She’s here…Eloise or Camille

Hello to anyone reading this,
Please help us…
Our baby girl has arrived and we narrowed our name choices to two : [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] and [name_f]Camille[/name_f] and we planned to pick the name once we saw her. But, once she was here, we still couldn’t decide. We’ve tried spending a day calling her by each of the names and nicknames we like (Millie or Ella) and that hasn’t helped us make a decision either, we’ve just been going around in circles.

Ultimately, we like both names, and I’m sure we will like whatever name we go with, so we are in a good starting place. But each name has something that is preventing us from committing to one over the other. Our hesitations for each name are:

[name_f]Camille[/name_f]: is pronounced differently in [name_f]English[/name_f] and [name_m]French[/name_m]. We live in an [name_f]English[/name_f] speaking country but one of us is [name_m]French[/name_m] and we travel back to [name_f]France[/name_f] regularly to see family. We discussed that we can just use the [name_f]English[/name_f] form when we are speaking [name_f]English[/name_f] and [name_m]French[/name_m] form in [name_f]France[/name_f] / around [name_m]French[/name_m] people. But is this unnecessarily confusing? Also, the [name_f]English[/name_f] speaking partner only has an intermediate level of [name_m]French[/name_m], so switching between the two languages does not come as naturally

[name_f]Eloise[/name_f]: is it going to become too popular? I know in the USA it is, but where we are it’s about 3 quarters down the top 100. But with Bridgerton and an influencer recently using the name, it makes us pause. Not the mention the number of “Elle” sounding names out there. We already have a son who we were going to call Theodore/Theo but we didn’t at the last minute and we have been happy that we didn’t because we are surrounded by so many of them in a similar age group. At the time [name_m]Theo[/name_m] was also ranked around 75 and now it’s a top 5 name. Is [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] our [name_m]Theodore[/name_m]?

Would love to know your thoughts and/or preferences on our options. For reference our son is called [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] (nickname Ceddy) and we would love the names to sound cohesive together, so we would also love to know which you think sounds better:
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m] and [name_f]Camille[/name_f] / Ceddy and [name_f]Millie[/name_f]
[name_m]Cedric[/name_m] and [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] / Ceddy and [name_f]Ella[/name_f]

Congratulations!

Both names are lovely but I’d be concerned about confusing your daughter with changing the pronunciation each time. For that reason alone I’d probably choose [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] even though the popularity will no doubt continue to rise.

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Congratulations on your newest addition :tada:

I personally do not think it would be unnecessarily confusing to use different pronunciations of [name_f]Camille[/name_f] depending on where you are! I had a friend named [name_f]Andrea[/name_f] growing up who went by the [name_f]English[/name_f] pronunciation at school, but the Spanish pronunciation with family. I knew her best in elementary school, and it didn’t seem to be a problem for her! I think that if the [name_m]French[/name_m] parent occasionally used the [name_m]French[/name_m] pronunciation at home (maybe as a form of endearment), your daughter would be able to transition between the two easily on trips and around family members. I really think it is very doable :slight_smile: One other thing to consider with [name_f]Camille[/name_f] is if you have another child, would you feel compelled or pressured to pick another C name, or would you be fine having 2 kids with a C name and 2 without.

As for [name_f]Eloise[/name_f], it is so hard to know about whether a name will continue to rise and to what extent. I hope [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] won’t for your sake! I know you are not in the US, but I can access popularity data, and it looks like [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] has been slowly steadying up the charts, peaking now at #80. This may mean it keeps climbing , or maybe it will plateau. We chose this for a middle name for our daughter, and I’ve noticed that my husband and I pronounce it differently (he does more of a soft s sound for the S, but I do a z sound). I am sure you and your partner pronounce it the same as each other, but do you pronounce it the same as the people in your area? If not, does that bother you?

Both are lovely options, and I hope you are able to see which one is best for your family and child!

From my experience, using different pronunciations isn’t confusing! I have a lot of friends who do this due to mixed heritage and it’s never bothered them or confused them at all. I also had to do this myself when I lived abroad, and it was no trouble adjusting to a different pronunciation of my name, since it still sounded similar enough! So I think Camille would be perfectly fine.

I do like Camille better for you! If you didn’t care about popularity, it’d be a tougher decision, but since you do seem to mind it, I’d definitely avoid El- names. There are just very many of them that are trending: Ella, Ellie, Eleanor, Elena, Eliana, Elizabeth, Eliza, Elodie, and Eloise itself. As lovely as they are, if you dislike the idea of a very popular name, having a daughter called Eloise / Ella is probably not the best choice.

Plus, I think Millie is just the sweetest nickname, and in my opinion Camille is a fantastic match with Cedric, which is a more unexpected name!

Congratulations!!!

We’re also a bilingual family and we live in one country and visit the other regularly. We have 5 kids and only one’s name (Nikolai) is pronounced exactly the same in both languages (3 of them are pretty close, but one is very different - Augusta). And our names (my husband and I) are never pronounced quite right in the other language. Honestly, it’s not a problem at all! In some ways, I find the differences endearing. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though I much prefer the [name_f]English[/name_f] pronunciation of [name_f]Augusta[/name_f], and that’s what we use at home, the Slavic pronunciation has grown on me (even in the 2 shorts weeks that she’s been here) especially how many nicknames they come up with (the nurse called her Augustička - like ow-goose-stitch-ka, which I unexpectedly loved :sweat_smile:). I was worried about the dual pronunciations and that almost kept us from using [name_f]Augusta[/name_f], but I’m so happy we did!

That’s all to say that you might actually find the experience endearing and sweet! [name_m]Ties[/name_m] to each separate culture may help her form her identities in each culture (I’ve talked to many people who find that to be true regarding different versions or pronunciations of their names in different languages).

So my vote goes to [name_f]Camille[/name_f]! And I think it’s adorable with [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] and fits so well stylistically!

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Both are beautiful! Camille/Millie gets my vote!

Congratulations!

Both names are lovely however I do think Eloise has the potential to become your Theodore.

I won’t worry about the different pronounciations of Camille at all. In fact the nicknames we most commonly use for our two daughters are actually just different pronunciations of their names and they don’t find it at all confusing.

Camille/Millie is lovely and I think goes really nicely with Cedric/Ceddy.

[name_f]Camille[/name_f]! [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] will continue to rise and there are so many Ellas/Ellies separate of [name_f]Eloise[/name_f]. The pronunciation doesn’t bother me. Pick the one you like best. Your family can use common sense that you have to pick a name anyway, so it’s okay for you to use the pronunciation of where you live. [name_m]Or[/name_m] let them call her by their pronunication. That’s what a dear friend of mixed Spanish / [name_f]English[/name_f] family does. It’s quite sweet and a nice representation of everyone. Seems like you’re going to call her [name_f]Millie[/name_f] most anyway. Good luck!

I think you are right you won’t be disappointed with either. The issues with both seem really minor. I love [name_f]Eloise[/name_f]. Congratulations!

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I think both names are part of the big picture L / LL trend that’s been been buzzing girls for the last 15 years. My daughter is Willa, and half her class are girls called Ella, Milla, Bella, Mila, Tilly etc. Good news is - if you’re looking to dodge the crazy sub trend of last 8 years - both of your options have more length and don’t end in A!

Eloise is hard to predict as I recall she had a mini spike a while ago, and I just don’t know if E fatigue has set in and she’s had her time for a bit or if Bridgerton will give her another boost. I find Eloise so charming and bubbly (I’m clearly biased!). I really like Camille too, and I’d personally go Cami myself which gives even more of the chic vibes. I would probably pick Camille so at least if you’re in the L trend, you can avoid the LLA one that you wouldn’t avoid with Ella. I think it makes for a very cool, international set and it feels quite old school, understated, curious and polished. Eloise feels more fun and eccentric. If you choose Eloise you might want to go Elo, Lolly, Lois, Elsie, Lilou (just not Ellie) for a change.

Congrats and good luck!

There’s something about [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] and [name_f]Camille[/name_f] as a set that seems right, so I’d pick that, even though I generally prefer [name_f]Eloise[/name_f]. I do think both [name_f]Camille[/name_f] and [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] are fairly popular, but if your default nickname is Elle/Ellie or [name_f]Millie[/name_f], I think [name_f]Millie[/name_f] will be much more distinct.

I don’t think the pronunciation switch in [name_m]French[/name_m] will be difficult as most every name goes through that (and the [name_m]French[/name_m] pronunciation of [name_f]Camille[/name_f] could also be used as a nickname for the [name_f]English[/name_f] pronunciation); with [name_f]Eloise[/name_f], your [name_m]French[/name_m] family will likely spell it with accents, so there’s something that would change with both names.

[name_f]Camille[/name_f] [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] is a beautiful choice and I think [name_f]Camille[/name_f] pairs better with [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] if you don’t already have a middle.

If you’re concerned about [name_f]Eloise[/name_f], I would say it is going to be very popular in the next few years.

I think both names have great pros and great cons, so I’m going to throw this thought into the mix:

[name_f]Do[/name_f] you foresee having more kids?

I think [name_m]Cedric[/name_m] & [name_f]Camille[/name_f] are a stellar set, but if you had another, would this give you a “to C or not to C” issue? Would using [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] open up the naming field a little more for you? [name_m]Or[/name_m] are you finished after baby girl, and this is a moot point?

[name_f]My[/name_f] favourite is [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] :sunflower:

I love the preppy, pretty elegance of [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] she’s so bubbly and sweet. I love the nicknames attached along with the springtime summery feels she provides. However I think [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] is slightly more popular than [name_f]Camille[/name_f]. Still I agree with @EloiseT both names meet the lilting L trend that dominants amongst the charts. So both have the opportunity to be popular. [name_f]My[/name_f] thing with [name_f]Camille[/name_f] is that you could pigeonhole yourself into a C theme with older son C3dric. Either way both names are lovely.

Huge congratulations :tada:

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They’re both stunning choices and both flow wonderfully with brother’s name; you can’t go wrong either way!

Personally though, I love [name_f]Camille[/name_f] “Millie” for you, and I think it’s sweet that brother and sister would share initials! Plus Ceddy and [name_f]Millie[/name_f] are just absolutely adorable together!

I love [name_f]Eloise[/name_f]

I love [name_f]Camille[/name_f] - and it feels like it’s less likely to become super popular. I don’t think the two pronunciations is too big a deal. It’s like, many people have multiple nicknames and pet names and we get used to that easily, so :person_shrugging:

[name_f]My[/name_f] vote is for [name_f]Camille[/name_f]!
It sounds like the only issue for you is the difference in pronunciation but as long as you like the [name_m]French[/name_m] and [name_f]English[/name_f] pronunciation I don’t think this is something to worry about.
If your concern is that it will be confusing for your daughter, let me assure you that it children are amazing and she will very quickly work out that both pronunciations are her name in each language.
Code-switching is a normal part of bilingual family life and I don’t think it’s something you need to shy away from!

[name_f]Camille[/name_f] seems like a very good one for you :smiling_face:

[name_f]Millie[/name_f] is a gorgeous nickname!! If she can adjust to being [name_f]Camille[/name_f] and [name_f]Millie[/name_f] both, she can adjust to being cuh-meel and cah-mee both, in USA and [name_f]France[/name_f]. :wink:

Absolutely gorgeous with brother’s name and definitely isn’t “on the rise” in the same way [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] is!

Both are gorgeous names. Huge congrats!!!

Congrats a million for a healthy birth!

I much prefer [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] to [name_f]Camille[/name_f]
[name_f]Ella[/name_f] is a grear cute name, as is [name_f]Elle[/name_f] and [name_f]Ellie[/name_f]

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