270+ French Boy Names

Nathaniel is a wonderful classic name and Nathanael, which may be an ancient Greek or Hebrew form, is appealing and has gravitas but may prove needlessly confusing in the modern world.

Scottish actor Dougray (born Stephen) Scott made us aware of this name when he took on his French grandmother's surname as his stage name.

Alain gives the midcentury Alan a bit of gallic dash.

Surname of French architect Jean Nouvel that became a given name when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie used it as the middle name of their daughter Shiloh.

This highly unusual name has been kicked up a notch, thanks to cooking guru Emeril Lagasse.

Unique baby name and poetic Gallic choice. Guillaume Apollinaire was a French poet and novelist active in the early 20th century arts community, who is said to have coined the terms cubism and surrealism. He based his unique surname de plume on his Polish middle name, Apolinary.

The y makes it seem more like a name and less like an animal, but it's still not as appealing as several Leo choices.

A seraph is a heavenly, angelic being from Ancient Jewish scripture. The Hebrew word literally translates to "the burning one." It can also be considered a diminutive of the name Seraphim.

An everyday name in France, a charismatic possibility here.

Francois is the ultimate sophisticated French name.

No-no appelation of a child saint and martyr whose name is a term for the nervous condition known as Saint Vitus' Dance. Its one recommending feature is that it's among the elite group Boy names that mean life.

Thierry, which is very popular in France, would make an interesting import; it's somewhat familiar through designer Thierry Mugler and international soccer star Thierry Henry. It almost sounds like Terry, but not quite.

What's the difference between Alexander, the usual English spelling of this deeply classical name, and Alexandre, the French version? English speakers might find the proper French pronunciation challenging: a-lehk-SAHN-dreh, but that last syllable is barely pronounced. Americans might an an a or an ee on the end of the name, or simply pronounce it as Alexander, for better or worse.

A traditional French male name that could, with American pronunciation, become an admirable word name.

This name feels warmer and more human-appropriate in its longer version, but still retains that breezy feel. Trivia tidbit: Zephyrinus was a Jewish pope.

Depending on your cultural references, you may think of Phantom of the Opera author Gaston Leroux, or the macho villain of Beauty and the Beast. While he's hardly a role model (unless you too use antlers in all of your decorating), his name was likely chosen because it's a classic in France. It's been used there since the middle ages, partly in honor of the Frankish bishop St Gaston. It went out of style in France mid-century, but now it's having a revival, entering the Top 300 in 2017.

The name of the great French novelist, author of the timeless The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, would make a surprising middle name choice.

Philippe, pronounced fill-EEP, is Philip with Gallic flair.

Loose, lean, and lanky cowboy-sounding names have become a recent trend, but how about the name of a real one--the Singing Cowboy Gene. Autry might be thought of as a masculine spin on the fashionable Audrey or a fresher version of Austin or Auden.

Some other cowboy surnames from the Golden Age of movie and TV westerns: Boone, Boyd, Cody, Corrigan, Gibson, Hart, Holt, Houston, McCoy and Renaldo.