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Vespertine's French Favorites
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The names
Genevieve
English from French
"tribe woman"
Genevieve is derived from the Germanic medieval name Genovefa, or Kenowefa, which consists of the elements kuni , meaning "kin", and wefa , meaning "woman." The medieval saint Genevieve, patroness of…
Rosalie
French variation of Rosalia, Latin
"rose"
Rosalie hit its apex in 1938 and then slid straight downhill until it fell off the U.S. Top 1000 completely in the 1980s, only to spring back to life in 2009 as the name of a character in the…
Vivienne
French variation of Vivian
"life"
Vivienne is an elaborated Gallic version of the name Vivian, chosen first by Rosie O'Donnell for her daughter and then catapulted to superstardom when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie used it for their…
Celeste
Latin
"heavenly"
Celeste is a softly pretty and somewhat quaint name with heavenly overtones, which kids might associate with Queen Celeste of Babar's elephant kingdom. She's a light and lovely choice that's finally…
Augustine
Latin
"great, magnificent"
Augustine is more substantial (and saintly) than August, less pretentious than Augustus, and, along with its nickname Gus, is definitely a viable choice. Augustine is actually the diminutive form of…
Julien
French from Latin
"youthful, downy-bearded, or sky father"
Julien is the handsome French form of Julian, which derives from Julius, a Roman family name. Its origin is shrouded in history, but possible roots include Latin iuvenis , meaning "youthfu"; Greek…
Bellamy
English and Irish from French
"fine friend"
Bellamy is a surname name with an admirable meaning and upbeat rhythm, similar to jovial choices like Rafferty, Barnaby and Willoughby. Bellamy is rising simultaneously for boys and girls at the…
Soleil
French
"sun"
An attractive French word name known here via former child TV star Soleil Moon Frye, aka Punky Brewster. It started to be lightly used in the U.S. in the 1920s and is now attracting some attention as…
Lucien
French form of Lucian
"light"
Sophisticated Gallic version of Lucian, Lucien may appeal to parents attracted to this meaning over that of Lucas and Luke, which have a different root, and also looking for a more unusual choice.…
Aurelien
French form of Aurelius, Latin
"golden"
More traditionally spelled as Aurélien, this is the elegant French form of the golden Aurelius. Ultimately derived from aureus meaning "gold, gilded", this form is in the French Top 500, albeit near…
Carmine
Latin, English, Italian
"vivid red; garden, song"
This Italian name could have a whole new life when viewed as a color name, however, it is traditionally a masculine form of Carmen, pronounced with three lilting syllables. Both provide an arty,…
Ciel
French
"sky"
Heavenly French word name used for both sexes.
Claudien
Claudien is a masculine name derived from the Roman family name Claudius, which comes from Latin 'claudus' meaning 'lame' or 'crippled.' It can be considered a French variant of Claude or an…
Constantine
Latin
"steadfast"
This Roman Emperor's name may once have been considered too grand for a baby but in an era of children called Atticus, Augustine, Valentine, Caspian, Thaddeus, and Maximus, Constantine might just be…
Hyacinthe
Juin
Lupine
Flower name from Latin
"pertaining to the wolf"
Alternate spelling of Lupin
Monet
Roux
French from Latin
"russet"
Roux is the name of the dashing Johnny Depp character in Chocolat . Roux is French from a Latin word meaning russet or brownish red; it's also a cooking term for a mixture of flour and butter that…
Rue
Nature name
"herb; regret"
Botanical choice that can work for either gender. Simple and straightforward. Caveats: rue means "regret" in English, and "street" in French. Now in the Top 1000 in England and Wales for girls and…