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HelpTrilingual EN-FR-ES boy name
Hi! This is my first time posting here because I have a real conundrum. I am looking for a boy name that works well in English, French and Spanish that is not super common* for their age and is relatively easy to pronounce/spell. The perfect name will be between one to three syllables long because the child will have a three syllable last name. We'd prefer a name that doesn't have a religious meaning as we are not religious. Names associated with nature would be preferred, if possible. We live in a bilingual (English-French) part of Canada and the child will go to a French school, so it is really important that their name sounds good in French but can still be easily pronounced by Spanish and English speaking family and friends.
We are hoping to stay away from Leo-type names (Lionel, Léonel, Léon) because Léonie or Léonore is our top girl name, and if we have a son first we would likely want to save Léonie or Léonore for future use.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Edited to clarify: We have family members with great trilingual names like Félix, Victor, Javier (the Spanish variant of Xavier), Daniel, and Adrian so would prefer to stay away from these great names which we would otherwise consider but are currently being used.
For an indication of our taste, names we like for girls include:
- Léonie or Léonore - technically only a French name but is easy to pronounce or spell in any of the three languages
- Silvia - after my grandmother Silvia, we also like the meaning "forest"
- Béatrice - we like the meaning "traveller", would likely have Spanish-speaking family call her Beatriz
Also edited to remove non-trilingual French names we had previously considered.
*P.S. I realize that it is considered gauche to prefer names that are not "super common"; it's not that we need to find a "unique unicorn", we just don't want our kid to be one of three with the same name in their class. (For reference, my husband has a very common first name which he shares with two of his best friends.)
We are hoping to stay away from Leo-type names (Lionel, Léonel, Léon) because Léonie or Léonore is our top girl name, and if we have a son first we would likely want to save Léonie or Léonore for future use.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Edited to clarify: We have family members with great trilingual names like Félix, Victor, Javier (the Spanish variant of Xavier), Daniel, and Adrian so would prefer to stay away from these great names which we would otherwise consider but are currently being used.
For an indication of our taste, names we like for girls include:
- Léonie or Léonore - technically only a French name but is easy to pronounce or spell in any of the three languages
- Silvia - after my grandmother Silvia, we also like the meaning "forest"
- Béatrice - we like the meaning "traveller", would likely have Spanish-speaking family call her Beatriz
Also edited to remove non-trilingual French names we had previously considered.
*P.S. I realize that it is considered gauche to prefer names that are not "super common"; it's not that we need to find a "unique unicorn", we just don't want our kid to be one of three with the same name in their class. (For reference, my husband has a very common first name which he shares with two of his best friends.)
This message was edited 9/9/2020, 2:09 AM
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
I love challenges like this! I know what you mean, we're Dutch, living in Germany with a child that goes to a Britsh school. So yeah, we're currently doing the Trilingual Challenge as well!
I hope these suggestions are helpful. Some might be slightly religious, but since they used so widely I'm not sure if it bothers you too much (you can always ignore them :P).
Abel
Hugo
Roger
Bruno
Marc
Marco
Marcel
Robert / Roberto (Roberto is sufficiently recognizable internationally in order for it to work I think)
Alan
Albert / Alberto
Alexis
Artur / Arthur
Bernard / Bernardo
Casimir
Edgar
Ernest
Hector
Lambert / Lamberto
Oscar
Quentin
Orlando
Martin
Mateo
Elias / Elías
Florian
Julian / Julián
Milan
Nicolas
Fabian / Fabián
Roman / Román
Ruben / Rubén
Gael / Gaël
René
Luca
I hope these suggestions are helpful. Some might be slightly religious, but since they used so widely I'm not sure if it bothers you too much (you can always ignore them :P).
Abel
Hugo
Roger
Bruno
Marc
Marco
Marcel
Robert / Roberto (Roberto is sufficiently recognizable internationally in order for it to work I think)
Alan
Albert / Alberto
Alexis
Artur / Arthur
Bernard / Bernardo
Casimir
Edgar
Ernest
Hector
Lambert / Lamberto
Oscar
Quentin
Orlando
Martin
Mateo
Elias / Elías
Florian
Julian / Julián
Milan
Nicolas
Fabian / Fabián
Roman / Román
Ruben / Rubén
Gael / Gaël
René
Luca
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This is an incredible list, thank you! My husband who is a Roger Federer fan will be happy to see this list. Gael is a favourite of mine, though I do worry that it might be hard for anglophones who might think it's pronounced "Gale" (though that's not terrible either). I'm saving a number of these to my list. Thank you so much!
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Albert, Alex, Anton, Ariel, Bruno, Damian, Dan, Edgar, Edmund, Eric, Gerard, Gerald, Jordan, Julian, Lucas, Manuel, Marc, Martin, Mateo, Nicholas, Oscar, Patrick, Robert, Reuben, Sebastian, Tristan, Zachary, Max, Carl, Andre, Dante, Dominic, Hugo, Luca, Raul, Tristan
This message was edited 9/9/2020, 2:48 PM
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Ooh, I speak these 3 languages, so I love this challenge. I think Rafael is a great option for you and I love the girls names you've selected. I'm not sure if there's a Top 100 for Canada (I've only seen province-level rankings for BC and Quebec), but will throw some suggestions your way.
First a few comments on your questions:
- Thibault definitely trips up folks who only speak English. I work with a Thibault, and English speakers tend to call him Tybalt (cringe).
- I think Silvester is a great option, and not too long for a 3 syllable last name. That spelling seems the most straightforward for being understood in all 3 languages. I think Anglophones will definitely misspell this if you go with Silvestre or Sylvestre.
- I love Gaspar! Like Gaël, I find it slightly awkward to say in English. But I wouldn't let that stop you from using either one. (Might opt for Gaspar over Gaspard to make it easier for Anglophones.) Caspar is a really great name, though it may be a bit awkward in French/Spanish (unless you just have ppl call him Gaspar) and it will likely be misspelled as Casper in English. Still, not a reason not to use it!
- Rémy is also a great option. I think if you tell Anglophones to pronounce it Remmy, they'll be able to handle it just fine, and I don't see Spanish speakers having an issue pronouncing it. I know one Remy raised in the US with French parents who for some reason goes by Ray-mee and it drives me nuts, but I don't think that would be the default (and even if it is, it would be easy to correct).
A few suggestions I think might appeal to you:
First a few comments on your questions:
- Thibault definitely trips up folks who only speak English. I work with a Thibault, and English speakers tend to call him Tybalt (cringe).
- I think Silvester is a great option, and not too long for a 3 syllable last name. That spelling seems the most straightforward for being understood in all 3 languages. I think Anglophones will definitely misspell this if you go with Silvestre or Sylvestre.
- I love Gaspar! Like Gaël, I find it slightly awkward to say in English. But I wouldn't let that stop you from using either one. (Might opt for Gaspar over Gaspard to make it easier for Anglophones.) Caspar is a really great name, though it may be a bit awkward in French/Spanish (unless you just have ppl call him Gaspar) and it will likely be misspelled as Casper in English. Still, not a reason not to use it!
- Rémy is also a great option. I think if you tell Anglophones to pronounce it Remmy, they'll be able to handle it just fine, and I don't see Spanish speakers having an issue pronouncing it. I know one Remy raised in the US with French parents who for some reason goes by Ray-mee and it drives me nuts, but I don't think that would be the default (and even if it is, it would be easy to correct).
A few suggestions I think might appeal to you:
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Thank you so much, this is such an amazing list of names that actually work in all three languages that we hadn't considered! Seriously, this is wonderful!! I really like Nilo, Edgar, and Maël. Hector and Abel are wonderful but I have trouble imagining using them every day. I've never heard the name Amaury before and it is growing on me the more I say it!
I have a friend called Marcel who is also trilingual and it is actually very easy for Spanish speakers to say his name (Marcelo isn't bad either). I also really like Lucien - my mother's name is Luz, so it is like the French masculine version of that. (Plus, our favourite local pub is called Chez Lucien). I'm a fan of Émile but think there's a risk that anglophones would mistake it for Emily or Émilie. Overall, a wonderful list of options, thank you so much - you really understood the type of name we are looking for!
I have a friend called Marcel who is also trilingual and it is actually very easy for Spanish speakers to say his name (Marcelo isn't bad either). I also really like Lucien - my mother's name is Luz, so it is like the French masculine version of that. (Plus, our favourite local pub is called Chez Lucien). I'm a fan of Émile but think there's a risk that anglophones would mistake it for Emily or Émilie. Overall, a wonderful list of options, thank you so much - you really understood the type of name we are looking for!
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So glad this was helpful for you! I sourced most of my suggestions from the most recent Top 500 popularity list from France, so you might find more appealing ideas there: https://www.behindthename.com/top/lists/france/2018. If you like retro names, you might also want to try an older list - there are some real treasures in there! I found that, surprisingly, a lot of Italian and Russian names are pronounced pretty similarly in English, French, and Spanish, so Italian/Russian name lists might also be helpful for you. Regardless, I think you've got some pretty great options.
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Isaac is actually gaining popularity quickly in France.
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Interesting. There used to be an anglophone Isaac in my bilingual office (both native English and French speakers working in both languages) and he told me he really disliked his name in French ("ee-SAHK" as opposed to "AY-zec"). When he would say his name to a French speaker without spelling it, they would often confused it with AIESEC (a very popular international youth organization with the same pronunciation). Then again, very British names like William and James are increasingly becoming popular both in Quebec and France (as opposed to Guillaume or Jacques) so maybe I'm out of touch.
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OOOOOOH Oscar is fantastic! Just ran it by my husband and he likes it too!! Adding this to the list.
Isidore is great too. Julian is very nice, but we know a few Julien, Vincent, and Maxime as those are quite popular French Canadian names.
I like Gabriel but it's quite popular for babies where we live. Christian is a little too religious for us, but I appreciate the suggestions!
Isidore is great too. Julian is very nice, but we know a few Julien, Vincent, and Maxime as those are quite popular French Canadian names.
I like Gabriel but it's quite popular for babies where we live. Christian is a little too religious for us, but I appreciate the suggestions!
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How does August sound? It’s not too popular. It’s only English and French but it can easily become Augusto in Spanish.
Xavier is a bit more intricate, but it works in all three languages. Same with Samuel and Hugo.
If you want a more masculine choice, there’s always Ernest (which can become Ernesto in Spanish).
Xavier is a bit more intricate, but it works in all three languages. Same with Samuel and Hugo.
If you want a more masculine choice, there’s always Ernest (which can become Ernesto in Spanish).
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Thanks for these sugestions!
In French August would be Auguste so we'd have to decide between August, Auguste, or Augusto. I don't mind August in English but I am not a huge fan of the long "GOOS" sound when pronounced in French or Spanish; in French it's pronounced "aw-GOOS-te" and in Spanish it's "ow-GOOS-toh". I am also not a huge fan of the French or Spanish pronunciation of Hugo (it's pronounced "OOO-goh" in Spanish and "UUUH-goh in French). I guess between Auguste/Hugo I am learning about myself that I am not a fan of names with a strong emphasis on the "OOO" sound.
I actually really like Xavier, but as mentioned in the original thread I have a family member called Javier (pronounced exactly the same as Xavier in Spanish). That being said, I really like that it is always spelled the same (no need to change spelling in different languages, despite changes in pronunciation) and that the meaning is not inherently religious even if it is commonly associated with St Francis Xavier. I also like all the different pronunciations of it: "zav-ee-ay" in French, "ha-bee-ehr" in Spanish, and "ex-ay-vee-er" in English. It might be worth considering despite my uncle Javier.
Samuel is a bit religious for us (part of the reason why we are looking for an alternative to Rafael). However, it seems that Biblical names are the most commonly translated between the three languages, so we'll have our work cut out for us trying to find a non-biblical name.
Thanks for taking the time to respond!
In French August would be Auguste so we'd have to decide between August, Auguste, or Augusto. I don't mind August in English but I am not a huge fan of the long "GOOS" sound when pronounced in French or Spanish; in French it's pronounced "aw-GOOS-te" and in Spanish it's "ow-GOOS-toh". I am also not a huge fan of the French or Spanish pronunciation of Hugo (it's pronounced "OOO-goh" in Spanish and "UUUH-goh in French). I guess between Auguste/Hugo I am learning about myself that I am not a fan of names with a strong emphasis on the "OOO" sound.
I actually really like Xavier, but as mentioned in the original thread I have a family member called Javier (pronounced exactly the same as Xavier in Spanish). That being said, I really like that it is always spelled the same (no need to change spelling in different languages, despite changes in pronunciation) and that the meaning is not inherently religious even if it is commonly associated with St Francis Xavier. I also like all the different pronunciations of it: "zav-ee-ay" in French, "ha-bee-ehr" in Spanish, and "ex-ay-vee-er" in English. It might be worth considering despite my uncle Javier.
Samuel is a bit religious for us (part of the reason why we are looking for an alternative to Rafael). However, it seems that Biblical names are the most commonly translated between the three languages, so we'll have our work cut out for us trying to find a non-biblical name.
Thanks for taking the time to respond!
This message was edited 9/8/2020, 3:35 PM
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Albert
Meaning: "noble and bright" (Germanic origin).
Usage: English, French, Catalan.
Ernest
Meaning: "serious" (Germanic origin).
Usage: English, French, Catalan
Roger
Meaning: "famous spear" (Germanic origin).
Usage: English, French, Catalan
Xavier
Meaning: "the new house" (Basque origin).
Usage: English, French, Catalan, Spanish (Archaic)
Meaning: "noble and bright" (Germanic origin).
Usage: English, French, Catalan.
Ernest
Meaning: "serious" (Germanic origin).
Usage: English, French, Catalan
Roger
Meaning: "famous spear" (Germanic origin).
Usage: English, French, Catalan
Xavier
Meaning: "the new house" (Basque origin).
Usage: English, French, Catalan, Spanish (Archaic)
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Thanks for these suggestions. My family is Spanish-speaking from Latin America (not Catalan, which is a different language altogether) so it would be hard for them to pronounce names that end in double consonants - they would be more likely to add "o" to the end of some of these names (Alberto and Ernesto are names in Spanish). I am not sure how you would pronounce Roger in Spanish (maybe "ro-her"?) as I've never seen it used in Spanish. We had considered Xavier but unfortunately we already have a family member called Javier (Xavier and Javier are pronounced the same in Spanish as "ha-bee-ehr") so that may be confusing. That being said, I appreciate you taking the time to provide these suggestions!
This message was edited 9/8/2020, 3:32 PM
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