This mixed first name, ultra popular in the US, is considered totally old fashioned in France

Mixed names are growing in popularity at a time when many parents are opting for less conventional choices, often as a surprise or to move away from gender stereotypes. Among them, one of these first names stands out in the United States, but it does not seem to convince the French public.

American first names: their slow acceptance in France

American first names seen as modern across the Atlantic meet a colder reception in France. Although globalization has allowed for some proliferation of first names, cultural differences still greatly influence parents’ choices. In particular, unisex first names, although on the rise, remain in the minority in France.

According to Names.org, only 6% of names are considered mixed, despite increasing interest that has 17% of American babies receiving gender-neutral names by 2023 compared to less than fifty years ago. This observation underscores a gradual but still timid opening on the Old Continent, where first-name traditions remain strong. And in France, American first names, mixed or not, still struggle to find their place among popular first names.

This mixed first name, very popular in the US, is struggling to find a place in France

At the top of the list of unisex names in the US, Dylan is expected to dominate for the first time in 2024, with an estimated 7,387 births for the name. But in France, Dylan often evokes a bygone fashion, that of the 90s and early 2000s, when he was very fashionable before becoming what many today consider “obsolete”. This reluctance can be explained by a saturation of the first name in these years, as well as by an attachment to specific cultural images, especially the boy bands and TV shows of the time, which no longer resonate with the new generations of parents on the hunt. freshness and originality. Despite a growing acceptance of atypical and unisex first names, Dylan has not yet managed to shake off his outdated image on French soil.

This first name therefore perfectly illustrates the gap between American and French first name trends and highlights how the choices of first names can reveal the cultural and social dynamics that shape our world.