You might call your daughter Cupcake, but odds are there is something far more formal on her birth certificate. But what if your first language isn’t English, and you just plain like the way Cupcake sounds for your daughter born in Borneo or Bahrain or Brussels?
Thanks to Emiley for suggesting an option that might prompt the same response from a French-speaking parent. Our Baby Name of the Day is Miette.
Plenty of foreign names catch on in other countries thanks to literature and films. Miette was introduced to the English-speaking world in a few different places:
- Nineteenth century French literary giant Emile Zola penned a series of twenty novels about the extended Rougon-Macquart family. Dozens of characters appear over the course of the series; Miette arrives in the very first one, La Fortune des Rougon. Silvère has fallen in love with fellow republican Miette on the eve of the coup d’etat that would establish the Second French Empire under Napoleon III. The couple’s cause was doomed, and the lovers fare no better;
- French poet Jean Aicard used the name for his 1880 poem Miette et Noré;
- Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty includes a fairy called Miettes, but the name is rarely used in other adaptations;
- I’ve found a few references to an 1888 operetta called Miette, but I can’t confirm if Miette was a character name;
- 1938’s French flick La femme du boulanger – The Baker’s Wife – included a minor character called Miette;
- A 1951 French film, Au pays du soleil, also used the name;
- Then there’s 1995’s City of Lost Children, a sci-fi adventure from Jeanne-Pierre Jeunet, best known in the US for Amélie. If Zola’s Miette was idealistic, this big screen version is an all-out heroine. A villain is kidnapping children to steal their dreams. The young Miette sets out on an adventure to rescue one of the kids.
While some -ette names, like Annette, still feel a little dated, others are at the forefront of fashion. Consider:
- Violet (#141 in 2009)
- Scarlett (#169)
- Juliet (#319)
- Bridget (#424)
That’s not counting Juliette, Scarlet, or considering her first syllable, borrowed from the chart-topping mini-name Mia. What’s not to love about Miette?
The trouble is that she’s not exactly a name. It’s a term of endearment. Miette is sometimes translated as “crumb,” but it is more like “sweet little bite.” Some contend that was once used as a given name, but I can’t confirm it, though the -ette ending has been in use for centuries. Miette appears in US Census records, though she’s never ranked in the US Top 1000. Nancy tells us 19 were born in the US in 2009.
Parents might also be inspired by Canada’s Miette River, found in Alberta’s Jasper National Park. But the river’s name probably comes from the Cree word myatuck – bighorn sheep, which make their home in the area.
Just FYI, Amélie and City of Lost Children are two completely different movies by Jeanne-Pierre Jeunet.
We named our baby Miette our own lil piece of heaven:) we love the name!
“Crumb” (Miette), don’t be offended. I’ve actually found the user “thetxbelle” on a couple of other name forums (thanks, Google!) doing nothing more than finding the posts of people who have named their daughter Miette to inform them of it’s origin. It appears to be her “thing”.
In fact, on one board, she was posting her opinion on posts that were many years old (so old that the moderator commented and told her to move on, that the original poster was “not interested” since the post was over 2 years old). This prompts me to believe she spends some time searching the name “Miette” so that she may inform people of their perceived ignorance.
Anyhow, my daughter, Miette Liselle, does wear her name very proudly, we’ve met people from many regions (including France) who claim to adore the name. Not that it matters, as we like the name and our daughter is happy with it.
Miette is my name. Somewhat offended.
MissMiaMarie-
I sincerely am not trying to offend anyone, I was offering more information on how the name is perceived and used in the country of its origin which I think is an important thing to consider. It’s true I think Miette is a bizarre choice to give as a proper name but I would never make fun of one or tell the parents they made a mistake, everyone has the right to name their child what they want. I don’t think it’s rude to post on it more than once even after parents have posted. if anything I think it goes to prove the name is controversial.
I assume that if a French person moved to the States and posted about a name that would be problematic here then people would tell them so they could make an informed decision. If the facts I offered make someone question their name choice then I hope they focus on the fact that Miette has been used in the Arts. Literature and as term of endearment by some.
I hope your daughter and the other Miettes wear their name proudly.
Please excuse any misspellings or autocorrections I’m typing on my phone.
@MissMiaMarie – I take your point, but I do think that thetxbelle’s is equally valid. Miette is catching on in the US, and I fully expect she’ll generally be received as stylish and just a little bit different by most.
I do moderate comments here, but posters are welcome to argue passionately for a name – or implore others to avoid the name. I guarantee you there are people out there who actively dislike both of my children’s names.
As for why people look at one particular post month after month, I can honestly say that many posts here have comments that range over months and even years. (Quick tip for all: if you click “notify me of comments via email” you’ll get a notice every time new information is added to a post.”)
In any case, Miette is quickly joining Cohen and Lorelei as one of the most controversial posts out there … I suspect this is far from the last comment.
We named our daughter Miette (her middle name is Liselle), as my husband loved the way it seemed like a diminutive version of my name (Mia). We were aware that it is often a term of endearment in the language it originated from.
However, why someone would come on here repeatedly, over the course of many months, and object to a name (especially when other posted have said they already have a child baring the name) is beyond me. I cannot help but think that you must BE one of these bullies you speak of, that would pick on someone over the name their parents chose for them.
Our daughters name Is Miette Lucille. I love the name and she does too. And at any point she can go by Mia, Lucille, Lucy, Lu, Lulu. What ever she wants.
I’ve never seen the word “substantial” abused and misspelled so often.
This just came up on nameberry again and I felt prompted to say this name has been listed as one of the “hardest to wear” in France, read any French baby name site and the comments are HARSH. Your giving your child another name for garbage, left overs, etc, there’s a reason why less than 15 people carry the name in France even though it’s a legit name with a nice literary reference.
I would think twice before considering Miette, Cosette, Gavroche, Clitorine, etc…they get made fun of more than people realize.
i have a 3.5 year old named miette eloise. she has always been small (and sweet) so the name fits her perfectly. i think people thought it was a strange choice at first, but since she developed a bit of personality, everyone says they cant imagine her being called anything else. i think its a very “sweet” name.
I agree Corrie. I love the name.
My baby whom we fought and pleaded with God for came to us…our own lil sweet crumb…. Or piece of heaven! I love the name…just a lil bit different 🙂