In the Cévennes, a first name is never a coincidence. It can be born from a memory, an ancestor, a mountain, or even... a weather event. Some first names smell of wet wood, others of the sweat of the fields, still others of the breath of revolt. And if you listen carefully, each first name whispers a story.
First names rooted in the earth
Among the oldest first names found in the hamlets, we come across:
- Baptistin, Léontin, Firmin, Anatole, Marius
- Rosalie, Honorine, Augustine, Philomène, Léonie
Names full of noble dust, borne by people of little... but weight. They evoke the 1900s, calloused hands, singing voices. Sometimes, a child is named after his grandfather... or the donkey that saved him from a ravine (a true story, they say, from Barre-des-Cévennes).
Newcomers: Mountain Creativity
In recent years, the Cévennes have also seen the arrival of first names inspired by nature and freedom:
- Lozère, Céven, Montane, Ségalas, Aubanel
- Or Azilys, Solane, Elian, Albin, Naël , born from a new wind.
We invent, we dare, we mix the old and the poetic. Parents look for a name that smells of the forest, granite, or the river running beneath the moss.
And in the legend?
It is said that in some families, they wait until the child's first night to learn his or her real name . If he or she dreams of a salamander, he or she might be called Salome .
And it is said that those named after a tree live longer . So if you see a little boy named Chestnut , don't laugh: you may have just shaken the hand of a future centenarian.
In summary:
In the Cévennes, a first name is not chosen... it is listened to.
