Unique French Girl Names

  1. Roux
    • Origin:

      French From Latin
    • Meaning:

      "russet"
    • Description:

      Roux, a color name meaning russet or reddish brown, is a possible middle name for your little auburn-haired babe, though a post-Hunger Games child would more likely be called Rue. Roux is also a culinary term for a mixture of fat and flour used in French cooking to make sauces.
  2. Zelie
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "noble"
    • Description:

      A cute, zippy French saint's name that's picking up in popularity there, and starting to in the US as well. Zélie originated as a short form of Azélie, thought to derive from Adelaide via the Occitan form Azalaïs. Saint Zélie was born Marie-Azélie.
  3. Emmanuelle
    • Origin:

      French, feminine variation of Emanuel
    • Meaning:

      "God is with us"
    • Description:

      The female version of Emanuel could become more prominent, though for some it still carries a steamy image dating back to a then sensationally erotic French film. Singer and Shameless star Emmy Rossum's full name is Emmanuelle.
  4. Calais
    • Origin:

      French place-name
    • Description:

      Undiscovered name of picturesque northern French port.
  5. Pomeline
    • Origin:

      French, related to "apple"
    • Meaning:

      "apple"
    • Description:

      A rarely heard--even in France--name, most prominent as the third name of Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and granddaughter of Grace Kelly.
  6. Oriane
    • Origin:

      Latin via French
    • Meaning:

      "sunrise"
    • Description:

      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.
  7. Oceane
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "ocean"
    • Description:

      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.
  8. Eponine
    • Origin:

      French literary name
    • Description:

      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.
  9. Melisande
    • Origin:

      French form of Millicent, German
    • Meaning:

      "strong in work"
    • Description:

      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.
  10. Jeanne
    • Origin:

      French variation of Jean
    • Meaning:

      "God is gracious"
    • Description:

      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.
  11. Leontine
    • Origin:

      French female form of Leontios, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "lion"
    • Description:

      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.
  12. Lucienne
    • Origin:

      French feminine variation of Lucian
    • Meaning:

      "light"
    • Description:

      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.
  13. Sandrine
    • Origin:

      French variation of Alexandra
    • Description:

      Sophisticated French choice. Or toxic petrochemical.
  14. Lunette
    • Isaline
      • Origin:

        French variation of Isabelle
      • Description:

        A trendy name in France, sometimes also spelled Ysaline, that's related to both Isabelle and Iseult. To the American ear, it freshens up Isabelle without really improving on it.
    • Agathe
      • Origin:

        French variation of Agatha, Greek
      • Meaning:

        "good woman"
      • Description:

        Agathe is a hugely popular name in contemporary France, even if it's English-speaking counterparts have not yet warmed to the usual English version, Agatha. The French pronunciation is sure to trip up non-French speakers.
    • Mirabeau
      • Origin:

        French
      • Meaning:

        "wonderful, miraculous"
      • Description:

        The grandiose name of a French revolutionary – in full: Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau. Mirabeau likely derives from Latin mirabilis, making it a masculine cousin of Mirabelle.
    • Clemence
      • Origin:

        French feminine variation of Clement
      • Meaning:

        "mild, merciful"
      • Description:

        Calm, composed, and chic. Often seen with an accent in France, as Clémence.
    • Viviette
      • Origin:

        French variation of Vivian
      • Meaning:

        "life"
      • Description:

        Embroidered lace hankie of a name, used in a Thomas Hardy novel. That literary cred lends some gravitas.
    • Rosette