Choosing a name for your child is an exciting adventure , filled with endless possibilities and beautiful discoveries. It is a true journey that takes us through cultures, eras and personal inspirations, offering each parent the chance to give their baby a unique and meaningful name.
In this series of articles, we invite you to explore old or more recent first names, from the most classic to the most exotic . Who knows, maybe you will find the perfect first name for your little treasure to come!
Let’s dive together into this fascinating world where each first name tells a beautiful story!
We leave our pen to Lorraine , who comes to tell us about the choice of first names for her siblings...
Who are you? Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Lorraine , I am 32 years old and I am the happy mother of three children aged 7, 5 and 17 months (yes I am counting the months precisely ;)). With my husband we live in the suburbs of Paris.
I am lucky to work 80% in a consulting firm and never get bored!
At what point during the pregnancy (or before!) did you start talking about names with your husband?
I have always been a big fan of first names . When I was little, I played a lot with dolls and had fun naming my children (especially girls!) and imagining pretty siblings.
Pregnant with our first child, a little boy - we knew his little secret - my husband and I fell in love quite quickly. I suggested Mayeul to him, it was obvious to both of us .
We knew one or two in our circle but that didn't stop us.
Although the first name was decided in the first few months, we had some hesitation with the first name Léopold, which we both like.
For our second child, we learned at the first ultrasound that it was a little girl. During this pregnancy, we moved to Amsterdam - that's where she was born !
I quickly fell in love with the name Olivia and then I suggested it to my husband, who refused at first . Then, after a bit of insisting, he ended up loving it.
And to top it all off, the Olivias we heard about or knew from afar were hotties haha.
Also, we said to ourselves that it was an international first name - after Mayeul, a first name that no one there knew, nor knew how to pronounce... oops! - and that it gave a bit of "pep" with our very classic first names!
At the end of my pregnancy, I still had a little doubt with another more classic name (which we kept just in case!) but my husband made me lean towards Olivia and it suits her perfectly!
I had warned my mom that it wouldn't be a classic name, that it wouldn't be her style! I'm more the type of person who likes my mom to like my children's names, even if of course she doesn't care and it's just our business.
For our third child, we found out her little secret towards the end of the pregnancy when we opened the envelope. At that point, we were set on a girl's name... for a boy's name, it was more complicated!
We decided on a first name and then halfway through the pregnancy, we went back to our favorite name , which was on the list for Mayeul, Léopold .
Finally, we were also hesitant with Auguste, but I thought it was nice to have the letter "L" in common in the siblings' first names!
And Auguste had the same "O" sound as Olivia, and I liked that less.
As a little anecdote , my cousins had a little Leopold (who does not have the same last name) a few months before our baby was born. This made us hesitate but we asked them if it did not bother them.
What first names have you given up?
I would have loved to have a little Adele , but it doesn't go with our last name which includes part of the sound of this pretty name... So we gave this name to Olivia's doll ;)
Otherwise I am lucky to have a husband who is rather open about names! We have never had a heated debate on this subject. I still have a name that I have loved since I was little that my husband does not like too much ... but I have the impression that it is making its way into his head so all is not lost if we ever have another daughter.
I find boys' names are more complicated to find!
A final word? Do you have any advice for future parents who are looking for a first name?
For our last child, I discovered a Facebook group of first names - La grande famille des jolis prénoms - which is full of pretty ideas for parents who are struggling or who want advice. It's a gold mine that I recommend to future parents. Choosing a first name is so important...
Finally, I recommend having a short list of first names for each of you pretty quickly, with the last name behind if you hesitate too much . It also helps to decide sometimes!
Thank you Lorraine for sharing these stories with us!
Find other stories on our blog, by going directly to the “First Name Stories” page.
Your child has a beautiful name and you want to share his or her story with us?Write to us!
