My husband and I love the name Prune. To replace the context: He is American, I’m French, we live in France. We are not planning to move back to the US but our children (L.iv Marlowe & E.lliott Everest) have both nationalities and could, if they decide to, live their life in America.
Prune is a French word. The equivalent of “plum” in English.
My question is: Is Prune usable? Would Brune be a better choice?
Hello! [name_f]French[/name_f] speaker here. I like both [name_f]Prune[/name_f] and [name_f]Brune[/name_f] personally (so chic!), however, I’m afraid [name_f]Prune[/name_f] would be a rather challenging name in English-speaking countries.
What is giving me pause here is the fact that you apparently do not plan to move back to the US; so I guess the possibility of your child(ren) ever moving there is currently a distant one.
[name_f]Do[/name_f] you like [name_f]Brune[/name_f] as much as [name_f]Prune[/name_f], or would you use it “just in case”?
Given that you’re in France and intend to stay there, it could work. It was in the Top 500 fairly recently - so familiar but unusual?
I do prefer Brune tbh - stylish and sweet - but then it’s hard to shake the English associations from Prune and I don’t think I can objectively judge it? However, I feel that Brune would work better internationally - like L and E’s names do
I think that’s a good question - would Brune feel like a compromise or do you like it for itself too?
Concerning our plans about moving or not, we are currently not considering the US, but [name_f]Canada[/name_f] is a solid option. If that changes your opinion. We also visit my husband’s family every 2 years for summer, so our children will be familiar with the country, the American culture, etc.
We love [name_f]Brune[/name_f] just as much as we love [name_f]Prune[/name_f]
If there is a remote possibility of your child returning to an Anglophone setting, I would advise against naming them [name_f]Prune[/name_f]. Your other two children have lovely, internationally appropriate names. If I was named [name_f]Prune[/name_f] and my siblings were named L.iv & E.lliot I would be salty
Can confirm that the name Prune would definitely not work well for English-speakers in Canada, as it just sounds like the dried fruit (& is also associated with wrinkles and, shall we say, the digestive system). Fluency in French is fairly low outside Quebec, so most people would be unlikely to recognize this as a French name. I think the potential for teasing would be quite high, and the general reaction to the name would not be any different from in the USA.
Brune would work better (although it might sometimes be mis-heard as Prune).
I’m torn because I think [name_f]Prune[/name_f] would be ADORABLE, but I do feel like that’s my experience with [name_f]French[/name_f] culture talking… one of my dearest friends several years ago lived in [name_m]Paris[/name_m] and she babysat two girls named [name_f]Anabelle[/name_f] and [name_f]Prune[/name_f] - they were so sweet! One day [name_f]Prune[/name_f] learned her name meant “plum” and thought her classmates were mocking her name so she didn’t want to go by [name_f]Prune[/name_f] anymore (so sad! [name_f]Prune[/name_f] is so fun in French), so she went by [name_f]Pru[/name_f] after that. I do think [name_f]Pru[/name_f] makes [name_f]Prune[/name_f] more usable, and I love [name_f]Prune[/name_f] with your older two. There’s nothing wrong with [name_f]Brune[/name_f] but I definitely find [name_f]Prune[/name_f] much more appealing (maybe because of how meaningful plums are to me?). Plus I think [name_f]Prune[/name_f] would be more easy to wear in [name_f]Canada[/name_f] as opposed to the US.
I think I’m too close to recommend but my heart is with [name_f]Prune[/name_f], and I wanted to share the real-life experience in case it was helpful.
Good luck!
Would you consider [name_f]Prue[/name_f] or [name_f]Prunella[/name_f]? I think they’re easier to wear than [name_f]Prune[/name_f]. But I am speaking as an [name_f]English[/name_f] person where prunes are dried plums that make a fab laxative lol. I really like [name_f]Prue[/name_f]. [name_m]Or[/name_m] even [name_f]Bruna[/name_f]. I am just not sure how usable [name_f]Prune[/name_f] would be outside of [name_f]France[/name_f].
This. Suitability in anglophone countries aside, I’m just not sure that [name_f]Prune[/name_f] gels nicely with the sibs unfortunately. [name_f]Love[/name_f] the suggestion of [name_f]Prue[/name_f]!
I have both nationalities too and that’s a name I would have vetoed because it doesn’t work well in [name_f]English[/name_f] in my opinion. [name_m]Just[/name_m] as [name_f]Prue[/name_f] is a lovely suggestion but doesn’t work in [name_f]French[/name_f].
