French Regional Differences: Names


Figure 1.--. 

HBC readers have provided us some background information on French names. This is useful in our discussion of French regional differences.

First (Given) Names

A HBC reader comments on why people in Alsace and other regions of France with traditinal non-French speaking populations have French names. He tells us, "If a French citizen has French given names it does not follow that his mother tongue is French. [HBC note: Given names means a child's first name asit is given by parent, unlike the last or family name which in inherited from the parents. Amercans usually say "first" names and the British "Christian" names because such names were often chosen from the New Testament.] French law requires that French citizens be given French given names. Parents thus have to choose French given names. Speakers of minority languages MUST give French names to their children, it is illegal to do otherwise. There has been considerable debate on this during the last decades of the 20 th century. This has been more an issue in Britanny (Bretagne) than Alsace. The authorities may have become somewhat more accommodating now that large numbers of immigrant Africans and Asians are becoming French citizens, but in the 19th century an Alsatian's name (before the German seizure of Alsace) gave no clue as to his cultural identity."

Last (Family) Names

A French reader reports, "France now has new laws which give parents the option of giving a child the mother's name. Concerning me personally, I feel a bit of German origin. That probably comes from my education haven studied a year in Austria. This feeling is not shared by my brother and even less my sister. The familybname of my father is realy French. My mother had a double name and could be both together French or Alsacian. If I had had to choose when I was young, I was quite attracted by the second name. My grandson has his father's family'name, but my second daughter plans to her future child with our family name."







Christopher Wagner






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Created: November 3, 2002
Last updated: November 3, 2002