For the last month, I have been in France — for much of that time, in Provence.
It is a region with a much deserved reputation for spectacular scenery and picturesque villages. In the region where we stayed, these clung as though by magic to impossibly steep hillsides gazing idly down dramatic gorges, draped in pines, evergreen oaks, olives and vines.
It is also an exceedingly historic region, always set a bit apart from the rest of France. Once, the people didn’t even spoke French, but Provençal, a dialect of Occitan — a language closer to Catalan than to French — although Provençal is sometimes used to refer to Occitan in general, and the langue d’Oc of medieval troubadours.
Unsurprisingly, it has a whole collection of names and variants of names unique to the region.
And it was in Provence that names like Isabella and Eleanor first arose.
During our stay, I kept my ears open, but was disappointed that, by and large, the names I encountered — particularly among the children — were little different to the rest of France. The fashion in France at present is for names of foreign origin, and the favored region for more unusual native monikers is Brittany.
But we did encounter some, especially among my own generation.
I love the fact so many Provençal girls names end in -o; it makes a refreshing change, and is very contemporary.
Here is a selection of my personal favorites. Some, like Zouè, are relatively recent — others, like Azalaïs, are medieval.
GIRLS:
- Agato — Agatha
- Aïs — diminutive of ANAÏS and/or ALAÏS
- Alaïs — Alice (features in Kate Mosse’s 2005 novel Labyrinth); ultimately from Adelaide
- Alienor — Eleanor
- Anaïs — in Provence, used as a form of Anne or Agnes — not actually found prior to the nineteenth century
- Anetoun — a double diminutive form of Ano (Anne)
- Azalaïs — Adelaide (Alice)
- Babeleto — diminutive of Eisabèu/Isabèu (Elizabeth/Isabella)
- Bergido — Birgitte
- Bielo — diminutive of Gabrielo (Gabrielle)
- Bregido — Bridget
- Celino — Celine
- Chantaloun — diminutive of French Chantal
- Clareto, Claroun — diminutives of Claro
- Claro — Clare/Claire
- Cloutildou — Clotilda
- Delaïdo — diminutive of Adelaïdo (Adelaide)
- Eliso — diminutive of French Élisabeth (Elizabeth)
- Estefano — Stephanie
- Fanfan — probably a diminutive of ESTEFANO. Made fairly well-known (at least in France) by the 1952 film Fanfan la tulipe (remade in 2003) — in which Fanfan is a man — and Alexandre Jardin’s 1985 novel Fanfan, filmed in 1993.
- Fino — diminutive of Delfino (Delphine) and/or JÒUSEFINO
- Flour — Flora/Fleur
- Glaudio — Claudia
- Ioulando — Yolande
- Janetoun — double diminutive of Jano (Jane/Jeanne)
- Jòusefino — Josephine (the name of our villa’s housekeeper!)
- Jóuselet — variant/diminutive of JÒUSEFINO
- Laïdo — diminutive of DELAÏDO
- Lali, Lalìo — diminutives of Eulalìo (Eulalia/Eulalie)
- Laloun — diminutive of LALI
- Lìo — diminutive of names ending in -lìo, such as Eulalìo (Eulalia/Eulalie), Natalìo (Natalie), Rosalìo (Rosalie)
- Lisoun — diminutive of ELISO
- Lodi, Loudi — diminutive of Eloudìo (Elodie)
- Madaloun — diminutive of Madaleno (Madeline)
- Magali, Magari — probably Magaret, but possibly a variant of Madaleno (Madeline — from the original Magdalene)
- Maïoun — diminutive of Marìo (Mary/Marie)
- Marioun — diminutive of Marìo (Mary/Marie)
- Melio — Emilia
- Mirèio — coined by the poet Frederic Mistral for his poem Mirèio (1859). From the Occitan mirar “to admire.”
- Naïs — diminutive of ANAÏS
- Ninoun — pet-form of Catarino (Katherine)
- Rieto — pet-form of Enrieto (Henrietta)
- Roso – Rose
- Soufio – Sophia/Sophie
- Soulanjo – Solange
- Talìo — diminutive of Natalìo (Natalie)
- Teldou, Tildeto — diminutives of names containing -tild- or -teld-, like CLOUTILDOU
- Vitòri – Victoria
- Valorì — Valeria/Valerie
- Zeto, Zetou — diminutives of JÒUSEFINO
- Zouè – Zoe
BOYS:
- Amiel – said to be the Provençal form of French Emile
- Audouard – Edward
- Bartoumiéu – Bartholomew
- Berenguié — Berenger
- Calendau — from the Latin kalends, used of the first day of a month and, in Provence, for Christmas Day. The hero of Mistral’s poem Calendau (1867)
- Charle — Charles
- Charloun — diminutive of CHARLE
- Ciprianet — diminutive of Ciprian (Cyprian)
- Dàvi — David
- Deri — diminutive of Frederi/Federi (Frederick)
- Dovi — dimunituve of Ludovi (Ludovick/Louis)
- Estève, Estiène – Stephen
- Gabrieù – Gabriel
- Glaude, Glàudi — Claude, Claudius
- Jaufret — Geoffrey
- Jaume – James
- Jòrgi — George
- Lu — Luke
- Luquet — pet-form of LU
- Maïus — curious name of uncertain origin. In use in Provence since at least the late nineteenth century. Possibly conceived as a masculine form of MAÏOUN.
- Mas — Max
- Miquèu – Michael
- Oulivié — Oliver
- Pascau – Pascal
- Pèire — Peter/Pierre
- Pierroun — diminutive of French Pierre
- Rafèu – Raphael
- Roubin — Robin (yes, the English Robin — one of the foreign names embraced by the French in the twentieth century)
- Savié — probably Xavier, but possibly Savior (best known as a name in the Spanish form Salvador)
- Silvan — Silvanus
- Simoun — Simon
- Teoudor – Theodore
- Titoù – Either Titus or a diminutive of Batit (Baptist)
- Titoun — diminutive of TITOÙ
- Toumas — Thomas
- Ugue, Ugues — Hugh
- Vincèn – Vincent
- Vitour – Victor
- Zavié — variant of SAVIÉ
- Zé — diminutive of Joùseù (Joseph)
