Needing help in Montreal!

Girl Names
1

Hello everyone,

We are expecting number 3 in [name]August[/name] and would love to have your ‘expert’ help on finding that ‘perfect’ name! We do not know the sex yet, but if it is a boy it will be [name]Simon[/name] (my husband wanted this named for both of our boys but I always changed my mind at the last minute because I couldn’t handle the fact that it is pronounced so differently in French and English. I have decided that if this is a boy than my husband should finally get his way ;). It is also my step-father’s father’s name. Middle name will either be [name]David[/name] or [name]Felix[/name] (both grandfathers).

We already have a [name]Louis[/name] [name]Peter[/name], named after his great-grandfather and his uncle, and an [name]Edouard[/name] ([name]Eddie[/name]) [name]Eric[/name], named after his great-uncle and his uncle.

Our only criteria is that we are a bilingual couple (English/French), living in a very bilingual (also eng/fr) city (Montreal), so the name has to work in both languages. Also, family names are VERY important to me (even though my husband could care less). This is because my mother named me after my two grandmothers ([name]Elizabeth[/name] [name]Mary[/name]) and I have always been so proud of such…

Here is our list so far:

[name]Anna[/name]- this is a family name and has important meaning to me, but…too boring? wdyt?
[name]Charlotte[/name]- this is my husbands favorite name ( I really like it too) of all time and he ‘begs’ to use it, and it is also found all over my family tree, but…popularity stands in the way for me a little too much. wdyt?
[name]Marion[/name]- this would be for my grandmother (and mine and my mothers middle name), [name]Mary[/name], but…is it ready for a come-back yet? Too middle-aged lady? wdyt?
[name]Simone[/name]- we both love this name, but I worry it doesn’t ‘fit’ with [name]Louis[/name] and [name]Eddie[/name]. wdyt?
Maude- this is also a family name, but in French they pronounce it Mode, and in English Mawd… We would use the French way, but I am certain my English clan would constantly mess it up…wdyt?

Other names we ‘just like’, but don’t have that special meaning or family connection are:

[name]Cecile[/name] (it would have to have the accent on the first e)
[name]Josephine[/name] (would also have to have the accent on the first e)
[name]Marguerite[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name] (ditto for the accent)

Middle name options for girls are: [name]Judith[/name], [name]Mary[/name], [name]Anna[/name] and [name]Nicole[/name]

ps- we are not royalists at all (on the contrary), but feel like we started a pattern with our boys names and not sure if we ‘should’ stick to this style. Again, wdyt?

Thanks so much for your all your time and thoughtfulness!
Cheers!
[name]Elizabeth[/name] & [name]Pierre[/name]

2

[name]Marguerite[/name] & [name]Beatrice[/name] are my favorite as first names!

For middle names I think [name]Anna[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name] or [name]Mary[/name] would go well with either [name]Marguerite[/name] or [name]Beatrice[/name].

3

I love [name]Anna[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Marion[/name] and [name]Simone[/name]. I think they would all be great name choices. [name]Simone[/name] is probably my least favorite in general. However in light of your bilingual family and location, [name]Simone[/name] would be gorgeous and is my number one choice.

4

I love [name]Marion[/name], and it’s a plus that it goes well with [name]Simon[/name], although they do have the same ending. [name]Marguerite[/name] is also lovely.
[name]Marion[/name] [name]Nicole[/name] gets my vote.

5

I also love [name]Marion[/name]! I’d go with [name]Marion[/name] [name]Josephine[/name].

6

Of all your options I like [name]Simone[/name] the best.

7

If you feel the need to go royal, then something like [name]Anna[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Anna[/name], or [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Mary[/name], might do the trick. I know that you were considering it this way, but I think that [name]Anna[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] is a gorgeous combo. [name]Charlotte[/name] keeps [name]Anna[/name] from being boring and [name]Anna[/name] makes [name]Charlotte[/name] more classic than trendy. I also really like the simplicity and sweetness of [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Mary[/name].

Suggestions that purely combos that I love and can’t help but suggesting:

[name]Marion[/name] [name]Judith[/name] - Maybe too old sounding for some, but I love it. I’ve really come around to [name]Judith[/name] thanks to the baby character that was born on the tv series, The Walking Dead.

[name]Marion[/name] [name]Simone[/name]
[name]Marion[/name] [name]Maude[/name]
[name]Mary[/name] [name]Maude[/name]
[name]Anna[/name] [name]Simone[/name]
[name]Beatrice[/name] [name]Simone[/name]
[name]Anna[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name]

Best of luck!

8

Thank you everyone for your feedback, it is really useful! I find it interesting how most of you like [name]Marion[/name], as it seems to be the one my friends and family like the least (they all say its ‘not special enough’). Keep 'em coming! Thanks again!

10

[name]Simone[/name], [name]Cecile[/name] and [name]Josephine[/name]… I don’t know if they’re ready for a comeback in [name]Quebec[/name] yet. To me anyway, they still sound very dated. Also, living in Montreal, I’d be wary of names ending in A, knowing how Montrealers butcher those names with their accent.

[name]Charlotte[/name] is uber popular with both the French and English communities and sounds similar in both languages. Nice choice if popularity doesn’t bother you.

[name]Marion[/name]: love it, not dated at all from a French perspective. Be aware of potential teasing though ([name]Marion[/name]/marrions/to wed), but I wouldn’t worry too much.

[name]Beatrice[/name]: I like it mostly for its nickname Béa. Still a little dated in French but not too bad.

[name]Marguerite[/name]: cute, borderline cutesy in [name]Quebec[/name] French, but I like it. If she goes to French high school though, I can just imagine her peers calling her [name]Marge[/name]…

[name]Maude[/name]: I like it. My friend used it for her daughter and it’s lovely on her. My husband (an English speaker) has no problem saying her name properly, ie the French way.

So, using your middle name options, I vote [name]Marion[/name] [name]Judith[/name]. :slight_smile: [name]Anna[/name] [name]Simone[/name] would be another nice option if you don’t mind her being called “Annuh” by some. :wink:

  • A French-Quebecer formerly from Mtl
11

I’m a Canadian with a best friend in your Anglo/[name]Franco[/name] situation. Family names are also really important to me and like you I was named after my two grandmothers. Given your sons names, I would definitely pick [name]Marion[/name]. I know of a baby named this and I find it so refreshing and lovely. It goes very well witht he boys’ names.

12

I like [name]Beatrice[/name] [name]Nicole[/name]! [name]Do[/name] you like [name]Margo[/name] (variation of [name]Marguerite[/name])?

13

[name]Beatrice[/name] is my favorite from your list, assuming you don’t mind the wildly different French/English pronunciations. I think [name]Beatrice[/name] [name]Anna[/name] goes perfectly with your sons’ names. [name]Josephine[/name] and [name]Marguerite[/name] are lovely options, too.

14

You have a fantastic list of names!
[name]Anna[/name] - lovely
[name]Charlotte[/name]- another great name, works well in French, but like you said it’s pretty popular.
[name]Marion[/name]- I prefer the [name]Marian[/name] spelling. Better yet, what about [name]Marianne[/name]? That could really work because it blends [name]Mary[/name] and [name]Anne[/name] beautifully.
[name]Simone[/name]- not really my style
[name]Maude[/name]- is alright, but I’m not really wowed by it, even in French.

From your “we just love it” list, I think [name]Cecile[/name], [name]Josephine[/name], and [name]Beatrice[/name] are lovely.

15

Congratulations!
Firstly I think you really do have a challenge. I’m from an interfaith family father Irish Catholic and Scottish Protestant but brought up catholic and mother Polish Israeli Jewish they tried to find a name that represented their backgrounds struggled and argued so much about it that they abandoned the idea and simply went with historical upper-crust names. So I really do respect the fact that your trying to find bilingual names.

I love [name]Simon[/name] have you thought of [name]Simeon[/name] spelling wise? [name]Simeon[/name] is more commonly used in [name]France[/name] and is the original Hebrew spelling. Either way [name]Simon[/name] [name]Felix[/name] is very handsome!

Thoughts on the girls names:
[name]Anna[/name] - love this name I have never liked [name]Hannah[/name] but I adore [name]Anna[/name] the sound of [name]Anna[/name] is really lyrical and pretty. To be honest I adore the simplicity of [name]Anna[/name] and as she has significance to you I’d defiantly use. I love the combination of [name]Anna[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name]! I also like [name]Anna[/name] [name]Judith[/name].

[name]Charlotte[/name] - this name is really elegant, historically rich, and sweet. She’s an adorable choice. I also like the nickname [name]Lottie[/name]. [name]Charlotte[/name] would work well with many of middle name choices. I love [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Anna[/name] (also [name]Anna[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name]) or [name]Charlotte[/name] [name]Mary[/name].

[name]Marion[/name] - A strong, majestic name! [name]Marion[/name] is a lovely classic and I think she sounds very romantic. I also love the associations of the name [name]Marion[/name]. She’s stunning. I think [name]Marion[/name] is defiantly ready for a comeback. I like the idea of [name]Marion[/name] [name]Nicole[/name]. [name]Nicole[/name] makes [name]Marion[/name] sound younger as well.

[name]Simone[/name] - I like this name she sounds very pretty and feels very ‘French’ which I think is rather refreshing. I think [name]Simone[/name] [name]Judith[/name] sounds rather pretty.

[name]Cecile[/name] - I personally prefer [name]Cecily[/name] or [name]Cecilia[/name] their prettier and sound softer. I think [name]Cecile[/name] [name]Anna[/name] sounds pretty.

[name]Josephine[/name] - I love this name, she’s timely and fresh! [name]Josephine[/name] feels very elegant and wholesome. A great choice I also love the nickname [name]Josie[/name]. [name]Josephine[/name] [name]Mary[/name] feels really classic.

[name]Marguerite[/name] - I think this name is rather classical and elegant. However despite this I’m unsure on whether I actually like [name]Marguerite[/name]. I think [name]Marguerite[/name] would sound pretty with a light name like [name]Poppy[/name] or [name]Rose[/name].

[name]Beatrice[/name] - I love this name, she’s really pretty. I love the [name]Shakespeare[/name] association as well. I think [name]Beatrice[/name] [name]Nicole[/name] sounds sweet.

I think these names fit in with your son’s names well!

16

[name]Anna[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name] or [name]Anna[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] are great choices.

17

I like [name]Simone[/name] [name]Marguerite[/name] :slight_smile:

18

Thanks again everyone, you all have such great ideas! I REALLY appreciate all the time and effort you’ve put in.
Evetallulah, I also [name]LOVE[/name] [name]Anna[/name] [name]Simone[/name]. Its been a name that keeps popping into my mind, but as a double-barrel name: [name]Anna[/name]-[name]Simone[/name]. Problem is that I don’t particularly like double-barrel names, and also I feel [name]Anna[/name]-[name]Simone[/name] is a ‘bit too much’ of a name, non? wdyt? Although I meet little [name]Lily[/name]-[name]Rose[/name]'s, [name]Anne[/name]-[name]Sophie[/name]‘s and [name]Pierre[/name]-[name]Louis[/name]’ all the time and I think they are all quite lovely names.
Tori101, [name]Anna[/name] [name]Judith[/name] is definitely my ‘safe and comfortable’ name. It really has everything going for it: bilingual, family name ([name]Anna[/name] is my hubbies grandmother and [name]Judith[/name] is my mother, so, like our boys names, she would have one name from each family), important meaning, etc. I just feel next to, say [name]Josephine[/name] or [name]Beatrice[/name], that it is too plain. I mean, everyone knows an [name]Anna[/name] and all the [name]Anna[/name] celebrities are known by their last names…
Teacherma, I also really like [name]Marion[/name] [name]Judith[/name]. I know it is very chic in French, but in English there still seems to be a lot of 50-60 year old ladies around named such, non?
I love, love, love [name]Maude[/name] too (French pronunciation). My brother, who lives with the rest of my family in an English speaking province, said “you mean like the ‘mode’ button on a TV clicker?”. This kinda threw me off, considering there is a good chance we will one day move to an anglo city.
As for [name]Charlotte[/name]. My hubby continues to name our ‘bump’ Silotte (Silotte = [name]Simon[/name] or [name]Charlotte[/name]). But will she be one of four other [name]Charlotte[/name]'s in her class? Should I even care if she is?
Yup, I’m clearly on the neurotic side of baby-naming :wink:
Thanks again for humouring me. [name]Happy[/name] weekend to all!
ps- As much as I LOVE the suggestions of Anna Beatrice, Simone Marguerite, etc. the middle name really has to be one of: Anna, Mary, Judith or Nicole (all family names).
pps- peacelovepurple, yes, I do like Margot, but we have a friend who just named her daughter such. Thanks for the idea though!

19

[name]Marion[/name] or [name]Charlotte[/name] are my top picks. Although I love the other berry’s suggestion of [name]Anna[/name] [name]Simone[/name]…

20

These names are all lovely.

I love the double first, [name]Anna[/name]-[name]Simone[/name]. It does not seem too much to me. [name]Anna[/name]-[name]Simone[/name] [name]Beatrice[/name] is gorgeous (in French and English)!

I also have to give a second to [name]Maude[/name]. It is coming back along with the other “grandmother” names. I understand your wanting to use the French pronunciation however the English is pretty cute too. If it is a big deal that it always be said the French way then perhaps it is not the best choice for the first name. [name]Maude[/name] does not seem to go with your middle choices though. [name]Maude[/name] [name]Nicolette[/name] to incorporate [name]Nicole[/name]?

I also have a [name]Marion[/name] in my family tree. I like this name quite a bit. It is coming back in style too (at least in the US). I prefer the more feminine [name]Marian[/name] spelling but am not sure if that would effect the French pronunciation. [name]Marianne[/name] is a good elaboration idea: [name]Marianne[/name] [name]Cecile[/name] is lovely. [name]Marian[/name] [name]Charlotte[/name] is a pretty combo. Since [name]Mary[/name] and [name]Marian[/name] both come from [name]Mary[/name] perhaps that would work?

Why don’t you think [name]Simone[/name] fits with [name]Louis[/name] and [name]Eddie[/name]? I don’t see it being so different. [name]Simone[/name] [name]Mary[/name] is very nice, classic.

To me, your middles [name]Judith[/name] and [name]Nicole[/name] are not ready for comebacks yet but it also does not matter as much in the middle spot. [name]Mary[/name] and [name]Anna[/name] are classics that will generally work with any first name of the classic style you prefer.

good luck!

21

[name]Simon[/name] for a son is so perfect. It is a very handsome name, very distinguished and a real classic.

I think a smush of [name]Anna[/name] and [name]Marion[/name] making [name]Marianne[/name] would be a good choice.

[name]Marianne[/name] is lovely I do like [name]Anna[/name]-[name]Simone[/name] is a lovely choice but I would be sorry to see [name]Simon[/name] out of the picture, and in an English society [name]Anna[/name]-[name]Simone[/name] would obviously become just [name]Anna[/name].

rollo