# French Speaking Dopers - help with a name, please. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 7, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215 "2003-06-07T00:53:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/1 "2003-06-07T00:53:15Z")
We are going to be having a baby and we decided long ago that if we have a boy, Mr Baboon can pick the name. If we have a girl, I can pick. One of the names I have always found to be beautiful is Anaïs. The French have quite a talent, I believe, in chosing names that flow beautifully. Could you suggest a name that goes well with Anaïs? Other than Anaïs Nin and the perfume (Anaïs Anaïs), is there any other conotation to this name I should consider? Thanks for the help! ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/2 "2003-06-07T01:02:22Z")
Anaïs is a beautiful name. You do have to think about whether or not people will be able to pronounce it correctly if you’re in a non-french speaking area. The kiddo may end up teased and called “Ah-nice”. This happened to a friend of mine here, in Orléans, Ontario (she was a Marie-Anaïs, compound name) where there is a large francophone population. If you want to keep the root, I’d give some thought to “Anabelle”, or “Arianne”… something with a softer sound. As for names that go well with Anaïs, it’s kind of hard - the “aïs” sound is difficult to match with something that will flow. Anaïs Hélène (Ay-LENN) would work. Good luck with the kidlet! Elly, french-Canadian to the core, baby. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/3 "2003-06-07T01:24:43Z")
Well, I have been told that my kid will get the nickname “anus”. Lovely. We figured that really, any name is going to get a bad nickname. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/4 "2003-06-07T01:39:20Z")
MARGE: Homer, I’ve been thinking, if the baby’s a boy, what do you think of the name Larry? HOMER: Marge, we can’t do that! All the kids will call him `Larry Fairy'. MARGE: Well, how about Louie? HOMER: They'll call him `Screwy Louie’. MARGE: Bob? HOMER: `Flob'. MARGE: Luke? HOMER: `Puke’. MARGE: Marcus? HOMER: `Mucus’. MARGE: What about Bart? HOMER: Let’s see… Bart, Cart, Dart, Ee-art… Nope, can’t see any problem with that! ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/5 "2003-06-07T02:05:23Z")
Hey, **Bad News** , How about _Monique_? I’ve always liked the sound of that name. ---
**Author:** ![cleops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cleops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleops)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/6 "2003-06-07T02:27:12Z")
My first thought was that Anais was a little pretentious, what with Nin and all, but it’s about time to take her monopoly away! A great name for a girl! The umlaut (?–I am sure it’s properly called something else) over the i is cool, too. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/7 "2003-06-07T04:31:13Z")
> [@](#): > > The umlaut (?–I am sure it’s properly called something else) Diaeresis. (It is the same mark, but an umlaut is a German character indicating a trailing **e** in a diphthong while a diaeresis is a Romance language character indicating that the second vowel of a potential diphthong actually carries its own sound.) ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/8 "2003-06-07T05:32:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bad News Baboon \* > \*\*The French have quite a talent, I believe, in chosing names that flow beautifully. > Could you suggest a name that goes well with Anaïs? > \*\* I’m not sure what you mean… Are you thinking about a compound name? If so, Anaïs isn’t standard compound-name material, though people can always be creative. I can’t think of any connotations other than the two you mentioned. “Anaïs” reminds me of “anis”, even more than the name “Annie” which has the same pronunciation as the spice. So, spices and perfumes, I find Anaïs to be a very fragrant word. In French, the Umlaut mark is called a _trémat_. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/9 "2003-06-07T06:31:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jovan \* > \*\*I’m not sure what you mean… Are you thinking about a compound name? If so, Anaïs isn’t standard compound-name material, though people can always be creative. > \*\* To be honest, I am completely open to suggestions now. We have until December to make a final decision (if she’s a girl, that is). There are other names I am bouncing around, but this one keeps popping up. ---
**Author:** ![Loneraven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c0e974/32.png) [@Loneraven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loneraven)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/10 "2003-06-07T09:23:38Z")
I can’t think of any suggestion, but thought I’d say, that’s such a beautiful name. I’ve always liked it, but never known anyone with it. ---
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/11 "2003-06-07T09:40:06Z")
I like Chloe, too. Not sure it goes with Anais, though. As far as names and teasing goes, I wouldnt’ worry about it. Your child will dislike their name at some stage anyway, and an adult with a lovely name like that will be happy when they realise how unique and pretty their name is. Sorry, that didn’t make much sense, did it? Boy, staying up all night with a sick toddler isn’t much fun! so much to look forward to! ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-speaking-dopers-help-with-a-name-please/180215/12 "2003-06-07T09:56:47Z")
I always liked the name Caroline (in French). Anais Caroline (pronounced care-O-leen, like a lien on a house; not Care-A-lin or Care-A-line). In any event, perhaps you should consider middle names that she can – at some point, if she really dislikes her first name – substitute for her first until she fully appreciates Anais. Though she should always have the beautiful name of Anais…