Having a child is obviously the most beautiful thing in the world, but the problems are far from over after giving birth. It is indeed necessary that the parents agree on the first name of the newborn! And in this area, the French are particularly imaginative.
The story had caused a stir in the spring of 2020, when Elon Musk and his partner at the time, the singer Grimes, had given a first name, let’s say very original, to their baby. The toddler is indeed called “X Æ A-Xii”, a name which should have been “X Æ A-12” but the Californian authorities did not want to hear about numerical digits in a name.
Originality is not the best advisor
The French know how to be original in the choice of first names for their newborns, certainly not at the level of the boss of Tesla, but not far. Last year, civil registrars rejected proposals that were astonishing to say the least, such as “Prince-William”, “Titeuf”, “Metallica”, “Titeuf” or even… “Lucifer”. We sometimes wonder what went through the minds of parents who wanted to give the first name “Anal”, “Mini-Cooper” or even “SpongeBob SquarePants”…
Not all of the original names are pushed back though. Far from there ! It is still possible to get off the beaten track. We have thus seen “Lisbon” and “Miel” in Caen, a small “Triumph” and even a “Pope” in Meaux. Pop culture continues to influence parents: in Périgueux, the registry office recorded an “Anacynn” in Cherbourg, a “Kaleesy” (in reference to Game Of Thronesof course) and a “Renesmee” (in connection with the saga Twilight) in Périgueux, an “Aaliyah” or even a “Sasuke” (the manga naruto) in Caen!
In Meaux, where parents are now fond of names that are out of the ordinary, “Alpha-Kainet”, “Paul-Nessa” or even “King-Hayron” have been spotted. This creativity does not prevent more common (but no less adorable) first names from being very popular: Jade, Gabriel, Lucas and Louise were among those who were given the most last year.
