Are you looking for a French name for your little one but haven’t found the perfect one for you and your family?
Well, we all know how popular France is for its amazing sights and equally amazing language so there’s no doubt about it that they have some beautiful names. All these different name options can very quickly become overwhelming especially when you’re trying to juggle becoming a new parent and everything that goes with it.
So, we’ve put together this brilliant list of 20 French names that might make this journey a little easier for you. Will you fall in love with one of these magical names with an amazing meaning?
Common French Names
| Name | Meaning |
| Louise | Renowned warrior |
| Emma | Whole, universal |
| Ambre | Fossilized tree resin |
| Alice | Noble |
| Louis | Famous warrior |
| Leo | Brave people, lion hearted |
Popular French Names for Girls
There are hundreds of unique French names out there that you could choose from but here are our top ten french girls names.
Antoinette
- Origin: French, Latin.
- Meaning: Praiseworthy.
- Alternative Spellings: Antonette, Antonia, Antonella.
- Famous People: Antoinette Lucas (American field hockey player).
- Popularity: Peaked at number 666 in 1960 but dropped off the top 1,000 list in 1989.
Bernadette
- Origin: French, English, Teutonic.
- Meaning: Brave as a bear.
- Alternative Spelling: Bernita, Bernadina, Bernarda.
- Famous People: Bernadette Smith (Canadian politician), and Bernadette Seacrest (American vocalist).
- Popularity: Peaked at number 188 in 1946 but dropped off the top 1,000 list in 1993.
Camille
- Origin: English, Latin, French.
- Meaning: Girl in white.
- Alternative Spelling: Camilla, Camia, Camillia.
- Famous People: Camille Muffat (French Swimmer), Camille O’Sullivan (British musician).
- Popularity: Peaked at number 238 in 2012.
Clementine
- Origin: French, Latin.
- Meaning: Merciful.
- Alternative Spelling: Clemette, Clemency, Clemencia.
- Famous People: Clementine Celarie (French actress), Clementine Churchill (Wife to Winston Churchill).
- Popularity: Dropped off the top 1,000 list in 1950s but regained popularity in 2014.
Danielle
- Origin: French, Hebrew.
- Meaning: God is my judge.
- Alternative Spelling: Daniela, Danyelle, Danelle.
- Famous People: Danielle Adams (American basketball player), Danielle Anderson (American singer).
- Popularity: Peaked at number 14 in 1987.
Elaine
- Origin: French, Greek, English.
- Meaning: Bright, shining light.
- Alternative Spelling: Elainna, Elena, Laine.
- Famous People: Elaine Paige (singer, actor, radio personality).
- Popularity: Top 100 from 1923 to 1958 but now sits at around 700.
Francine
- Origin: French.
- Meaning: From France, free.
- Alternative Spelling: Fran, Francie, Francina.
- Famous People: Francine Diaz (Filipina teen actress and model).
- Popularity: Featured on the top 500 names list from 1932-1972 but dropped off the top 1,000 list in 1989.
Genevieve
- Origin: French, German, Celtic.
- Meaning: Belonging to the tribe, race of women.
- Alternative Spelling: Gena, Genaveeve, Genavive.
- Famous People: Genevieve Angelson (American TV and film actress).
- Popularity: Peaked around 1909 where it sat in the top 100 on the top 1,000 baby names list.
Josephine
- Origin: French.
- Meaning: God will add or increase.
- Alternative Spelling: Josefine, Josephene, Josefene.
- Famous People: Josephine of Leuchtenberg (Queen of Sweden.
- Popularity: Number 47 in 1900 and 86 in 2020 on the top 1,000 baby names list.
Lucie
- Origin: French, English.
- Meaning: Illuminating, light.
- Alternative Spelling: Lucee, Lucia, Luciana.
- Famous People: Lucie Ahl (British tennis player), Lucie Arnaz (American actress).
- Popularity: Top 1,000 names in the US until 1923 and top 100 in France.
French Names For Boys
Here are some of the best french boys’ names that may be perfect for your little one.
Antoine
- Origin: French, Latin.
- Meaning: Praiseworthy, priceless.
- Alternative Spelling: Antoan, Antony, Antwain.
- Famous People: Antoine Ashley (American drag queen), Antoine Arbogast (French mathematician).
- Popularity: Featured on the top 1,000 names list in the 1900s but dropped off in 1912.
Arthur
- Origin: French, Celtic.
- Meaning: Noble one, bear.
- Alternative Spelling: Artair, Arthur, Aurthur.
- Famous People: Arthur Ashe (tennis player), Arthur Conan Doyle (author), Arthur Darvill (TV actor).
- Popularity: Number 15 on the top 1,000 list in 1900 and sat in the top 10 in France in 2017.
Frederic
- Origin: French.
- Meaning: A peaceful ruler.
- Alternative Spelling: Fred, Freddy, Frederick.
- Famous People: Frederic Chopin (Polish composer and virtuoso pianist).
- Popularity: Peaked at number 343 in 1915 and stayed in the top 1,000 until 1979.
Gilbert
- Origin: French, German.
- Meaning: Pledge, promise.
- Alternative Spelling: Gilberto, Gilburt, Guilbert.
- Famous People: Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (US military officer).
- Popularity: Number 146 in 1900 and sat in the top 200 until 1969 but dropped out of the top 1,000 in 2017.
Jean
- Origin: French, Celtic, Hebrew.
- Meaning: God is gracious.
- Alternative Spelling: Jeane, Jeann, Jeano.
- Famous People: Jean Brnkart (Belgian cyclist), Jean Chretien (Canadian politician).
- Popularity: Number 499 in 1900 and top 1,000 until 2011 but is now top 100 in France.
Louis
- Origin: French, German, Teutonic.
- Meaning: Brave warrior.
- Alternative Spelling: Lewis, Luis, Louie.
- Famous People: Louis Tomlinson (British singer), and Louis Armstrong (American jazz musician).
- Popularity: Number 26 in 1900 and number 260 in 2020 but has reached the top 10 in France currently.
Marcel
- Origin: French.
- Meaning: A little warrior.
- Alternative Spelling: Marceli, Marcello, Marcelle.
- Famous People: Marcel Alessandri (French army general), Marcel Alexandre Bertrand (French geologist).
- Popularity: Featured in the top 1,000 names list for over 100 years and peaked at number 500 in 1925.
Noel
- Origin: French, Latin.
- Meaning: Born on Christmas Day or at Christmas time.
- Alternative Spelling: Noele, Noell, Nole, Nowel, Nowell, Nowelle.
- Famous People: Noel Agazarian (British pilot), Noel Gallagher (English musician).
- Popularity: Peaked at number 267 in 1938 and has been in the top 500 for nearly 100 years.
Percival
- Origin: French, English.
- Meaning: Piercing, pierce the veil.
- Alternative Spelling: Percivall, Percivale, Purcival, Persival.
- Famous People: Perceval Gaillard (French politician), and Percival Lowell (American astronomer).
- Popularity: Sat at number 925 in 1901 and number 914 in 1902.
Raphael
- Origin: French, Hebrew.
- Meaning: Healed by God.
- Alternative Spelling: Rafael, Rafaele, Rafaelle, Raphaelle.
- Famous People: Raphael Alibert (French politician), Raphael Garcia (Canadian soccer player).
- Popularity: Has been featured in the top 10 in France since 2015 and sat at number 514 in the US in 2020.
French Baby Names
There is a huge variety of French baby names that will suit almost every baby. Just make sure that you do that research before settling on the final name, and make sure that your beautiful baby name doesn’t translate to some weird food for example.