'Twas Ever Thus...

Another look at the restriction of names in France. This time dating from the First World War. 

 

WAR NAMES FOR FRENCH BABIES                                 (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)                                                                PARIS, AUG 29     There is not a little doubt in the minds of many patriot parents of provincial France as to where the line should be drawn in the  choice of war names for children these days. Many municipalities have shown great indulgence and have admitted to the registration of numerous little "Joffres" and "Joffrettes." An inhabitant of Bordeaux, however, was greatly disappointed when the registrar told him that the name "Revanche," upon which he had set his heart for his daughter, did not figure in the official calendar, and that he dared not risk exercising his prerogatives to such a degree as to sanction it.      The limit would appear to have been reached by a happy father in a village of Touraine who, it is said, has just has his child christened "Poilu" -- a very appropriate appellation for a French soldier in the trenches, but not, as in the case in question, for a little baby girl.    The Times Monday Aug 30, 1915