Maybe this is a bit of a longshot, but does anyone know what names are considered “vintage” in [name]France[/name]? Like, here in [name]England[/name], I’d consider the names [name]Violet[/name], [name]Lillian[/name] and [name]Audrey[/name] to be vintage. What is the French equivalent to that vintage style? Or just vintage sounding names?
I actually have the name [name]Adelie[/name] on my list… My family is from [name]France[/name], and when I asked a very similar question of them (back in [name]France[/name], [name]Ive[/name] never lived there), They suggested [name]Adelie[/name]. I love the name, and there is really sweet story of a french explorer who after being lost at sea for years, found Antarctica, and named the coast of [name]Adelie[/name] after his wife back in [name]France[/name].
Other than that, similar is [name]Adeline[/name], [name]Amabel[/name], [name]Bernadette[/name], [name]Carolina[/name], [name]Charlotte[/name], [name]Elodie[/name], [name]Eloise[/name], [name]Emmeline[/name], [name]Estelle[/name], [name]Esme[/name], [name]Faye[/name], [name]Genevieve[/name], [name]Noelle[/name], [name]Odette[/name]… Those are the ones I’d consider at least. Good luck!
That’s such a sweet story! I love [name]Adelie[/name], [name]Eloise[/name] and [name]Esme[/name] 
Hmm, I’m not sure! My best friend was French, she passed away last [name]December[/name], but after she passed on her little sister and I were talking, and since we both have an interest in names, I would ask her what’s in style and what’s not, etc., and she said that right now [name]Juliette[/name] is seen as a very chic, vintage French name over there, it’s quite old-lady (sort of like [name]Beatrice[/name] here?) but still classic and it’s starting to be appealing again.
When I’m looking for a French name for a story, I always consult this site:
http://www.babynamefacts.com/popularnames/countries.php?country=FRN
It gives an idea of the names most popular in a lot of countries for certain years… of course, most countries don’t go back as far as the US/SSA list, but it does help a little. I’m not sure even the farthest ones back on that site would be considered vintage, though–when my friend was pregnant with her triplets in 2010, I had suggested [name]Isabelle[/name] (which was on the 1965 list), and she said that was still considered pretty dated. So I’m guessing [name]Sylvie[/name] and [name]Nathalie[/name] are in that boat, as well.
Sorry I don’t have more answers, but hopefully someone will have some suggestions. @thetxbelle has an excellent handle on French names, so hopefully she’ll answer and have some help for you.
Good luck!
These baby names are currently popular in [name]Quebec[/name]:
[name]Coralie[/name]
[name]Rosalie[/name]
[name]Amelie[/name]
[name]Aurelie[/name]
[name]Ophelie[/name]
[name]Noemie[/name]
[name]Maelie[/name]
[name]Maelle[/name]
[name]Maeva[/name]
[name]Eliane[/name]
[name]Ariane[/name]
[name]Lea[/name]
[name]Camille[/name]
[name]Delphine[/name]
[name]Oceane[/name]
They all sound very vintage
I have zero clue if it’s vintage or not, but I have a French friend called Nadege. I think that name is so elegant and beautiful. (The problem, of course, would be getting the ‘zh’ pn on the ‘g’, in a non-French-speaking country.)
Really? I don’t think it’d be a problem at all. Then again, one of my sister’s best friends is named Nadege, the “zh” part has never been a problem. The problem I can see is the "E"s. My sister’s friend pronounces it nah-DEEZH, not nah-DEZH with a soft “E”. I would think as soon as you pronounce it, people wouldn’t have a problem with it.
My friend pronounces it the French way, -DEZH. (With a kind of downward inflection to the ‘e’). I don’t think she’s ever had a problem with the ‘e’, but I know that some people keep calling pronouncing the ‘zh’ as a hard ‘j’ sound. Like her name is Nadej.
I’m sort of half awake so there’s probably some repeats or misspellings but this is a list of vintage and ancient names that are used in [name]France[/name], some of these are getting popular again since [name]France[/name] seems to be following the same naming trends as the US and UK. I didn’t really include a lot of names from the 50s-70s since I wasn’t sure if those would be considered vintage for a really old country like [name]France[/name] but I would be happy to make you a list of some if you want one. Compound names like [name]Marie[/name]-[name]Alice[/name] are vintage too but there’s a million of them, most of the names in my sig are vintage as well. [name]Hope[/name] you find some inspiration!
[name]Ali[/name]énor - very old name!
[name]Apolline[/name]
[name]El[/name]éonore
[name]Faustine[/name]
Bérénice
[name]Madeleine[/name]
[name]Agathe[/name]
[name]Eglantine[/name]
[name]Constance[/name]
Clémence
[name]Flavie[/name]
Auxane
[name]Clothilde[/name]/[name]Clotilde[/name]
Césarine
[name]Hortense[/name]
Ombeline
[name]Ondine[/name]
Salomé
[name]Val[/name]ériane
[name]Victorine[/name]
Zéphyrine
Eudoxie
Eugénie
Sigolène
Céleste
Célestine
Léopoldine
[name]Isaline[/name]
[name]Yseult[/name]/[name]Iseult[/name]
[name]Rosalie[/name]
[name]Valentine[/name]
[name]Juliette[/name]
[name]Florentine[/name]
[name]Josephine[/name]
[name]Sixtine[/name]
[name]Louise[/name]
[name]Olympe[/name]
[name]Philippine[/name]
Philomène
[name]Sidonie[/name]
[name]Blanche[/name]
[name]Alix[/name]
[name]Diane[/name]
Daphnée
Cleophée
Mélisande
Euphrasie
Vincian
Aubane
[name]Ad[/name]élie
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I love the sound of [name]Isaline[/name], but I can’t seem to find information on it anywhere… Is it a legit name?
I meant to say Isoline but Yes, [name]Isaline[/name] is legitimate name that was rarely used until recently. As far as I know [name]Isaline[/name], Isoline and Ysaline are all related to [name]Elisabeth[/name]. Here is a link to a graph of the names if you like
Isaline[URL=“Isoline” I would also add [name]Isaure[/name] to the list since its very old but more recognizable and has recently gained a lot of popularity.
I promise all of these names are legit
My French friend has a list on her blog, Pretty Prenoms, which has American names and their equivalents in [name]France[/name]. Here are the “grandma” names.
[name]Madeleine[/name]
[name]Berthe[/name]
[name]Louise[/name]
[name]Henriette[/name]
[name]Augustine[/name]
[name]Blanche[/name]
[name]Juliette[/name]
[name]Antoinette[/name]
Léontine
[name]Cecile[/name]
[name]Eva[/name]
[name]Marie[/name]
Anyways, here is the post in full: The Trendy French Names and Their American Equivalents | Pretty Prenoms
@txbelle: Omg, I have a new love. [name]Flavie[/name]. I already loved [name]Flavia[/name], and I guess [name]Flavie[/name] could be a nn for it or stand on its own. [name]Do[/name] they prn it Flay-vee or Flah-vee? I prefer Flah-vee but Id like to know the real prn. Actually now that I think about it it prob has the -a sound at the end, like Flavia, huh?
It’s like “flah vee” but the A in “flah” is more like the A in “fat” but still with the H if that makes sense or you can listen here which is probably more help then I am lol: http://www.forvo.com/search/flavie/
Ok, thanks. I really love [name]Flavie[/name]!