French Cat Names

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.

Crescent is an intriguing word name with a pretty sound and links to the moon. Cressie could make for a cute nickname, as used in the Worst Witch children's TV series, short for Crescentmoon.

Though this name properly takes an accent over the first e, most Americans would probably have trouble pronouncing it with French elan.

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.

Putting the emphasis on the "elle" softens a name that seems at once futuristic and medieval.

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.

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

Has joined Chanel and Armani on the fashionista hit parade of names. The meaning of Dior is uncertain but it may be "gold".

Peppy cheerleader name of the 1960s and 70s that's sure to evoke the Four Seasons song of that name.

The kind of French name that seemed daring -- and darling -- in the sixties.

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.

A less common relic of the Claudette-Paulette-Annette era.

The French variation of Giselle was made famous by the spectacular Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

Desi makes Desiree a lot cuter and more boyish.

Attractive, underused name made famous by the heroine of The Color Purple. Still, if you're going to go to Celie, why not go all the way to Celia or Cecelia? You can always use Celie for short.

Overly ambitious choice, recently borne by the hapless hero of cult movie hit Napoleon Dynamite.

Noel, the French word for Christmas has been given to both boys and girls born on that holiday since the Middle Ages. For girls it's often spelled Noelle.

Mason with a French accent. It first entered the US Top 1000 in 2012, and it will likely hang on for as long as its brother-in-spelling-variations, Mayson.

Most contemporary parents would probably opt for the more streamlined Elle.