1200+ French Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Whether you spell it Lisette or Lizette, a somewhat dated diminutive that nevertheless retains some charm.

Venerable old saint's name now associated solely with talk show host Philbin, who is constantly seeking namesakes. It comes from the word rex meaning "king".

Albertine and Alberta are old-fashioned feminizations ala Geraldine and Roberta. This is the kind of name that sounds very dowdy until a hip celebrity chooses it, at which point we don't know how we missed its coolness all this time.

his engaging French saint's name, pronounced like tangy, with a hard 'g,' also has a creative connection to French surrealist painter Yves Tanguy.

Mercer is one fashionable occupational name that can work as well for girls as boys, perhaps because of the soft c or the conventionally feminine nickname Mercy.

Truly offbeat, but just on the brink of outré.

Pronounced as the English word joy, rather than as the French phrase joie de vivre, Joie might produce more complications than joy.

Wildly popular name in France that could easily cross the Atlantic.

Madelynn is the fourth most popular variation of this durably popular name, with Madelyn ranking first in the Top 100, Madeline dropping to the Number 2 spot, the French Madeleine taking third place, and Madelynn coming in fourth but still ranking in the Top 500.

Fabiola was the romantically elaborate name of a saint who organized the first hospice. Neither Fabiola nor Fabia appear on the most recent US extended list of names given to five or more babies, though Fabiana and Fabianna are both used.

Cabot is an attractive English surname associated with the daring early Italian-born British explorer known as John Cabot; his birth name was Giovanni Caboto.

A Gallic twist on a word or nature name, which has a nice lemony feel. 

Prune is a fruit name loved by the French, for whom it's a Plum equivalent. In the U.S., Plum works, but Prune is not a name we'd want to inflict on a child. Prunella is slightly more plausible.

Hippolyte is the name of an Amazonian princess AND her son, both unfortunate mythical figures. The name Hippolyte, later borne by several saints, is a not an uncommon boys' name in France, but has barely set foot on American soil and is unlikely to do so. It was the middle name of famed French playwright Jean Giraudoux.

Jeter, which of course is used as a first name only because of Yankee star Derek, rhymes with Peter and may be derived from the French surname Jette, which was often bestowed on foundlings because it means "thrown out," or the German Jetter, an occupational name meaning "weeder." If your husband insists on Jeter, counter with Percival.

Short form found in historical records, feels a tad feminine for modern times.

Here, it's strictly for girls, though Celine Dion's boy Rene-Charles reminded us of its masculine origins.