Votre Premon?
French first names are rarely shortened or changed to nick
names. Christophe is not Chris, Valerie not Val and Thomas not Tom. They take a
pride in their full title; Marie-Louise, Jean- Claude or Louis-Henri.
Unlike the UK & US, where Bill & Bobs, Ron and Rob,
Marty & Matt, Pam & Pat, abound. English first names are less
traditional, changed by fashion, influenced by celebrities or fiction. Not in
France the Kylies (Minogue), Harry (Prince or Potter), Wayne (John or Rooney),
Johnny (Depp or Halliday). Neither do they intentionally invent or spell names
differently; no Corrie-Lea, Kristofer or Zandras.
Granted they have David (Beckham or Bowie), Sylvestre (
Stalone) and Henry (Thierry or King), but it’s because they are traditional
names. Names like Jean, Baptiste, Claudine or Virginia. In fact every day of
the year is dedicated to a different saint’s name. These names are not just
listed as a religious acknowledgement of that saint, but can be used to
determine your name. Each December the local M/Md les Poste sell calendars
(helps as a Christmas bonus) and, amongst the local information & maps is
an almanac of saints’ days. Born January 21st my middle name is
likely to be Agnes, April 20th possibly Odette and I may celebrate the saints’
day as well as my birthday.
So if I really want to play the name game in France, I could
be Paulin, celebrating on January the 11th,Appauline and have my day
on February the 9th or Pauline
(actual birthday in August) and that’s just my first name. Just might take some
convincing the family that I need three gifts each year.
