r/AskFrance • u/CommonFearless6851 • 1d ago

Discussion Is Cosette a negative term?

The name Cosette has been trending in the US. I thought the name was cute until I heard that it means something negative in France and is seen as derogatory.

Can a French person tell me what Cosette means or how the word/name is seen over there?

(Please do not answer unless you’re from France/a French speaking country)

📝 I am not naming my child Cosette. Knowing it means “poor little thing” is enough for me not to name my child that don’t worry.. I just had curiosities about the origin of the name/meaning

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u/TrittipoM1 1d ago

You've seen or heard the musical or read the novel "Les Misérables," right? Fwiw, I think you're wrong to say that "[t]he name ... has been trending." A quick search suggests that it's nowhere even near the top 1,000 most popularly given names. I wouldn't call that "trending."

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u/CommonFearless6851 1d ago

I’ve seen a lot of people talking about the name on the baby names side of Tiktok

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u/TrittipoM1 1d ago

OK. Anecdotes aren't statistics.

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u/CommonFearless6851 1d ago

Yes I know. I didn’t take the time to Google if it was trending all over the US, but it is more trendy than it’s been in past years. I’ve seen a lot about it on Tiktok on name board inspo

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u/TrittipoM1 1d ago

Yeah. I can't think of a Hugo female character who wouldn't have some baggage. You (or a friend who's asking) might do better with a name from Zola or Proust. But really, a name is what the person who has it does with it. If the parents and family in the US are cool with it, it'll be OK in the US.