Baby name in English / en français
October 27, 2016 1:19 PM Subscribe
Need help with our baby name list! We are looking for ideas of baby girl names that are pronounced identically (or very nearly so) in French and in English.
We are a French and English speaking family expecting a baby girl in a few months. Our primary criterion for a name is that the name is pronounced identically in both French and English. We want something that both sets of grandparents will pronounce the same. We have a short list and are a bit stuck -- can you help us with ideas of names that we might have missed?
Just for clarity, Claire would work since it is pronounced the same. Rachel or Audrey would not work, because the pronunciation is quite different even though they are fairly common names in both languages.
Our style is more simple and classic than creative, but don't let that limit you, we'll happily consider all ideas.
Thanks for your help!
We are a French and English speaking family expecting a baby girl in a few months. Our primary criterion for a name is that the name is pronounced identically in both French and English. We want something that both sets of grandparents will pronounce the same. We have a short list and are a bit stuck -- can you help us with ideas of names that we might have missed?
Just for clarity, Claire would work since it is pronounced the same. Rachel or Audrey would not work, because the pronunciation is quite different even though they are fairly common names in both languages.
Our style is more simple and classic than creative, but don't let that limit you, we'll happily consider all ideas.
Thanks for your help!
Marie (which happens to be my daughter's name)
posted by Confess, Fletch at 1:23 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Confess, Fletch at 1:23 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Renee, Amelie, Charlotte (depending on how accented), Adele, Juliet(te), Sophie, Emily, Marianne, Yvonne, Zoe (maybe), Simone, Veronique. Lots of other -ette names, too.
posted by stillmoving at 1:24 PM on October 27, 2016
posted by stillmoving at 1:24 PM on October 27, 2016
Laetitia
posted by monkeymonkey at 1:24 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by monkeymonkey at 1:24 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Delphine, Sophie, Isabelle, Monique, Claudette (I think would be the same). Those may all be on your list already.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:25 PM on October 27, 2016
posted by Lyn Never at 1:25 PM on October 27, 2016
Nina?
posted by heavenknows at 1:27 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by heavenknows at 1:27 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Danielle, Céline
posted by carolr at 1:29 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by carolr at 1:29 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Clara
posted by DarlingBri at 1:32 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 1:32 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Élodie
posted by xo at 1:37 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by xo at 1:37 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Elise
Sophie
Delphine
Chloe
Camille
Giselle
Odette
Margaux
posted by erst at 1:39 PM on October 27, 2016
Sophie
Delphine
Chloe
Camille
Giselle
Odette
Margaux
posted by erst at 1:39 PM on October 27, 2016
Amy/Aimee
posted by metaseeker at 1:47 PM on October 27, 2016
posted by metaseeker at 1:47 PM on October 27, 2016
Michelle
posted by fingersandtoes at 1:48 PM on October 27, 2016
posted by fingersandtoes at 1:48 PM on October 27, 2016
Natalie?
posted by gregvr at 1:50 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by gregvr at 1:50 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Several of those names have the stress in the different place in English and French: Emily/Emilie, Natalie, Edith, Sophie, Josephine, Isabelle, Charlotte, for example.
posted by TheRaven at 1:55 PM on October 27, 2016 [15 favorites]
posted by TheRaven at 1:55 PM on October 27, 2016 [15 favorites]
Esme or Camille.
posted by intergalacticvelvet at 2:16 PM on October 27, 2016
posted by intergalacticvelvet at 2:16 PM on October 27, 2016
Renee (R's are a bit different in both languages, but you'd have that problem with Claire, too, right?)
Aimee
Louise
Simone
posted by vunder at 2:17 PM on October 27, 2016
Aimee
Louise
Simone
posted by vunder at 2:17 PM on October 27, 2016
I'm biased but how about Melanie/Mélanie. Bonus is that it can be spelled with or without the accent.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 2:18 PM on October 27, 2016
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 2:18 PM on October 27, 2016
Regarding the claim that "Emily" sounds the same in French and English: I took after-school French lessons when I was about 11. One day, after we'd been taking lessons together for more than six months, one of the other students was stunned to learn that my name was not, as she'd thought based on hearing the teacher address me, "Amy Lee".
posted by Lexica at 2:23 PM on October 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Lexica at 2:23 PM on October 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
Julie/Julia are pretty close.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:31 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:31 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Ariane (like the rocket.)
Jeanette.
(Give yourselves a little slack on pronunciation and stressing: imagine if one set of grandparents was from Alabama and the other from Aberdeen.)
posted by holgate at 2:41 PM on October 27, 2016 [7 favorites]
Jeanette.
(Give yourselves a little slack on pronunciation and stressing: imagine if one set of grandparents was from Alabama and the other from Aberdeen.)
posted by holgate at 2:41 PM on October 27, 2016 [7 favorites]
Cecile (my niece's French father and my British half-sister pronounce her name the same way)
Colette (my mother-in-law's name, her family is French but she's born and raised in the South - her French and English relatives pronounce her name the same way)
posted by Everydayville at 2:54 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Colette (my mother-in-law's name, her family is French but she's born and raised in the South - her French and English relatives pronounce her name the same way)
posted by Everydayville at 2:54 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
The simpler, the more similar: Anne.
posted by zadcat at 3:59 PM on October 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by zadcat at 3:59 PM on October 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
Michelle sounds pretty fool-proof to me.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 4:07 PM on October 27, 2016
posted by LoonyLovegood at 4:07 PM on October 27, 2016
Alizé
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:19 PM on October 27, 2016
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:19 PM on October 27, 2016
Adrienne
posted by TheCavorter at 4:43 PM on October 27, 2016
posted by TheCavorter at 4:43 PM on October 27, 2016
Camille is pronounced quite differently in French and English IMO.
Delphine
Odette
Sabine
Suzanne
Annabelle
Isabelle
Louise
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 4:46 PM on October 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
Delphine
Odette
Sabine
Suzanne
Annabelle
Isabelle
Louise
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 4:46 PM on October 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
Madeline
Genevieve (eh, though I guess this could be "Jen-eh-veev" or "John-vee-ev" so maybe not?)
Eloise
Chandler
posted by Hermione Granger at 5:51 PM on October 27, 2016
Genevieve (eh, though I guess this could be "Jen-eh-veev" or "John-vee-ev" so maybe not?)
Eloise
Chandler
posted by Hermione Granger at 5:51 PM on October 27, 2016
Noelle
posted by Ms Vegetable at 5:57 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Ms Vegetable at 5:57 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Eloise
Anais
Rachelle
Liane
Liette
Cora
Lara
posted by foxjacket at 6:15 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Anais
Rachelle
Liane
Liette
Cora
Lara
posted by foxjacket at 6:15 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sylvie
Sophie
Anais
Sabine
Madeleine
Claudine
Marguerite
Camille
Denise
Elisabeth
Fleur
Gabrielle
Giselle
Nathalie
Nannette
Violette
Vivienne
Dominique
posted by Pearl928 at 7:34 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sophie
Anais
Sabine
Madeleine
Claudine
Marguerite
Camille
Denise
Elisabeth
Fleur
Gabrielle
Giselle
Nathalie
Nannette
Violette
Vivienne
Dominique
posted by Pearl928 at 7:34 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Celine
Alexis
Adele
Emma
Tiffany
Naomi
Noemi
Lucy
Lucille
Sophie
Sophia
Noa
Elle
Ella
Belle
Bella
Diana
Diane
Sadie
Layla
Wendy
Colette
Lacey
Lisa
Lise
posted by defreckled at 7:42 PM on October 27, 2016
Alexis
Adele
Emma
Tiffany
Naomi
Noemi
Lucy
Lucille
Sophie
Sophia
Noa
Elle
Ella
Belle
Bella
Diana
Diane
Sadie
Layla
Wendy
Colette
Lacey
Lisa
Lise
posted by defreckled at 7:42 PM on October 27, 2016
On checking the name Krista, I found this site. Might be useful to assess just how different the pronunciation will be. I think there's always going to be a bit of difference.
Do not choose Heather. Very tricky for french people.
posted by kjs4 at 8:50 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Do not choose Heather. Very tricky for french people.
posted by kjs4 at 8:50 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
A lot of the names mentioned have a different stressed syllable in French and English.
Of all of them, Michelle and Louise seem like the ones that sound most similar in both languages.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:03 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Of all of them, Michelle and Louise seem like the ones that sound most similar in both languages.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:03 PM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
+1 to Underpants Monster, a LOT of these names sound totally different pronounced by a native French speaker...
I knew a woman whose parents had the exact same question and settled on Annique - usually it's spelled Annick in French, but English speakers read that phonetically as ANN-ick. However, the spelling "Annique" meant that English speakers got it right and French speakers figured it out.
posted by potrzebie at 9:20 PM on October 27, 2016
I knew a woman whose parents had the exact same question and settled on Annique - usually it's spelled Annick in French, but English speakers read that phonetically as ANN-ick. However, the spelling "Annique" meant that English speakers got it right and French speakers figured it out.
posted by potrzebie at 9:20 PM on October 27, 2016
Come on, people. Not anything ending in th.
posted by bibliotropic at 12:07 AM on October 28, 2016
posted by bibliotropic at 12:07 AM on October 28, 2016
I'm a Danielle! It's not quite pronounced the same in suburban Australia (dan-e-yell) as in Paris but it's closer!
posted by ozgirlabroad at 2:06 AM on October 28, 2016
posted by ozgirlabroad at 2:06 AM on October 28, 2016
We just had a group of French exchange students (northern France) and they definitely pronounced Camille differently than we Midwesterners. Them: Cam-EEE. U: Ca-MEAL.
Our student was Maxine and our pronunciations were pretty darned similar. My daughter is Sophie; same thing. Slightly different syllable emphasis, but very close.
posted by cooker girl at 4:15 AM on October 28, 2016
Our student was Maxine and our pronunciations were pretty darned similar. My daughter is Sophie; same thing. Slightly different syllable emphasis, but very close.
posted by cooker girl at 4:15 AM on October 28, 2016
Astrid is similar, but not exactly the same in both languages.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 5:26 AM on October 28, 2016
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 5:26 AM on October 28, 2016
On further reflection, I don't know if Celeste is pronounced the same; the first e might be "ay" in French. You'll have similar problems with anything that has i in the first syllable, like Giselle. In French it would be "ee," and English it would be "ih."
I mean, it depends if you are going for "no one in France will ever know this child is American" or "this name is mutually intelligible to both French/English speakers, and the child will understand it is her that is being beckoned by either group."
posted by AFABulous at 6:44 AM on October 28, 2016
I mean, it depends if you are going for "no one in France will ever know this child is American" or "this name is mutually intelligible to both French/English speakers, and the child will understand it is her that is being beckoned by either group."
posted by AFABulous at 6:44 AM on October 28, 2016
Anything starting with G is going to have a different G sound in English and French (jee-jee vs zhee-zhee, ji-zell vs. zhee-zel). How much of a bother is that to you? (For me, the different Rs wouldn't register as different letters, but the different Gs would.)
posted by lazuli at 7:17 AM on October 28, 2016
posted by lazuli at 7:17 AM on October 28, 2016
We are also a French/ English speaking family. We went with Annika.
posted by Rapunzel1111 at 7:59 AM on October 28, 2016
posted by Rapunzel1111 at 7:59 AM on October 28, 2016
Lisette.
posted by Constant Reader at 12:24 PM on October 28, 2016
posted by Constant Reader at 12:24 PM on October 28, 2016
Hey I'm French and I just wanted to say that some of the names suggested here are, hm, of another generation. Especially Colette, Claudine, Claudette, Odile, Odette, Yvette or Véronique. I think these are beautiful names but not a lot of young French parents would call their baby with those names.
posted by Ifite at 12:31 PM on October 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Ifite at 12:31 PM on October 28, 2016 [2 favorites]
Just wanted to add to my plugs for Michelle and Louise that they both come with built-in songs.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:56 PM on October 28, 2016
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:56 PM on October 28, 2016
Maya, Rayanne, Zoya...are decently close
posted by eisforcool at 3:11 PM on October 28, 2016
posted by eisforcool at 3:11 PM on October 28, 2016
Corrine, Alexa, Alexandra, Sandra, Carole, Sasha, Tanya, Sonia.
posted by mareli at 4:45 PM on October 28, 2016
posted by mareli at 4:45 PM on October 28, 2016
Cosette
Linda
Agree that Camille is not pronounced the same in both languages. I don't think Alexis is either. Anything with an "r" like Renee, Gabrielle, Marie, are probably a no-go either.
(Also, I am assuming that you are comfortable with a little wiggle room in pronunciation, and are more concerned about it sounding like a completely different name.)
posted by radioamy at 7:56 PM on October 28, 2016
Linda
Agree that Camille is not pronounced the same in both languages. I don't think Alexis is either. Anything with an "r" like Renee, Gabrielle, Marie, are probably a no-go either.
(Also, I am assuming that you are comfortable with a little wiggle room in pronunciation, and are more concerned about it sounding like a completely different name.)
posted by radioamy at 7:56 PM on October 28, 2016
Hey, I hate to be negative, but I disagree with many of the suggestions. You asked for names that are pronounced almost identically in French and English, and many of the suggested names have a strong emphasis on the last syllable in French. Eg. SoPHIE, SylVIE, CharLOTTE. Sounds quite different to me, more than just a slight difference in accent. I think names containing "r", "j" or soft "g" would be okay if you'd accept a slight difference in accent.
For some more ideas, how about checking out some of the top baby name lists from France and Quebec? Some more workable names I see from those lists are:
Gabrielle
Eloise
Juliette
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 6:07 AM on October 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
For some more ideas, how about checking out some of the top baby name lists from France and Quebec? Some more workable names I see from those lists are:
Gabrielle
Eloise
Juliette
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 6:07 AM on October 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
Lucy?
Our little girls name is Evangeline, not sure how that is pronounced in French, but it appears there are many ways to pronounce it in general. Also lots of nicknames! We calls ours Evie (EV),
posted by Rocket26 at 11:54 AM on October 30, 2016
Our little girls name is Evangeline, not sure how that is pronounced in French, but it appears there are many ways to pronounce it in general. Also lots of nicknames! We calls ours Evie (EV),
posted by Rocket26 at 11:54 AM on October 30, 2016
Especially Colette, Claudine, Claudette, Odile, Odette, Yvette or Véronique. I think these are beautiful names but not a lot of young French parents would call their baby with those names.
Anecdata, I know a 2 year old named Colette in the US. Everything old is new again!
posted by jillithd at 6:37 AM on October 31, 2016
Anecdata, I know a 2 year old named Colette in the US. Everything old is new again!
posted by jillithd at 6:37 AM on October 31, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by briank at 1:23 PM on October 27, 2016 [1 favorite]