Vintage French Girl's Names

Florence is back, returning to the US Top 1000 girl names in 2017 after a nearly 40 year absence. Other English-speaking countries have been quicker to welcome Florence back into fashion.

Florentine is an unusual member of a group of names destined for great popularity for girls. Its primary members are Flora and Florence, but rarer choices such as Flory and Fleur and Florentine are sure to flower in the years ahead.

This geographic name has lots of Gallic elan. France Nuyen is a French-Vietnamese actress who starred in the Broadway hit The World of Suzie Wong.

With the advent of Pope Francis, all forms of this ancient and saintly name came up for a fresh look. Along with most other -een and -ine (when pronounced like -een) names for girls, Francine has a dated midcentury Mad Men feel. But its choice for their daughter by modern glamour couple Casey Neistat and Candice Pool, respectively a video star and a jewelry designer, has made Francine chic again.

In France it's sometimes bestowed as a patriotic gesture; in English-speaking places it has an air of genteel sophistication.

The quintessentially elegant and worldly Gabrielle -- designer Coco Chanel's real name -- is on its descent after years on the rise. Gabrielle was a hit in the 90s and early 2000s, peaking at number 46 in 1999. Popular nickname options include Gabby, Bri, and Brielle. Today Gabriella has taken over as the more popular version and still sits in the Top 100, while Gabrielle is soon to lose its spot in the Top 500. This follows a collective trend of "-a" ending version surpassing the more tailored versions, similar to how Daniela replaced Danielle.

Has a musty 1940s feel. Try Georgia -- or Georgiana.

Now more popular than Georgiana in Britain, this elegant Dickens. Jane Austen name deserves attention. Most American parents prefer Georgia to Georgina or any other feminization of George.

Linked to the early days of feminism via Germaine Greer, this saint's name feels neither French nor German enough.

Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T., revive the long shunned Gertrude?

You might be able to make this work if you pronounce it the sophisticated French way: zhil-bare.

Henriette is to Henri (or Henry) what Charlotte is to Charles. Yet this elegant French name is surprisingly rare in the States.

The pure, simple HONOR--as chosen by Jessica Alba, is perfect as it is. It does have some literary cred though--Henry James created a character called Honorine for his novel The Tragic Muse.

Hortense is actually the French feminine form of Hortensia, the name of a strong, politically active early Roman woman. Hortense began to be used in the English-speaking world in the nineteenth century. Napoleon had a stepdaughter named Hortense, it was the name of one of the main characters in the film Secrets and Lies and is also associated with novelist Hortense Calisher. As unappealing as it might be to most American parents, Hortense is now Number 155 in France (as of 2021).

Héloïse is a chic French name related to sleek, peppy classic Eloise. Both ultimately derive from the Germanic name Helewidis, which became Helewis in medieval England. In the twelfth century, the name was borne by the beloved of the French philosopher Pierre Abelard, who was considered to be one of the most learned women of the Middle Ages.