s/o bad names

Publius

I met a girl named Fran?ois (not Fran?oise) when I was in the US last week. She was a sales lady at a furniture store.  I wanted so badly to ask her if her parents had come up with it or if she had chosen it to make her stand out in her career.  I really want to know who thought it would be a good idea to give such a male name to a girl.

 

 

traveling turtle

What is the difference in pronunciation?

azure_azure

Maybe whoever printed the name-tag omitted the e by accident? I can't imagine naming a girl Francois. You should have asked her about it!

myblueangel19

Traveling, the feminine version pronounces the 's' and the masculine version doesn't.

Publius

azure_azure:

Maybe whoever printed the name-tag omitted the e by accident? I can't imagine naming a girl Francois. You should have asked her about it!

Her business card said Francois and that's how she introduced herself. I can only assume that was her name.

Publius

I wish I had asked questions. I really want to know what it's like to be an American woman with a name that essentially means its bearer is a French man.

VABeach08

My guess is her parents just liked the name (maybe it was a family name or something??).  I know a female Michael (spelled just like that) and a female Ryan (Ryan is named after a male Irish character in Trinity).  I also grew up with a male Courtney (although, I think that Courtney, like Hilary and Evelyn, was at one point a male name).

ebartzen

I knew a boy named Ashley once (maybe his mom loved Gone with the Wind).

I had just started a nanny job and when I told him the baby's name was Isobel, he immediately asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

But then he quickly answered it himself saying, "Wait, forget I said that. Only my parents were mean enough to give a girl's name to their son"

Poor guy. He was nice.

 

 

Publius

Michael and Ashley can traditionally go either way though. One of David's wives in tue Old Testament was called Michael and Ashley was a boy's name long before It was ever used for girls. Courtney is also traditionally a unisex name. Francois doesn't go both ways. I guess it'd be kind of like naming a girl George instead of Georgia or Georgiana.

LandOBiscuit

traveling turtle:

What is the difference in pronunciation?

Fran?ois= France-wah

Fran?oise= France-wahz 

I think her parents didn't know better.

Here is a little story. Everyday, we celebrate a Saint in France. Most people are named after Saints (old Roman Catholic tradition). For example, we celebrate my Saint Nov.27th. Anyway, in every calendar in France, you will see names next to the date except for religious holidays and other celebrations like All Saints Day, Labor Day, Bastille Day.... A lot of people from subsahara Africa who moved to France changed their names to some sounding more French. Except a lot of them picked names that were actually some holidays. Bastille day is "fete nat." (fete nationale) on the calendar. So you have a few people with the name fete nat.

LadyMadrid08

I bet they didn't know better.

A girl I knew growing up was name Jetaime.  No joke.  Now, what parent actually names their child "I love you" in a foreign language and thinks it works???