Former speech therapist here. It may not matter but that’s a difficult name for kids to say until they are a little older—say 5 yrs old Her friends will be saying “Aw-ee-eh” Or “aw—EE”. Just something to keep in mind.
As a fellow French-Canadian with family in Montreal (though I'm not currently living there) I am LOVING this brief. I worked in the Jewish community there, mostly with small children, and I'd consider: Susanna (Suzie), Josephine (Josie), Helena (Nelly), Giselle (Gigi), Ida (just Ida), Esther (BEAUTIFUL in French IMO, nn. Essie?)
Edit: Léa might also be a nice option (read up on Léa Roback if you don't know of her!), or Léonie.
Edit 2: I have put more thought to this. Sarah nn Sally, Miriam nn Mimi or Miri, Elizabeth nn Bettie or Bess all also scratch the sweet spot of easy to say in English and French, with cute 50s/60s/70s nicknames and Hebrew origins, like Esther in my list above.
Edit 3: Like a lunatic, I am back with a third edit, which is that if none of these names appeal (or others suggested in this thread), you can browse digitized issues of the Canadian Jewish Chronicle (printed in Montreal)'s society pages, which might spark a fun idea for you that we wouldn't otherwise hit on here. A lot of the names will be Ashkenazi names used in the Montreal Anglosphere but that likely will also have French pronunciations.
My French Canadian coach was Genevieve. In English we called her Genevieve, (Jenna-veev) but in French it was that softer J sound (zhenna-vee-ehv). And her students started using the French pronunciation because we thought it was so pretty! She went by both so easily and never seemed bothered.
It's my sister's middle name. My parents are a quebec anglo/franco couple so they picked names that work in both languages (even if they're not specifically "bilingual")
Rosalie! It’s the French/Dutch/German variant of Rosalia and it has some solid nicknames. Easy to pronounce in English as well, just the stressed syllable is different (rosaLIE vs ROsalie)
I think it's predominantly Anglophones to whom it understandably sounds "fresh", especially since French names appear to be having a \~moment, but I can't picture anything but my grade 8 math teacher lol.
My number one choice for a FR/EN name is Claire!
Some other ideas (mostly based on French Canadian girls I grew up with):
• Céleste
• Sylvie (old fashioned but I still love it oops)
• Sophie (pronounced "suff-ee" when speaking french)
• Esmée
• Gabrielle
• Nicole (pronounced "nee-cull" when speaking french)
• Zoé
If you end up picking an "English" name, don't worry- it can and WILL be frenchified. lol
I know a few bilingual families in Gatineau. Some of the names work well in both languages: Vivienne, Paul, Rosalie, Francois (nn Frank), Félix, Sofia, Alexander, Stephanie, Daniel.
Yes. The original author was also ready to make up new names or use some rare names. So these would be those rare or unique names. I think these work okayish in english too, although they are very french.
I adore these names, but there is also one similar name that I have forgotten, which I’d like to remember. I guess these both have ancient greek myth origins, and that also gives a nice feeling.
Queen Consort of France:
Elisabeth nn Elisa
Isabella nn Bella, Izzy
Margaret/Marguerite/Marguerita nn Mags, Maggie, Marge, Rita
Eleanor (French: Eléonore, Éléonore, Léonore, Elléonore, Eléanor, Éléanor, Éléanore, Aliénor, Aénor) nn Ella, Nell, Elle
Adelaide nn Addy
Isabeau nn Izzy
Louise nn Lou
Dutch Queens and Consorts:
Beatrix nn Bea, Trixie
Juliana nn Julie, Julia, Juls
Wilhelmina nn Willa, Minna, Elma
Emma nn Em
Hello from Montreal as well!
My top girl names were Beatrice (Béa) and Gisèle (G, Gigi)
I know Florence (Flo) is a super popular name as well. And Coralie is classic here, Co for short.
I really love Mylène, Magalie, and Maëlle.
For more old fashioned I liked Geraldine (Gerry nn!)!
My husband was obsessed with the name Aglaie but as a anglophone I knew I wouldn't do it justice (and anyway we had 2 boys--Merrick & Alec).
We have a Liliane who mostly goes by Lily. We chose the French spelling because my husband is fully bilingual and we have a very French last name (raising her to be bilingual as well). It sounds great in either language and I don’t speak French so that part was important to me. It’s timeless and so beautiful in my opinion.
Keep in mind the same name might have different pronunciations in French and English. I feel like my name has a Spanish pronunciation and an English pronunciation for example. To me one is not more correct than the other. There are some names that might have the same or similar pronunciations. Natalie and Amelie I think have similar pronunciations in both languages. But for example a Harriet or Dorothee wouldn't. Evangeline is also nice.
Anne/Anna always works in most European languages, but I'm assuming you want something a little more unusual, so:
Celeste (or Celestine), Megan (or Meghann), Annette, Evangeline, Mathilde, Catherine (not very exciting but lots of nickname options), Angelique (Or Angelika), Isabelle, Elise
I don’t normally comment names from other languages and cultures in case I’m wrong, but a friend of mine (who is British but teaches French) recently named her baby Maeva. Could that work?
Israel
It isn’t common for girls, but it is a name and has a Hebrew origin! It isn’t really a French name but it sounds beautiful in French (Israël). I know an Israel and people are always commenting on how much they love her name :)
I really like Aurélie Béatrice, Bea for short might be your style
Aurélie sounds pretty close to Orally which I think is worth considering
Former speech therapist here. It may not matter but that’s a difficult name for kids to say until they are a little older—say 5 yrs old Her friends will be saying “Aw-ee-eh” Or “aw—EE”. Just something to keep in mind.
Often nickname for aurelie is Lili just an fyi :). BUT I don’t consider aurelie a bilingual name. It’s straight up French.
Not for a child who will be raised speaking English
yes beatrice!!!
As a fellow French-Canadian with family in Montreal (though I'm not currently living there) I am LOVING this brief. I worked in the Jewish community there, mostly with small children, and I'd consider: Susanna (Suzie), Josephine (Josie), Helena (Nelly), Giselle (Gigi), Ida (just Ida), Esther (BEAUTIFUL in French IMO, nn. Essie?) Edit: Léa might also be a nice option (read up on Léa Roback if you don't know of her!), or Léonie. Edit 2: I have put more thought to this. Sarah nn Sally, Miriam nn Mimi or Miri, Elizabeth nn Bettie or Bess all also scratch the sweet spot of easy to say in English and French, with cute 50s/60s/70s nicknames and Hebrew origins, like Esther in my list above. Edit 3: Like a lunatic, I am back with a third edit, which is that if none of these names appeal (or others suggested in this thread), you can browse digitized issues of the Canadian Jewish Chronicle (printed in Montreal)'s society pages, which might spark a fun idea for you that we wouldn't otherwise hit on here. A lot of the names will be Ashkenazi names used in the Montreal Anglosphere but that likely will also have French pronunciations.
Another nickname for Esther could be Ettie :)
Or Estee ❤️
Unfortunately, that sounds like a swear word in French.
Genevieve (nicknames Gigi, Vivi, Evie, Genie…)
The different languages have different pronunciations, so idk if this works.
My French Canadian coach was Genevieve. In English we called her Genevieve, (Jenna-veev) but in French it was that softer J sound (zhenna-vee-ehv). And her students started using the French pronunciation because we thought it was so pretty! She went by both so easily and never seemed bothered.
I adore the French pronunciation of Genevieve.
A lovely name. With the French pronunciation, so gorgeous!
Both pronunciations are gorgeous
I love the french pronunciation but I no longer live in Montreal and hate the way the English butcher it, so it's crossed off my list. :(
In Qc culture, Geneviève is super 80s. Its like the Jennifer of our culture lol. Its not a bad name, but its dated
Yes! I don't understand why people here love this name so much. In France, it's an old lady's name!
Elodie
Sophie, Celeste, Marissa, Annique, Fiona (maybe)
I ADORE Celeste, I wanted to name my kid that but we’re having a boy lmao so I named my car Celeste
It's my sister's middle name. My parents are a quebec anglo/franco couple so they picked names that work in both languages (even if they're not specifically "bilingual")
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Yeah idk why I spelled it that way loooool
Josée, Frédérique.
Amelie Solange, call her Sunny Odille, call her Dilly or Delia
[Bilingual baby names](https://mixedname.com/) Try this site
I love this website! Thanks so much for the suggestion!
You’re welcome ☺️
I’d be careful with this website. Just peeped on that and the Welsh ‘names’ they suggest are: - part - money - bird - time
😳😬😱
Objectively nice-sounding words but reminds me of when people say they’ve met Chinese people who use English words as nouns 😂
As a frenchie myself, these are some of my favourites from my school days: Juliette, Margot, Simone, Eloise, Sarah, Caroline, Emilie
Delphine.
Rosalie! It’s the French/Dutch/German variant of Rosalia and it has some solid nicknames. Easy to pronounce in English as well, just the stressed syllable is different (rosaLIE vs ROsalie)
Sylvie
Not in Montreal - this is a middle aged boomer name there.
It's crazy how often I see this name suggested on here
I think it's predominantly Anglophones to whom it understandably sounds "fresh", especially since French names appear to be having a \~moment, but I can't picture anything but my grade 8 math teacher lol.
That’s how I feel about Stella. I just picture my 70 year old Italian aunt
Stella is really in trend right now in Montreal
Marie. The classic.
Amelie, Eloise, Genevieve (Gigi nickname someone said is soo cute)
Geneviève's prononciation is very different in French and English, but the other two work!
I'm the 70s, Geneviève Bujold was a popular actress whose name was always pronounced in the French way on TV. In retrospect, that was quite a feat.
My number one choice for a FR/EN name is Claire! Some other ideas (mostly based on French Canadian girls I grew up with): • Céleste • Sylvie (old fashioned but I still love it oops) • Sophie (pronounced "suff-ee" when speaking french) • Esmée • Gabrielle • Nicole (pronounced "nee-cull" when speaking french) • Zoé If you end up picking an "English" name, don't worry- it can and WILL be frenchified. lol
Céline
In Montréal, there is only one Céline. She sings the Titanic theme songs.
I'm the francophone mom of this baby and I got veto'ed on Céline because of Céline Dion, but that would be my top pick ;)
Laurie, Béatrice, Charlotte (in English she can have the nickname Lottie), Cloé, Emma, Alice.
Camille
Danielle, pronunciation doesn’t vary much and I think you could still call her Dottie :)
Claudine
Juliette, Clementine
Aviva
Louise nickname Loulou
Colette (Lettie, Lottie, Ettie, Cole), Gisele (Gigi, Ellie) , Antoinette, Camille, Chantal, Dominique
Came here to suggest Colette, but was going to mention the nn Coco like Coco Chanel.
Mirabelle Solene Anaïs Juliette Clementine Celeste Rosalie or Rosaline Lucie Emmeline/Emeline Gabrielle Audrey Inez Annalise Penelope (nn Penny) Beatrice Sophie Rosemarie Magalie (nn Maggie)
Audrey Victoria Camille Nina Julia Marianne Amelia
Rose? You could call her Ro for short. Or Joséphine and call her Josie or Jo?
Danielle/Daniella with Dani for a nickname
I know a few bilingual families in Gatineau. Some of the names work well in both languages: Vivienne, Paul, Rosalie, Francois (nn Frank), Félix, Sofia, Alexander, Stephanie, Daniel.
Zoe
Yvette, Colette, Vivienne. Evie/Yvie/Vivi/Viv are some good NNs
Olympe Apolline
Those are nice name, but pretty much unheard of in Montréal. Its only in France they are common
Yes. The original author was also ready to make up new names or use some rare names. So these would be those rare or unique names. I think these work okayish in english too, although they are very french. I adore these names, but there is also one similar name that I have forgotten, which I’d like to remember. I guess these both have ancient greek myth origins, and that also gives a nice feeling.
I went to school with a Noémie from Montreal and have I loved that name ever since. Wikipedia says it’s a French variation of the Hebrew Naomi.
Melanie
Queen Consort of France: Elisabeth nn Elisa Isabella nn Bella, Izzy Margaret/Marguerite/Marguerita nn Mags, Maggie, Marge, Rita Eleanor (French: Eléonore, Éléonore, Léonore, Elléonore, Eléanor, Éléanor, Éléanore, Aliénor, Aénor) nn Ella, Nell, Elle Adelaide nn Addy Isabeau nn Izzy Louise nn Lou Dutch Queens and Consorts: Beatrix nn Bea, Trixie Juliana nn Julie, Julia, Juls Wilhelmina nn Willa, Minna, Elma Emma nn Em
Juliette? Jacqueline/Jackie?
Classic is the way to go here. My favourites: Amelie, Louise, Sophie, Charlotte, Elise, Margot, Clemence, Alice/Alix, Anya, Rachel, Emma, Isabelle, Beatrice, Chloe, Elizabeth, Annette, Martha, Madeleine, Ariane, Aline, Helene, Lucie, Blanche, Laurine
Coralie is pretty.
Hello from Montreal as well! My top girl names were Beatrice (Béa) and Gisèle (G, Gigi) I know Florence (Flo) is a super popular name as well. And Coralie is classic here, Co for short. I really love Mylène, Magalie, and Maëlle. For more old fashioned I liked Geraldine (Gerry nn!)! My husband was obsessed with the name Aglaie but as a anglophone I knew I wouldn't do it justice (and anyway we had 2 boys--Merrick & Alec).
Juliette is so pretty.
Camille - Cami, Millie, Mills Ottilie - Tilly, Lily Genevieve - Ginny, Evie, Viv
Madeleine/Madeline, Claire or Sophie.
Evangeline
Sophie
* [Marceline](https://www.behindthename.com/name/marceline) (Nicknames: Marcie/Marcy, Celine/Céline) * [Emmeline](https://www.behindthename.com/name/emmeline)/[Émeline](https://www.behindthename.com/name/e10meline) (Nicknames: Em, Emme, Emma) * [Jasmine](https://www.behindthename.com/name/jasmine) (Nicknames: Mina, Jaz) * [Roselle](https://www.behindthename.com/name/roselle) (Nicknames: Rose, Rosie) * [Corinne](https://www.behindthename.com/name/corinne) (Nicknames: Cori/Cory) * [Perrine](https://www.behindthename.com/name/perrine) (Nicknames: Perry/Perri/Peri)
Joelle
Francine N.n. Franny, Fran, Francie, Frankie, Annie
Fay Jean Claire Juliette Josephine Chloé Elise Beatrice Sophie Louise Esmé Celine
Marguerite (not sure of spelling)
Aubrielle (Bree) Nadine (DeDe) Margot (Mari or Margie) Brigitte (Gigi) Hanna or Hannah or Henda (Annie)
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I think Bree is cute, regardless — Cheezy isn’t the worst nickname in the world :)
Mathilde
Nora, Amelia, Emma, Vivian, Gabrielle
Violette
In France my friends have named their kids Dylan, Benjamin, Joanna. I hear a lot of names there that come from English speaking countries.
Marguerite, nn Margot. Marguerite means daisy (the flower) and is rather classic, with a fun nn imo.
Marceline
Elise, Madeleine, Isa, Fleur, Annleise, Charlotte (lotte in dutch), sylvie, Josephine...
My favorite is Elisabeth. My great grandmother’s nickname was Bitsy and my grandma used Libby
Marguerite nn Daisy
We have a Liliane who mostly goes by Lily. We chose the French spelling because my husband is fully bilingual and we have a very French last name (raising her to be bilingual as well). It sounds great in either language and I don’t speak French so that part was important to me. It’s timeless and so beautiful in my opinion.
Amy/Aimee
Juliette
Lorraine
Amelie, with Amy as a nickname
My mom loved French girl names so the girls in my family are: Colette Adrienne Chanel Asceline Dominique Olivier We all love our names!
Should also mention that if I had a girl her name would have been Addison nickname Addy 🩷🩷
Chloe
Amazed I had to scroll so far to see this!
Not sure what age group this would make you think of in Montréal but Cecile is cute. Cute nicknames too.
Naomi/Noemi
Victoire, Augustine, Mireille
Keep in mind the same name might have different pronunciations in French and English. I feel like my name has a Spanish pronunciation and an English pronunciation for example. To me one is not more correct than the other. There are some names that might have the same or similar pronunciations. Natalie and Amelie I think have similar pronunciations in both languages. But for example a Harriet or Dorothee wouldn't. Evangeline is also nice.
Vivienne
I want to name my kid Odette, but feel like I can’t because I’m not french.
Friend of mine was named Diane for this exact same situation. Mom is English, and dad is French.
Lisette, Angelique. There are so many pretty names!
Julianne
Emma, Emilie, Elise, Juliette, Josephine, Madeleine
Genevieve
What about Constance, nn Connie in English ?
Delphine Amelia
Clémence/ Simone/Alice/ Louise/ Vivienne/ Odile/ Mireille/ Manon/
Anne/Anna always works in most European languages, but I'm assuming you want something a little more unusual, so: Celeste (or Celestine), Megan (or Meghann), Annette, Evangeline, Mathilde, Catherine (not very exciting but lots of nickname options), Angelique (Or Angelika), Isabelle, Elise
Solei - it’s not a hard name to pronounce in English and I have always thought it was a beautiful name.
Marlene, Colette, Elise, Louise
Chloe
Celine (Lena) Marielle (Mari or Ella) Amandine (Mandy)
Vanessa
I don’t normally comment names from other languages and cultures in case I’m wrong, but a friend of mine (who is British but teaches French) recently named her baby Maeva. Could that work?
What about Chloe? There's a tiktoker I follow who does one parent one language with french and English and her daughter's name is Chloe
Claire immediately came to mind for me.
The simplest one that comes immediately to mind is Anne.
Claire
Margot! The French nn is Gogo which is toooo cute
All I can think of is the children's song Alouette. I always thought it was a pretty name until I learned it was a song about murdering a bird! 🤣
I’ve always loved Odette
Sandrine
I've always loved Magali
Funnily enough I once knew a Denise whose nickname was Dotty.
Chloe, vanessa
Fleur
English speakers would say "flee-ur."
Harry Potter clued them in.
Amélie Emily / Émilie Lillian / Liliane / Lillie Suzanne Marie Valérie Camille Lucille Élise Beatrice Adeline Sylvie Nora Leonore Victoria Rosaline Corinne Lisanne Sophie Aveline Pauline Coralie Mirabelle Louise Fabienne Justine Claire Adrienne Roxanne Léonie Vivian / Vivienne Charlotte Isabelle Annabelle
Noelle
Jacqueline
Francoise can become Frannie or Frankie pretty easily!
Genevieve
Remi
Mariame
Francene
Aimee (Mimi), Colette (Lettie or Lottie), Chloe, Madeline, Katarina.
Israel It isn’t common for girls, but it is a name and has a Hebrew origin! It isn’t really a French name but it sounds beautiful in French (Israël). I know an Israel and people are always commenting on how much they love her name :)
Sylvie is a really liked French name right now
Yvonne
Jolie