1200+ French Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Brigitte is the French version of the ancient Irish Brighid long associated with 1950s sex symbol Brigitte Bardot. If you want to pronounce Brigitte the French way, it's brih-ZHEET.

Oceane (oh-see-EN) has been one of the chicest names in France for several years, ranking in the French Top 50. This is a sophisticated name that could easily cross the ocean, and is much more stylish than the English Ocean or Oceana.

Fans of the classic French designer would now more fashionably choose Coco.

A particularly beautiful member of the Orane/Oriana clan, Oriane is the first name of a major character in Proust's In Search Of Lost Time, the Duchesse de Guermantes.

Charlie and its many forms are on the rise -- including Charley, which relates more directly to the male formal name Charles. Surprisingly, though, while the number of girls and boys named Charlie are nearly even, there are six times as many girls named Charley than boys.

Eponine is attracting new notice via the movie of Les Miserables, based on the book by Victor Hugo. Eponine is the spoiled daughter of Cosette's foster parents whose name, according to the story, was lifted by her mother from a romance novel. As in a romance, Eponine redeems herself by becoming a martyr to love.

A cute and fresh way to get to Max, this was the name of a sixth century saint. Maxence is a Top 100 boys' name in France, but largely unknown in the US where it is given to only a handful of baby boys each year.

Pronounced just like Jean in the English-speaking world, but as the more unusual zhahn in France, this has sailed away with the first wave of French favorites: Denise, Michelle, et soeurs.

Simple, usable surname choice.

Paris, a one-time mythical and Shakespearean boys' name, peaked in 2004 at Number 157 at least in part due to the highly publicized Paris Hilton. Michael Jackson used it for his daughter.

Particularly pretty French version of the biblical standard.

This name, which is a French variant of Leo, is pronounced with the distinct French nasally N at the end. It is sometimes used in French to refer to popes named Leo.

Pronounced TEE-bow, this version, which is also a very common surname in France, has a lot more charm than the name it derives from — Theobald. A variant spelling is Thibaut.

Though associated with a French saint noted for her holiness and strength of character, this name is somewhat dated and it might be better to look to one of the more modern names popular for little girls in France today: Oceane, Lea, Manon.

This old-time fairy tale name is rarely heard in the modern English-speaking world, but it's so, well, mellifluous, that it would make a lovely choice for a twenty-first century girl--a romanticized tribute to an Aunt Melissa or Melanie.

Lucienne is a soft and ultra-sophisticated French-accented option in the Lucy family, one that could provide a fresh alternative to such fatigued Gallic choices as Danielle and Michelle.

Leontine is the French form of a name that's more familiar by its spelling variation Leontyne, the name made famous by opera diva Price. An obscure choice, Leontine nevertheless feels right for our lion-name-crazed moment.

Popular President Franklin Delano Roosevelt inspired a brief fashion for this as a first name in the 1940s; almost never heard today.

French version of Leah, currently popular with French-speaking parents. In this spelling, it looks pleasingly like the female equivalent of Leo (or Léo), and sounds like Leia.

French Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne has put the spotlight on her name.