1200+ French Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Historically, the French and English name Florence was used for both sexes. And Florent is a steady classic in France, booming there in the 1980s. Maybe it's time to import it, and show that boys can be floral too.

Ghislaine still sounds unusual to us, even though in France this name is dated. It can also be spelled Ghislain.

The French spin on the name of the great Homeric hero with the vulnerable heel seems somewhat more portable into the modern world.

For years there was only one Cher, and then along came the charming heroine of the movie "Clueless." The world now officially has enough Chers in it.

For a girl, we'd say Val-en-teen, though many would insist on pronouncing it like the holiday.

Traditionally used by the ultrareligious, the French boys' name Baptiste comes from the Greek word meaning "to dip". Baptiste is one of the Top 100 Boy Names in France.

Leona with a French accent that gives it a bit more flair. It's currently very popular there – in the Top 30 for French baby girls.

The rarer long form of Priscilla, which comes from the Roman name Priscus, meaning "ancient".

Yes, we tend to think of Claude as a male name and Claudia and Claudette as the female, but this ancient clan name is used in France for girls as well as boys, and could make a distinctively chic boy name for girls here too. You may be surprised to know that Claude was in fairly regular use for American girls in the 1880's and nineties, reaching as high as 553 in 1880.

The chic Euro spelling of Henry is rising along with the original form.

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.

Josue - usually written as Josué - is a French, Spanish, and Portuguese variation of Joshua that has been in the US Top 300 since 1990 and in the Top 1000 since the 70s. While it remains popular in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, in its native Spain, France, and Portugal, it has fallen slightly out of style.

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.

Innovative French word name, suggesting illumination and clarity.

With Angelina becoming so popular thanks to Ms. Jolie, this could be a new twist—but everyone will always misunderstand it as Angelina. While it currently ranks at Number 951 in the US, it's Number 352 in France.

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.

Frenchified name rarely used in France. And perhaps even more rarely used in the US -- there were NO baby girls given the name on the official records of 2021.

Alain gives the midcentury Alan a bit of gallic dash.

Calm, composed, and chic. Often seen with an accent in France, as Clémence.