Very cool, as this opens up new naming possibilities!
They won’t print it on a birth certificate. I think there might be a law being rolled out that will change that, but it’s hard to tell from my Googling. I guess we could legally change her name later if it becomes legal, but I don’t know if my husband would go for that! 
