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HelpRe: Trilingual EN-FR-ES boy name
in reply to a message by Jo
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:
Hector - my favorite for you :)
Milan
Elio, Elia, or Ezio
Marino
Abel
Amaury, Amory, or Amias
Maël, Naël
César
Jonas
Marlon
Omar
Nilo
Edgar
Vadim
Dimitri
Noé
Also, if you're open to slightly adapting the Spanish name (e.g. Lucien > Luciano), I think these options could work:
Lucien
Marcel
Armand
Gustave
Octave
Émile
Basil or Basile
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:
Hector - my favorite for you :)
Milan
Elio, Elia, or Ezio
Marino
Abel
Amaury, Amory, or Amias
Maël, Naël
César
Jonas
Marlon
Omar
Nilo
Edgar
Vadim
Dimitri
Noé
Also, if you're open to slightly adapting the Spanish name (e.g. Lucien > Luciano), I think these options could work:
Lucien
Marcel
Armand
Gustave
Octave
Émile
Basil or Basile
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Replies
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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