People who abuse French names

[iris]

There are some people who name their child "Soleil'... For your information, the french think it's like the weirdest and one of the dumbest names ever. You wouldn't call your daughter Sun or Moon either. It doesn't work, it is ridiculous. I think those people are dumb, they probably want their daughter's name to sound elegant or classy.. Instead, it sounds childish and stupid to me. That's what most French people think anyway, so I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way.

Mireille, Fréderique, Océane, Adrienne, Amandine, Clarisse and Claudine are all fine. Why would someone name their child Soleil? Stick to your own language, please. Personally, I LOVE French names, but they gotta be REALISTIC.

Seriously, stop trying to be so yooneek, what's wrong with classic names anyway.

[aj_bear]

I wouldn't say someone naming their child Soleil is "abusing French names." You have a right to your opinion, but it's coming off as rude. The people here in the US who name their children Soleil aren't thinking about how it's going to be percieved in France, they're thinking that they found a pretty name that sounds nice. Parents don't always research a name before they use it. And even if they did, "sun" isn't the worst meaning to have. People name thier children Moon and Luna, it's not a huge deal.

Soleil has been used for years, and so has Moon, River, Pheonix, ect. They've managed thorugh life just fine. The fact that you find it stupid and childish doesn't mean that all should stop using it. And the people who use Soleil aren't dumb, they liked a name (maybe they knew the meaning, and liked it.) Even if you live and France or speak flunet French, you can't tell people not to use it, or to stick to their own language.

I find more issue with using Fréderique or Océane in the USA, since the accents over the e's are sure to not to be percieved well.

I'm sorry if I'm too blunt, but I think that your post came off as rude and a bit childish. Accusing people who name their daughters Soleil of abusing a language is ridiculous.
-Athena

[raven1980]

I wouldn't say naming your daughter Soleil is stupid or trying to be unique. I think it's a beautiful name and if your not in France I really don't see the problem. I'd actually like that my name meant "sun". Tia is a name commonly used in America but it means "aunt" in spanish. If I met someone named Sun I'd think it was cool and really, really pretty!

[bellab]

So... by this logic, no one should be naming their daughters Luna (moon) either?

[taz]

Well, I do know a girl named Moon and it's far from the craziest name I've ever heard.
If classic names are your thing, that's awesome that you know your style, but I don't think using a word name in another language is stupid. I love Fern, but since it's such a humble plant am I stupid for not sticking with a flower name? Is someone who uses Naveah dumber than you? Are you better than them cause you prefer Caroline? Or cause you speak French?

Names are a personal thing and none of us are right or wrong.

[mara_lyn86]

I think that it is harsh saying that parents who choose this name are stupid. I have heard and seen much worse.

[strawberry shortcake]

You are of course entitled to your opinion, but you could have worded your OP in a much kinder fashion, it comes across as really offensive.

The message you are trying to get across about Soleil not being a good name choice is lost on me, all I got from your post was your rude attitude.

Sorry to be blunt but I really feel this needed to be said.

[sillysheila]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I have a certain taste in names and I really dislike others. But if someone decides to name their child a name I don't care for, I wouldn't call them "dumb". "It's like the wierdest and one of the dumbest names ever", "it is ridiculous", "I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way", and "stick to your own language"- these sentiments seem childish to me. There are many, many names that have been used for eons that are simply words in other languages. One of the first things listed when you look up a name is the meaning.

Also, your username is iris... so, I'm not sure your argument is very effective.

[bettyblowtorch]

Amusingly Soleil is much more familiar to the American ear than the names you listed because of actress Soleil Moon Frye who starred in a sitcom called Punky Brewster back in the '80s. I've known since I was a little girl watching the show that her name meant sun. It was just one of the hippy type names that were big in the '60s and '70s. As much as people rag on Frank Zappa for naming his daughter Moon Unit it really isn't out of place with the hippy parents who named their sons and daughters River. Why didn't Soleil's parents just name her sun? I don't know.

Stick to your own language, please.

You do realize that English is really just an odd pidgin language that has a long history of borrowing words, right? This is double for American English. You're fighting an uphill battle.

My first name and middle name are established French names. My mom's middle name is an established French name. She studied French intensely in school and dreamed of moving to Quebec. She ended up in California.

Implying I can't bestow a French name to a son or daughter of mine, especially if they inherit my very Swedish surname, because someone named their daughter Soleil over 35 years ago (almost ten years before I was born) is elitist and foolish. I see giving a legitimate French name (Benoit, Melisande, etc.) as a loving tribute to my mother and grandmother. I've considered Clarisse as either a first or middle name for a daughter because my great grandmother was a Clara. My grandmother (my mom's mother) just died a few months ago and adored her mother Clara.

I'm bemused why Soleil bothers you so much. It's not like it has ever been popular. As far as I know it's never popped up on the US top 1000 baby names.

Apologies in advance, Iris, but I have seen some Frenchmen state on various message boards that us Americans shouldn't use French names especially with a non French surname, and that really bothers me. Especially when some of them turn around and name their sons and daughters stuff like Emma and Kevin.

[amydomsmom]

Luna is in the top 100 most popular names for 2011 (edit: it means 'moon').
There was a character on the tv series LOST who's name was in fact Sun, making it a lot more popular lately due to that.
And who could forget Soleil Moon Frye, more commonly known for her role as Punky Brewster?
Everyone has their own opinions about names, and what is right for someone else doesn't have to be right for you. Perhaps people who use Soleil aren't trying to sound obnoxiously French and they just happen to like the way it sounds.