Anonymous
Post 09/06/2013 15:53     Subject: Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
Anonymous wrote:I like it. Either use the name (first or middle) or not at all...don't "fix" it by calling him Francis which is not your father's name.

We gave our son an extremely unusual (northern European) middle name to continue a family tradition. There is zero chance of basically anyone spelling it right or saying it right. I'm happy with it...it's just his middle name so he won't have to help with pronuciation/spelling on a regular basis and honors our family. I was shocked/offended when friends asked me why we didn't "fix" it to be an American sounding name.


Håkon? Please be Håkon! That was on our list, but when my very-in-favor-of-the-name mother kept pronouncing it Hack-on, it got the axe. Axel was another on the list.

I probably wouldn't use it, but only because of the missing cedille.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2013 14:46     Subject: Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
Anonymous wrote:I like it. Either use the name (first or middle) or not at all...don't "fix" it by calling him Francis which is not your father's name.

We gave our son an extremely unusual (northern European) middle name to continue a family tradition. There is zero chance of basically anyone spelling it right or saying it right. I'm happy with it...it's just his middle name so he won't have to help with pronuciation/spelling on a regular basis and honors our family. I was shocked/offended when friends asked me why we didn't "fix" it to be an American sounding name.


Please share the name? Is it Scandinavian or German?
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2013 13:51     Subject: Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
Anonymous wrote:I can see the teacher calling out the roll in class:

"Uuh, Fran...koy. Frankoy? Fran-soice? Can I call you Fran for short? Oh, you're a boy, shoot, uh, Frank? Sorry, I don't know Italian too well."


You seem to have a low opinion of teachers. In my experience, teachers are quite capable of learning how to pronounce the names of the children in their class, even if the children aren't named "Jane" and "Tom".
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2013 13:29     Subject: Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
I can see the teacher calling out the roll in class:

"Uuh, Fran...koy. Frankoy? Fran-soice? Can I call you Fran for short? Oh, you're a boy, shoot, uh, Frank? Sorry, I don't know Italian too well."
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2013 13:18     Subject: Re:Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
I have a foreign first name and hate hearing it pronounced by those who don't speak the language. It's not even that English speakers do a terrible job with my particular name, but it just doesn't sound "right" and after years it still grates. To be clear, I appreciate the effort people make to pronounce my name, and I strive to never let on that I dislike hearing them say my name. I'm just saying, sometimes I've considered telling people my name is "Jane" rather than "Yevgeniya." (not the actual name)
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2013 12:43     Subject: Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
I like it. Either use the name (first or middle) or not at all...don't "fix" it by calling him Francis which is not your father's name.

We gave our son an extremely unusual (northern European) middle name to continue a family tradition. There is zero chance of basically anyone spelling it right or saying it right. I'm happy with it...it's just his middle name so he won't have to help with pronuciation/spelling on a regular basis and honors our family. I was shocked/offended when friends asked me why we didn't "fix" it to be an American sounding name.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2013 09:24     Subject: Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
I am American and non-French speaking, and I don't think Francois would be that hard or weird for Americans. I think most Americans would be familiar with this name and know how to pronounce it. I would go for it.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2013 07:10     Subject: Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
Francis is nice
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2013 05:37     Subject: Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
Anonymous wrote:

Have times changed? When I was in school somebody named Francois would have been picked on



Yes. At least at my kids' schools, nobody would bat an eye at "François".
Anonymous
Post 09/05/2013 22:17     Subject: Passing on a old fashioned and very foreign sounding first name.
Why not use dad's middle name for your child's first name? Maybe even use Francois for the middle name. I have frequently heard of people naming their children after their father/grandfather's nicknames.

Have times changed? When I was in school somebody named Francois would have been picked on