A harmonious first name, meaning “universe” has appealed to more and more parents since the 2000s, and nothing seems to stop its rise.
A French first name increasingly popular with young parents could well take root in the Parisian top 30 and do the same at the national level. “Attributed to a handful of French people until the 1980s, it takes off with the enthusiasm of a new first name, and nothing seems to stop it today“, comment Claire Tabarly Perrin and Stéphanie Rapoport, the authors of the Official First Names 2024 (published by First). This male first name comes from the Greek Kosmos which means “universe” and which refers to harmony and Little boys named Côme also have the advantage of having a first name that is both original and echoes nature, a criterion that is increasingly sought after.
Lake Como in Italy is indeed reminiscent of the romantic shores of la dolce vita. He has also inspired many writers and musicians. The composer Franz Liszt met the love of his life there, the countess and writer Marie d’Agoult, with whom he became the father of a little girl named Cosima (the female version of Côme in Italian). The latter was the second wife of the composer Richard Wagner. Lake Como, the third largest lake in Italy, also attracted the French novelist George Sand, who came there to mourn her unhappy love affair with Alfred de Musset. This “sublime lake” as Stendhal described it in La Chartreuse de Parme has since become the unmissable meeting place for the Hollywood jet-set. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Richard Branson and Tom Cruise like to have a good time there.
If we look at the history of the first name Cosimo, we must go back to the time of the Medici family, and to the Florentine dynasty founded by Cosimo the Elder (also called Cosimo de Medici). This banker and statesman became the richest merchant in Florence. Passionate about architecture and painting, he invested his fortune and was recognized as the prince of arts and sciences in history. “During the Italian Quattrocento, in the 15th century, one of his descendants, also named Como, perpetuated this family tradition of cultural patronage,” specifies the Official of First Names.
Outside France, the first name Côme is still struggling to emerge in French-speaking countries, with the exception of Walloons who place it near the top 30. Certain variants of the first name are also well known in Italy such as Cosma, Cosmo, and Cosimo, while the feminine Cosima remains very rarely attributed in France. If you are looking for an original and fashionable male first name, Como is a good choice.