Eleanor and Elizabeth are classics, while Emma and Emily have dominated the US Top 10 in recent years. So why haven’t we heard much of this lovely appellation?
Thanks to Vicki for suggesting Emmanuelle as our Baby Name of the Day.
First things first: Emmanuelle is a feminine form of Emmanuel, or maybe Immanuel. The spelling varies across time and tongue. It’s never been super popular in the English-speaking world, but you’ve almost certainly heard Manuel and maybe even Manuela. Manuel had a good run in the Byzantine Empire, and has appeared in the royal families of Spain and Portugal. Judy Garland played Manuela in 1948’s The Pirate.
It’s also a deeply spiritual name. Emmauelle’s roots are Hebrew, meaning “God is with us.” If you’ve ever heard the Christmas carol “O come, O come, Emmanuel,” you know the rest of the story. In the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, the future messiah’s name is given as Emmanuel. As the lyrics tell us, he’s to ransom captive Israel.
No surprise then, that the name has some appeal, especially in our age of borrowing from the Bible.
But Emmanuelle appeals for a second reason: she’s French. With choices like Genevieve and Vivienne all the rage, Emmanuelle feels perfectly on trend.
A handful of notable actresses have boosted the name:
- Emmy Rossum was born Emmanuelle Grey Rossum. Emmy isn’t actually French, but she was named after a great-grandfather Emmanuel.
- Then there’s César-award winning actress Emmanuelle Béart. She’s French, and most of her work has taken place in France, though a few of her films, like Manon des Sources, have achieved an international audience. That’s her portrait above.
- There’s also Emmanuelle Seigner and Emmanuelle Vaugier.
- Oscar-nominated actress Emmanuelle Riva is another notable.
- Emmanuelle Chriqui was born in Montreal. You might remember her as Entourage’s Sloan, or Lorelei on The Mentalist.
But it doesn’t take much looking to find a possible downside to Emmanuelle. Emmanuelle Arsan was the pen name of Bangkok-born Marayat Rollet-Andriane. The author penned erotic novels about a young woman named Emmanuelle. The 1959 book was banned in France – and became a sensation. It was adapted for the big screen in the 1970s, and became onthe moviee of the most successful French films of the decade.
Now here’s the thing: the movie is undeniably softcore porn. It inspired sequels, spin-offs, and rip-offs, some of which gave their main character the just-slightly-different name Emanuelle. There’s a strong association between the name and the entire category of erotic films.
It didn’t stop the French. Emmanuelle was at her most popular as a given name in 1980 – a moment when every parent must have recognized the association.
My sense is that the reference isn’t well-known in the US – at least not in 2013. She’s given to two or three dozen girls born in the US each year.
With French flair and the potential to shorten to Emme or Ellie, doesn’t it seem like Emmanuelle would wear well in 2013?
I agree that people probably wouldn’t associate the films with a baby, but certainly as she grows into a little girl and young woman there’s more of a chance for the association.
In the end, I’m thinking that most people will probably call her by her nickname anyway, since it’ll be less syllables. Emmanuelle will be on her birth certificate and passport etc. but she will likely be known to the world as Emma or some other shortened version of the name, like you listed above.
That’s funny about Amelia – I didn’t know about the medical term!
So cool! I’m having an October baby, too! 🙂 Oct. 11 is my due date.
Awe, thank you, Abby!
I’ve not wanted to poll my friends/acquaintances because I really don’t want unsolicited advice from people who might taunt me with “I told you so” forever after… 🙂
If you do an unscientific Facebook poll I will be forever grateful! 🙂
I appreciate your encouragement and the very wise fact that negative associations to names can always appear after a baby’s been named, for whatever reason… Good point! I like it.
Yes I was thinking that too – you can’t predict that someone with your child’s name won’t appear in the public eye for entirely negative reasons sometime in the future!
There are a number of threads on the British site Mumsnet (not one of my favourite places, I hasten to add, it’s hardly the friendliest of communities, but their baby names group is busy) in which Emmanuelle is roundly condemned and people just say it makes them think of porn. But I can’t see how in real life anyone would look at a baby and think of the films. Children own their names, and after a while she would be the most important point of reference for everyone that mattered.
That said I still have a husband (with entirely conservative taste in names!) to convince of this anyway, so who knows what will happen! But I’m with you in wanting to bring this one back into the fold of the acceptable. And lots of mainstream names have potentially awkward associations that people aren’t aware of either: Amelia, for example, which is hugely popular in the UK, is the name for the medical condition of missing one or more limbs. Not that I suppose many people know that or think of it when making a name choice!
I am due in October by the way, so a fair few months still to think about it!
Hi Vicki – glad to hear another mom is in the same boat as me! I’m in Canada. I’m not sure what Canadians in particular would think/say about the name.
Yeah – as you say, I would hope that by the time she’s old enough to make the association, there will be other worse things to be teased about. The thing that bugs me even more than teasing is the possibility of having someone so much as look at my daughter, knowing her name, and immediately think of erotic scenes from softcore porn films. It makes me feel uneasy. I guess I just wish I knew a stat of how many people are aware of the films and would automatically make the association.
Also, I doubt it’ll stop being the first thing that comes up in a Google search, unfortunately. Who’s to stop film directors from continuing to create soft porn of that name? The latest seven were produced as recent as 2011, even though the original film came out in the 70s.
I’m so torn. I love the name, but I will always give the cons much more weight than the pros when making decisions…
Haha – true that the teasing would be predictable and perhaps easier to handle!
Well, if you come to a decision on whether to run with Emmanuelle or not, let me know! When are you due?
I’ll ask on Facebook. It’s not a scientific poll, but I’ll be curious to hear how many people mention it.
My guess is that it isn’t a familiar reference to most, but then there’s Google …
It wouldn’t stop me from using a name I really loved. Especially because negative associations can always attach after the fact.
Excellent, I will be interested to hear the results too.
I’m so glad you chose this name to discuss. My husband is in love with the name. He wasn’t aware of the softcore porn association until I told him. And, of course, I found out only a month ago by simply typing “Emmanuelle” into Google and voila! The name becomes a word not for its beautiful association to God but rather for erotic films. Makes me so sad. I am still not sure how I feel about this name after finding out about its negative associations. My husband is dead set on the name no matter what the associations are… I just don’t want to name my daughter something that will remind (some) people of porn or that will cause teasing later on in life once friends inevitably come across the association.
Can everyone please let me know their opinion?
I’ve checked other forums and most people are saying that the association to porn is too great and that they wouldn’t name their child Emmanuelle. I, however, would really like to think there’s hope to reclaim the name for the good… but maybe it’s not a good idea. I don’t know…
Help!
Joy I’m in the same boat (see above!)
I really would like to think it’s possible to reclaim this one for the good, on the grounds that no-one would associate the erotic film thing with a newborn baby, and by the time they are old enough to know about it I like to think there will be worse things you could be teased about.
Are you in the UK? For some reason the UK seems to be more sensitive to the nuances of the name than any other country. I’ve actually taught two students with the name, and worked with one (French) colleague with it, none of whom seemed to have any major problems.
It just seems a waste to condemn a beautiful name on the strength of one unfortunate association – and at least the bullying would always be totally predictable and easier to handle!
I have had the sadness of working with a horrible Emmanuel of late. I hate when people taint the name. But here in on Australia people tend to emphasize it as such. (Soft sounding) Eman…YOU(loud, stern)….(tailing off)…Elle. Ruins the name again 🙁
I know a French woman born in the 80s who had this name. Such a beautiful name! I didn’t know about the connotations. Probably wise for parents to Google before naming their child. Maybe a lot of people wouldn’t know about the connotations since the film is older?
I wasn’t at all familiar with the negative connotations — maybe it’s a generational thing? (I’m in my late 20s.) All in all it’s a bit frilly for my taste, but I do think it’s a lovely name. “Nell,” as mentioned above, is a killer nickname.
You might be right, Kathryn. Though I’m 39 and hadn’t heard of the character, either. But with so many parents Googling potential baby names, it is one of the first things that will pop up …
I’m also 39 and while I don’t think I actually watched the movies, I remember them being on HBO/Cinemax back in the 1990’s…
I think Emmanuelle sounds lovely, and parents are choosing to use Desirae, Lilith, Delilah, Salome and those are better known figures… but honestly I’d think long and hard about this one.
I think this one is beautiful. It’s a shame that a name with such deep religious significance can be associated with erotic films. The same goes with Christian and 50 Shades of Grey.
It really is lovely! It’s too bad that people are deterred by the negative association. I always hate when a name becomes taboo over something pop-culturey and out of our control. I loved the name Christian for a son, but thanks to Christian Gray and his questionable recreational hobby I don’t think I could bring myself to use it. Haven’t read the book but just know that I’ll get “Ooh, like Fifty Shades?” at least once in my hypothetical future child’s life, especially with a movie coming out. Emmanuelle is beautiful, I think a parent could pull it off nowadays. If they’re rethinking Lola, Emmanuelle shouldn’t be an issue!
Thank you! A very good summary. It’s such a beautiful name, with such potential for lovely shortenings: Emmy, Elle, Ellie, Nell – and I think Manu is actually quite common in France as a nickname. Not that it necessarily needs a shortening – although it looks long it’s no more syllables than Amelia, for example, which is often left alone.
It’s a real nuisance that it has such connotations. I would love to use it and although not bothered by the original film which I think is now so dated it’s a virtual irrelevance, the fact the name is synonymous for some with all erotic film and with a certain type of girl is off-putting. That said, as you point out, it has never bothered the French!
In the UK it’s a troublesome one, but I do have a strong desire to reclaim it as the elegant name it is…
PS: I didn’t know when I emailed you, but I do now, that baby 3 is a third girl… So it’s in the running!