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Margaux
I am a big dummy when it comes to French. Therefore, I was surprised to see this listed as an English variant of the the French name Margot. Does anyone know if the Margaux spelling is used in France?
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Margaux and Margot are both used in French. Margaux is the posh version. Both are pronounced mar-go.
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Since the late 70s the name has been used in France.
http://www.prenoms.com/recherche/prenom.php/fiche/margauxSo it seems that Margaux Hemingway was a trendsetter in that respect. It is also said that she changed her name from Margot to Margaux not only because she wanted to get the French pronunciation straight, but also because she was amused to learn that she had been begotten after her parents had consumed a bottle of wine from the village of Margaux.Andy ;--)
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There is a French village, near Bordeaux, called Margaux. This was what inspired the fanciful respelling of Margot - most famously by the American Margaux Hemingway, but I have heard of the name being used in France as well.
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Margot and Margaux sound the same. Margaux Hemingway's name is a nod to Chateau Margaux, where a well known French red wine is made. So, yes, the French use Margaux, but not for humans!Here in South Africa, French is becoming more widely taught and known, but we sometimes startle people with a real knowledge of it ... for instance, the problem that Charles is spelt the same in French and English is often "solved" by local parents by naming their sons Charl. And there was a beauty queen some years ago whose name was Cezanne - nothing to do with Impressionism, I fear, just a new take on Suzanne.
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Margaux is best known on a Hemingway, I think. It's sort of a faux-French spelling. It looks French, but she herself was American.Array
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Some more info:She was actually born Margot, but she changed the spelling of her name. And, of course, Ernest Hemingway was her grandfather. Her sister was Mariel Hemingway. She died young, but she was one of the few Hemingways NOT to kill themselves. The name probably sprang up from her.Array
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I have never seen Margaux at all period. Although, my time in France was reasonably brief and I don't have a whole lot of family there. Growing up in a French Canadian area though, I have only ever seen Margot.~SD
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