the name game

On September, 5^th 2022, I sent 216 to 216 people I didn't know. I chose them because of their family names, because of the puns I could create with them.

I spent 2 months scrolling the 2 volumes of the 2005 White Pages of Paris, little by little everyday. I found 1000 interesting names. 216 were shortlisted. Then I looked for the addresses of the people I chose in two online phone books that were more recent: pagesblanches.fr and 118712.fr, the phone book from Orange. I took care to chose as many men as women. Most of them live in Paris or its suburbs (almost 70% of them), because there were more choices, then I chose people living in cities I liked – Rennes, where I'm from, Nantes, Lyon, Toulouse, that I enjoyed visiting, and the cities where my sisters live, Marseille and Bordeaux. Apart from these cities, 26 names belong to 20 different “département” of France. I also chose first names I appreciate and I made biased choices: I didn't choose names I associated with old people, but I chose people of my generation (15 years less or more) or younger. I made this choice since I thought older people were less likely to reply to my letter or to contact me. I chose quickly.

So I sent these 216 people the booklet with all the family names used, before and after I changed them, and alphabetically ordered and classified into different categories (similarities,  synonyms, mixed letters, misspellings, contraries, etc.). I sent this booklet along with a postcard from my collection “Rendez-vous in Paris” that use meaningful street names, and I wrote the same thing on every postcard – I told them I really liked playing on words and hoped they would smile at this proposal and asked them to tell me about their first reaction to my letter.

On December 5, 3 months after I sent my letters, I assessed the result of this experiment.

The day after I sent the letters, I received an email from Mr Marie, I chose to call Mr AIMER (Mr Love), in an anagram. He was quite pleased with this change and thought it suited him well. And I was happy a postman accepted to play my game.

The day after, I received a message from Mrs Jaupart (Mrs Ileave), I chose to call Jaureste (Mrs Istay). She felt enthusiastic about this “incredibly crazy but incredibly funny idea”. I could receive no more letters, these two letters paid in joy for the 216 stamps I used.

Then letters where returned to me, by 6, 9, 12 and...the maximum was 20 on Monday, October 3.

In between, I got other emails, from Mrs ODDOU that I called Mrs DDUOO who enjoyed her renaming, and from Mrs Bois (Mrs Wood), I called Mrs Chêne (Mrs Oak), who told me she enjoyed peculiar people. I am truly happy to be peculiar. All of them seem to have smiled or laughed, and that is satisfying to know that. I thanked them for it when I wrote them back. I also told them I would send them a follow-up to this story, a report, that I am currently writing.

Each time a letter was returned, I would send it back immediately with the name corrected: I would cross the name out, and write the correct name next to it. The first letter that was returned back a second time arrived on September 17. Mr Marteau (Mr Hammer), that I called Mr Malodoi (Mr Myfingerhurts) therefore doesn't live at this address anymore or, the postman or la Poste decided to boycott this scribbled letter that was on its second trip only using one stamp. I could have remained with my doubts if  I had not received the nice letter from Mrs Aix, I called En-Provence. She thanked me for having brightened up her difficult day.

And I received  other letters, by mail.

The first one from Mr Carré (Mr Square), for whom I drew a square instead of his name on the envelope. He replied on the same theme using a square postcard with a view of his city.

The second one arrived with some delay since I moved on October, 5 – something I didn't foresaw before I sent my letters. The letter from Mrs Miel (Mrs Honey) arrived at my new address after I asked for the  mail transfer, but it's the only one, or so. I kept a key of my letterbox before I gave back the keys, then I was able to collect my letters, just as if I was hunting Easter eggs.  As a matter of fact, the stamps I used all represented eggs. I love the shape of eggs, symmetrical or asymmetrical depending on the axis. I moved in the same area, which made things easier. Mrs Miel, whose name I changed into Mrs Abeille (Mrs Bee), sent me a lovely letter, she was so enthusiastic – she loved the projects she saw on my website, she thought we were somehow“related” and was really curious about what was coming next – so I wrote her back and suggested that we meet. She lived in the east of Paris. She agreed, it will happen soon.

Fewer letters were returned, more time passing between each one. Surprisingly, one was returned after 2 months, a letter sent in the Parisian suburbs. The explanation probably being that on September, 5 I posted my letters in various mailboxes, I didn't want to post too many in the same mailbox fearing they would get noticed. Among them, one of the mailboxes was probably out of service. Some of the letters that were returned were a little torn on the side, enough to peep at what was inside, as if someone wanted to know what was inside before sending them back.

And on November 29, while I was expecting no answer anymore, I received the message from Mr Paire, that I called Mr Pardeux (Mr Bytwo), who received my letter the say after it was sent. He waited all this time to answer me because he was trying to find a (nice) pun to offer me: he called me Cric Endiablé (Furious Jack) the perfect anagram of Cécile Briand. He ends his letter with this sentence I appreciate quoting at the end of my text: “And in the end, all the small things bringing us together, surprise, bring a form of lightness and poetry in our world, which is vital.” Some other people may answer me back even later and it will always be a delight to read them/

In the end, I was able to get back the 92 letters that were sent and returned twice, and will never be read. 8 people answered me, 27 letters that were sent back after I corrected them didn't come back and I hope the 89 letters I never heard about arrived to their recipients.

Also, I know that a person actually received my letter but didn't answer to it (he is a friend of a friend) and that my little sister quickly received her letter addressed to Mrs Etincellante (Mrs Sparkling) – her family name is Briand (shining) like me. Another person, theonly other person I know through someone else, didn't receive her letter (and it wasn't returned back to me): then, what happened to this letter?

So, about half the letters arrived safely to their recipients and I received 8 letters that brought me so much joy.

The same way I keep on smiling while reading this list of names.

 

Cécile Briand or Bécile Criand or Cric Endiablé, Paris, December, 5, 2022.

[Avant]                  [Après]

 

Abeille                   Guêpe

Abellard                Héloïse

About                    Burn-out

Agassant               Enervant

Aix                         En-Provence

Alter                      Ego

Anterrieu              Posterrieu

Athènes                Grèce

Aube                      Petit jour

Avignon                 Surlepont

Avril                       4ème mois

Bas                         Haut

Baguette               Magique

Bain                        Douche

Bardon                  Bésolé

Beaucorps            Bienfait

Beauregard          Beloeil

Beddok                  Bedicament

Belle                      Joli

Belier                     Sagittaire

Bernardo              Zorro

Blair                       Flair

Bois                        Chêne

Bollée                    Cidre

Bonjour                 Hello

Bouh                      Whaa

Bouattou               Cussec

Bouillant                Brûlant

Boulogne              Billancourt

Bourgeon              Bongeour

Brevet                    Diplôme

Bruit                       Boum

Bruyère                 Fougères

Calin                       Calins

Camelot                 Bibelot

Carr                        Buss

Carré                      un carré dessiné

Casanova              Donjuan

CERDAN              DANCER

Chandler               Crêpes

Chavatte                Choullier

Chérif                     une étoile dessinée

Chiche                   Pacape

Clermont               Ferrand

Cognacq                Bourbon

Colombo               Inspecteur

Commecy              Commeça

Contesse               Duchesse

Contour                 Limite

Coq                         Qoc

Courrier                 Le dessin d'une enveloppe

CZALCZYNSKI        ACCIKLNSZZ

Dabadie                 Dabatoudie

Damoiseau            Dumoyenage

Dang                       Bong

DELOM                  MODEL

Desjours                 Desnuits

DEVER                   DEREV

Ding                        Dong

Doublet                 (le prénom est répété 2 fois, sans "Doublet")

Doux                      Velours

Duault                    Stonetsharden

Duballet                Oust

Dubrule                 Duchauffe

Dubut                     Siprès

Dufour                   Encorechaud

Dujardin               Bio

Durand                  Dupont

Eker                        le dessin d’une équerre

ELOI                       OEIL

Ely                           Coptère

EMOND                  MONDE

ERTEL                    LETRE

Fagot                       Petit bois

Faron                      Fanfar

FERAUD                FRAUDE

Fessy                       Feça

Flamant                 (écrit en rose et en gras)

Flecher                  (une flèche pointe le prénom)

Fort                        Costaud

Fortuit                    Parazar

Frérot                    Frangin

Garrigue               Grillons

Gaucher                Droitier

Gauffre                  Miam

Genou                    Coude

Genre                    Masculin (pour un garçon)

Gensburger          Canibale

Gentil                     Sympa

Germain               Cousin

Gouverneur         Amiral

Grappin                 "Grappin" est écrit au dessus du prénom. Un*précise "Mettre le grappin dessus"

Greffe                    (attaché au prénom)

Grillon                    Cigale

Grosso                    Modo

GRZYWNOWIEZ    GNEYROZWIWZ

Guillemet              (mettre des guillemets autour du prénom)

Ha                           Ah

Hattab                    Venémangé

He                          Eh

Hein                       1

Herault                  Héros

Ho                          Oh

Holmes                  Sherlock

Hou                        Ouh

Janvier                   Juillet

Jaupart                   Jaureste

Jeannes                 (ajouter un "s" au prénom)

Jouan                     Jouant

KARIM                  MIRAK

Kalife                     Vizir

Koffi                       Kawa

Lacorne                 Licorne

Lala                         Lalère

Lamoureux           Lheureux

LAO                        OLA

Lavenir                  Demain

Lavigne                  Leraisin

Lavoix                    Lavouaaah

Lazic                       Lalala

Lecomte                 Leduc

Le Bras                  La Jambe

Lelouch                 Voidouble

Lemaître               Leboss

Lenormand           Lebreton

Lepage                   Lefeuille

Lépine                   danlepié

Leroy                     Leprince

Lheureux              Lechanceux

LIBER                   LIBRE

Lion                       Tigre

LIU                         LUI

Lo                           L.O.

Lot                          Kit

Louche                  (le prénom est répété 2 fois, sans "Louche")

Loup                      Garou

Lune                      un croissant de lune dessiné

Madeleine            Proust

Main                       Pied

Maison                   une maison dessinée

Malassis                 Malodos

Malfait                   Bienfait

Malfait                   Pasfait

Malfait                   Arefaire

Malin                      Maline

Marchais               Courais

Marchive               Mémoire

Mardi                     Mercredi

Mardon                  Mexcuse

Marguerite            Pâquerette

MARI                      MAIR

MARIE                  AIMER

Marteau                 Malodoi

Matignon              Elysée

Melo                      Meli

MERIC                  MERCI

Merville                 Merveille

Meunier                Tudors

Miel                        Abeille

Mille                       1000

Miossec                 Mialabri

Moineau               Petit oiseau

Molho                    Toudou

Montel                   Monphone

MORA                    AMOR

MOURA                 AMOUR

Narcisse                 (écrit en miroir)

Naturel                   Bio

Neige                      Flocon

Nonon                    Ououi

ODDOU                  DDUOO

Orange                    le dessin d'une orange orange

Pachot                   Tiède

Paillette                 Strass

Pain                        Baguette

Paire                      Pardeux

Pan                         Bang

Parent                    Pèremère

Pasdeloup             Pasdebruit

Pépin                     Noyau

Perdu                     (écrit dans un coin)

Pi                             3,14

Plaisant                  Agréable

Planque                 PLANprénomQUE

Podvin                   Bakchich

Point                      un point dessiné

Poirier                   Pommier

Poisson                  un poisson

Porte                      (une flèche indique  la porte d'une maison)

POUR                     (devant le prénom)

RANGER               (Les lettres sont rangées dans des cases)

Ricard                    Pastis

ROMA                    AMOR

Sage                       Image

Saison                    Printemps

Samba                    Tango

Schubert               Chopin

Simpson                Homer

Sommaire             Index

Song                      Chanson

Souchon                Voulzy

Soudain                 Surprise

Souplet                  SVP

Stock                      Réserve

TALEC                   ECLAT

Tarot                      Cartes

Tatin                       Tarte

Taverne                 Auberge

Tonnerre               Eclair

Toumi                    Mitou (pour une fille)

TUIL                       UTIL

Vaast                      Grrand

VABRE                   BRAVE

Yvert                        Eté

YVON                      OVNY

[Avant]                  [Après]

 

Rapprochement

Abellard                Héloïse

Athènes                 Grèce

Avignon                 Surlepont

Baguette                Magique

Bain                       Douche

Belier                     Sagittaire

Bernardo              Zorro

Bois                        Chêne

Bollée                    Cidre

Bouattou               Cussec

Boulogne              Billancourt

Bruit                       Boum

Casanova             Donjuan

Chandler               Crêpes

Clermont               Ferrand

Cognac                  Bourbon

Colombo               Inspecteur

Damoiseau           Dumoyenage

Doux                      Velours

Duault                   Stonetsharden

Dubut                     Siprès

Dufour                   Encorechaud

Durand                  Dupont

Faron                     Fanfar

Garrigue               Grillons

Gauffre                  Miam

Genou                    Coude

Genre                     Masculin (pour un garçon)

Germain                Cousin

Hattab                   Venémangé

Holmes                  Sherlock

Janvier                   Juillet

Kalife                     Vizir

Lala                        Lalère

Lamoureux           Lheureux

Lavenir                  Demain

Lazic                       Lalala

Le bras                   Lajambe

Lenormand           Lebreton

Lheureux               Lechanceux

Lion                        Tigre

Madeleine            Proust

Main                      Pied

Malassis                Malodos

Malfait                  Bienfait

Malfait                  Pasfait

Malfait                  Arefaire

Marchais              Courais

Mardi                    Mercredi

Marteau                Malodoi

Matignon              Elysée

Meunier                Tudors

Miel                       Abeille

Poirier                   Pommier

Ricard                   Pastis

Sage                       Image

Saison                   Printemps

Schubert               Chopin

Simpson               Homer

Souchon               Voulzy

Soudain                 Surprise

Tarot                      Cartes

Tatin                      Tarte

Tonnerre               Eclair

Yvert                      Eté

 

Synonymes

Abeille                   Guêpe

Agassant               Enervant

Aube                       Petit jour

Avril                       4ème mois

Beauregard           Beloeil

Bouillant               Brûlant

Brevet                    Diplôme

Bruyère                  Fougères

Camelot                 Bibelot

Contesse                Duchesse

Contour                 Limite

Fagot                      Petit bois

Fort                        Costaud

Frérot                     Frangin

Gentil                     Sympa

Gouverneur          Amiral

Grillon                   Cigale

Lavigne                  Leraisin

Lecomte                 Leduc

Lemaître                Leboss

Leroy                      Leprince

Marguerite           Pâquerette

Moineau               Petit oiseau

Neige                     Flocon

Paillette                Strass

Pain                       Baguette

Pépin                     Noyau

Plaisant                 Agréable

Sommaire             Index

Stock                      Réserve

Taverne                 Auberge

Samba                   Tango

 

Synonymes –tirés par les cheveux

About                     Burn-out

Beaucorps            Bienfait

Blair                       Flair

Chavatte               Choullier

Chiche                   Pacape

Dabadie                Dabatoudie

Duballet                Oust

Dubrule                Duchauffe

Dujardin               Bio

Fortuit                   Parazar

Gensburger          Canibale

Koffi                       Kawa

Lelouch                  Voidouble

Lepage                   Lefeuille

Lot                          Kit

Marchive              Mémoire

Miossec                 Mialabri

Molho                    Toudou

Montel                   Monphone

Naturel                  Bio

Pachot                   Tiède

Pair                        Pardeux

Parent                    Pèremère

Pasdeloup             Pasdebruit

Podvin                   Bakchich

Souplet                  SVP

 

Lettres mélangées

CZALCZYNSKI        ACCIKLNSZZ  (de A à Z)

DELOM                    MODEL

DEVER                     DEREV

ELOI                         OEIL

EMOND                   MONDE

ERTEL                      LETRE

FERAUD                  FRAUDE

GRZYWNOWIEZ   GNEYROZWIWZ

KARIM                     MIRAK

LAO                          OLA

LIBER                      LIBRE

LIU                           LUI

MARI                       MAIR

MARIE                    AIMER

MERIC                    MERCI

MORA                     AMOR

ODDOU                  DDUOO

POT                          TOP

PROU                      POUR (devant le prénom)

ROMA                     AMOR

TALEC                     ECLAT

TUIL                        UTIL

VABRE                    BRAVE

YVON                      OVNY

MOURA                  AMOUR

 

Dessins

Carré                     un carré

Chérif                    une étoile

Courrier                une enveloppe

Eker                       une équerre

Flecher                  une flèche pointe le prénom

Guillemet              il y a des guillemets autour du prénom

Hein                       1

Lune                       un croissant de lune

Maison                 une maison

Mille                      1000

Orange                  une orange orange

Pi                            3,14

Point                      un point

Poisson                 un poisson

Porte                      une flèche qui indique la porte d'une maison

 

Détail

 

Calin                      Calins

Commecy              Commeça

Coq                         Qoc

Hérault                  Héros

Fessy                      Feça

Jeannes                 (ajouter un "s" au prénom)

Jouan                     Jouant

Lacorne                 Licorne

Lavoix                    Lavouaaah

Lo                            L.O.

Melo                       Meli

Merville                 Merveille

 

Typo

Flamant                 (écrit en rose et en gras)

Grappin                 ("Grappin" est écrit au-dessus du prénom.Un * précise "Mettre le grappin dessus")

Greffe                     (attaché au prénom)

Doublet                 (le prénom est répété 2 fois, sans "Doublet")

Louche                   (le prénom est répété 2 fois, sans "Louche")

Narcisse                (écrit en miroir)

Perdu                     (écrit dans un coin)

Planque                 PLANprénomQUE

Ranger                   (Les lettres sont rangées dans des cases)

 

Onomatopée

Bouh                      Whaa

Dang                      Bong

Ding                       Dong

Ha                          Ah

He                           Eh

Ho                          Oh

Hou                        Ouh

Pan                        Bang

 

Fautes

Anterrieu              Posterrieu

Bardon                  Bésolé

Beddok                  Bedicament

Carr                        Buss

Mardon                 Mexcuse

Vaast                     Grrand

 

Enchaînement

Aix                          En-Provence

Alter                       Ego

Ely                          Coptère

Grosso                   Modo

Lépine                    Danlepié

Loup                       Garou

 

Contraires

Bas                         Haut

Desjours               Desnuits

Gaucher                Droitier

Jaupart                 Jaureste

Nonon                   Ououi

 

Inversés

BOURGEON           BONGEOUR

CERDAN                 DANCER

TOUMI                    MITOU (pour une fille)

 

Genre

Belle                      Joli  (pour un garçon)

Malin                    Maline (pour une fille)

 

Traduction

Bonjour                 Hello

Song                       Chanson