[name_f]My[/name_f] least favorite thing about the absolutely amazing name [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] is how it sounds in [name_u]French[/name_u]. [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] is a top contender if our last is to be a girl.
I speak [name_u]French[/name_u] and Japanese (only) at home with my kids (but we live in an [name_f]English[/name_f]-speaking environment and are native [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers), so having good nicknames for our kiddos across languages is important. I cannot imagine calling her [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] or [name_f]Minerve[/name_f] in [name_u]French[/name_u], which I would be using half the time.
I recently polled about using ā[name_f]Nanette[/name_f]ā as a potential nickname for [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] and the consensus definitely appears to be that it doesnāt work [granted, I did not give the context Iām giving now]. So, what are some nicknames/names that would? Hit me with your best names that sound awesome in [name_u]French[/name_u] and draw on [name_f]Minerva[/name_f]. I have a couple ideas Iām on the fence about but Iāll sit back and see if they come up for others.
I think [name_f]Mina[/name_f] would be perfect, itās intuitive to [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] and it sounds great in [name_u]French[/name_u]. [name_f]Vera[/name_f] would be a close second for me though, itās also lovely
As for nicknames, [name_f]Mina[/name_f] and [name_f]Mignonette[/name_f] could work? And Iāve come across [name_f]Mimi[/name_f] in [name_u]French[/name_u]-speaking communities before. [name_f]Mira[/name_f] could also maybe work?
[name_f]Minnie[/name_f] and [name_f]Minette[/name_f] seem the most intuitive.
I could also see [name_f]Manon[/name_f] or [name_f]Yvette[/name_f] working nicely.
I love the suggestion of Šve! It is a bitā¦ short and simple compared to your boyās names, so if youāre not calling them by nicknames, it doesnāt seem to fit very well. Iād go with a different name if you see the same problem, which goes for really any nickname.
[name_u]French[/name_u] or not, full name or nickname, as long as it sounds better in [name_u]French[/name_u]! Thanks for your suggestions.
This prospect is so disheartening. I thought, for instance, that I would hate Hās name in [name_u]French[/name_u] but it grew on me big time. Now I love it in [name_f]English[/name_f] AND in [name_u]French[/name_u] (in Japanese we call him Re1sh1, like the mushroom, different characters, via the two middle syllables). A we are calling both by his full name and An@st@s(e) in [name_u]French[/name_u]. H has a [name_u]French[/name_u] picture book with a minor character called that so when we told him what his brother would be called in [name_u]French[/name_u] he pulled out the book and turned to the page where heās introduced and said in [name_u]French[/name_u], āLike this one, An@st@s.ā
It would be so sad to me not to use such an amazing name that we love in [name_f]English[/name_f] solely because I donāt like it in [name_u]French[/name_u]. After all, we live in an [name_f]English[/name_f] speaking community and plan to, so her forward facing name to the rest of the community is of so much importance, but my personal taste and preferences are also a huge part.
Minou, yeah, I get and planned to steer clear. Minouche is not my favorite option ever, but I donāt see too much of a problem (more like [name_f]Kitty[/name_f] as a name than Puss in my book, but as a non-native speaker I canāt purport to truly understand the nuances and double-entendres). Tell me what you think.
To everyone, thanks for all the suggestions! The hivemind definitely works for getting more suggestions than I know what to do with. Of those mentioned here, I love [name_f]Minna[/name_f], [name_f]Mina[/name_f], [name_f]Nim[/name_f], and [name_f]Minnie[/name_f] (these are the nicknames I think just generally regardless of language and have included in previous posts about [name_f]Minerva[/name_f]).
[name_f]Minette[/name_f]/[name_f]Minnette[/name_f], [name_f]Manon[/name_f], [name_f]Ninon[/name_f], and [name_f]Yvette[/name_f] I have also thought of myself. [name_f]Minette[/name_f]/[name_f]Minnette[/name_f] is really the only one that sounds super intuitive, so the others have that drawback, but I agree they could work.
I hadnāt really thought of [name_f]Mimi[/name_f] or Mimsy. I love both options, though they might be a little too saccharine.
And I should have thought of Ćve! Iāve definitely considered it for GeneviĆØve, which I have paired with [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] before. Part of this post is about seeing whether I feel I would need to use a combo like [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] GeneviĆØve in order to cross languages well ([name_f]Minerva[/name_f] I love in [name_f]English[/name_f], donāt love in [name_u]French[/name_u]; [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f] I donāt love in [name_f]English[/name_f], but love in [name_u]French[/name_u]). But it is nice to consider Ćve might be used for just [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] and that I might be able to pair it with something less [name_u]French[/name_u] if I knew what Iād call her otherwise.
Additional ideas Iāve had are:
[name_f]Mauve[/name_f]
Merveille
[name_f]Mireille[/name_f]
Myrtille
Maurille
Myrette
[name_f]Ermine[/name_f]
[name_f]Viviane[/name_f]
Vianney
Vernadette
Mimose (another name I only like in [name_u]French[/name_u])
Minel
So if you happen to want to offer some thoughts on those, let me know!
@leafsgirl44, [name_u]Haley[/name_u], I like many from your list for full name substitutions. [name_f]My[/name_f] favs:
Great ideas, all. I wish I just LOVED one of them. I will be so sad if this is the dealbreaker for [name_f]Minerva[/name_f].
[name_f]Mignonette[/name_f] from @leafsgirl44 made me think of [name_f]Mignon[/name_f]. [name_m]Reading[/name_m] the name page it looks like itās not really [name_u]French[/name_u], but might sound OK? I also like [name_f]Mina[/name_f].
[name_f]Mimi[/name_f] and [name_f]Mina[/name_f] came to mind first. Iām not a [name_u]French[/name_u] speaker so Iām not sure how nicknames are formed in [name_u]French[/name_u].
In my experience, itās used in a similar way, albeit not as commonly. Iām a fluent [name_u]French[/name_u] speaker but non-native, like you. However, we do have close [name_u]French[/name_u]-speaking relatives.
Being honest, the language barrier with this one would probably be a dealbreaker for me personally. BUT I can tell you really love this name and it sounds like youāre more than used to/accepting of using different variants and nicknames across different languages. Would this be The One, if it werenāt for the language block?
Minou and [name_f]Minette[/name_f] are my favorites! I think [name_f]Nadette[/name_f] could also work.
I do still have a question. What makes it that you donāt like [name_f]Minerva[/name_f]/[name_f]Minerve[/name_f] in [name_u]French[/name_u]? The pronunciation is not so different is it? Only the [name_u]French[/name_u] r. But correct me if Iām wrong!
