French Names

Looking for suggestions for [name_m]French[/name_m] girl names! I really like [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f], [name_f]Lucienne[/name_f], and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]. [name_f]Cosette[/name_f] is out as there is already someone in our family with that name and DH isn’t too keen on [name_f]Colette[/name_f] (he thinks it’s nice but not the one).

Juliette, Odette, Odile, Ophelie, Violette, Mathilde, Rosalie, Emmeline, Clementine, Aimee, Amélie, Annabelle, Antonie, Fleur, Eloise, Adeline, Amabel, Elodie, Eleonore, Eponie, Eulalie, Isabelle, Marceline (mar-se-leen), Olivette, Sidonie

Any of the “-ette” names:
[name_f]Babette[/name_f]
[name_f]Nicolette[/name_f]
[name_f]Lisette[/name_f]

any of the “-ine” names:
[name_f]Capucine[/name_f]
[name_f]Adeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Carine[/name_f]
[name_f]Josephine[/name_f]
[name_f]Ondine[/name_f]
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f]

the 'ie" names:
[name_f]Aurelie[/name_f]
[name_f]Elodie[/name_f]
[name_f]Marjorie[/name_f]

the “-ille” or “-elle” names:
[name_f]Mireille[/name_f]
[name_f]Camille[/name_f]
[name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f]

and there are so many

My mom’s name is [name_f]Laurette[/name_f]. Nickname is Rette.
Also, I love [name_u]Dominique[/name_u].

[name_f]Lilou[/name_f] is one of my favorite Latin names! I also enjoy the -ine names ([name_f]Josephine[/name_f], [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f], [name_f]Adeline[/name_f], etc) and the -ette names ([name_f]Juliette[/name_f], [name_f]Lisette[/name_f], [name_f]Violette[/name_f], etc). [name_f]Merida[/name_f] is a very uncommon Latin name that I love also. I don’t really have any new suggestions, just some advice: find some names that you like, and see if any of them are Latin names. Lots of names are Latin, and no one realizes it! Good luck. :slight_smile:

Thank you! Open to more suggestions if anyone has any!

[name_f]Soleil[/name_f] pronounced sole AY rhymes with stay

Not used as a name in [name_f]France[/name_f], as far as I know. It’s the word for ‘sun’.

Zéphyrine
[name_f]Corisande[/name_f]
Esmée
Geneviève
Clémentine
[name_f]Fleur[/name_f]
Véronique
Léonie/Léontine
[name_f]Oriane[/name_f]
[name_u]Simone[/name_u]
[name_f]Virginie[/name_f]
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]
[name_f]Mathilde[/name_f]
Noémie
[name_f]Sidonie[/name_f]
[name_f]Ghislaine[/name_f]
Eugénie
[name_f]Eliane[/name_f]
Céleste/Célestine
[name_f]Emmeline[/name_f]
[name_f]Camille[/name_f]
[name_f]Perrine[/name_f]
[name_f]Estelle[/name_f]
Inès
Mélusine/Mélisande

I agree with Renrose : [name_f]Soleil[/name_f] is not used as a name in [name_f]France[/name_f] and [name_f]Lilou[/name_f] is a very recent creation (and is beginning to be considered a bit trashy by [name_m]French[/name_m] people, albeit popular).

Random suggestions (basically people in my family or my friends - I’m [name_m]French[/name_m] ) - some are also widely used in English (sorry for the repeats!) :
Older ladies (my grandma’s gang) : [name_u]Ren[/name_u]ée ; Andrée ; [name_u]Nelly[/name_u] ; [name_f]Blanche[/name_f] ([name_f]Blanche[/name_f] is becoming very popular in hipster circles now); [name_u]Simone[/name_u] ; [name_f]Odette[/name_f] ; Thérèse ; [name_f]Marthe[/name_f] ; [name_f]Louisette[/name_f] ([name_f]Louise[/name_f] made a spectacular comeback in [name_f]France[/name_f] recently ) ; Geneviève ; [name_f]Edith[/name_f] ; [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] ; [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] ; Huguette (this one is NOT coming back) ; [name_f]Marcelle[/name_f] ; [name_f]Lucienne[/name_f] ; Félicie / Félicité ; [name_f]Emilienne[/name_f] ; [name_f]Lucette[/name_f]

My mother’s generation (baby boomers) : [name_f]Monique[/name_f] ; [name_f]Nicole[/name_f] ; [name_u]Fran[/name_u]çoise ; [name_f]Catherine[/name_f] ; [name_f]Chantal[/name_f] (really, really dated in [name_f]France[/name_f] now, no one would call their daughter [name_f]Chantal[/name_f]) ; [name_f]Josiane[/name_f] (likewise) ; [name_u]Dani[/name_u]èle ; Michèle ; [name_f]Francine[/name_f] ; [name_u]Laurence[/name_u] ; [name_f]Marielle[/name_f] ; [name_f]Nathalie[/name_f] ; Véronique

My generation (b. late 1970s - early 1980s ) : [name_f]Elise[/name_f] (me!) ; [name_f]Sandrine[/name_f] (super common in my generation) ; [name_f]Sabine[/name_f] ; Séverine ; [name_f]Camille[/name_f] ; Agnès ; [name_f]Hortense[/name_f] (very uncommon, obviously) ; [name_u]Alix[/name_u] ; Clémence ; [name_f]Victoire[/name_f] ; [name_f]Anne[/name_f] ; Hélène ; Tiphaine ; [name_f]Juliette[/name_f]; [name_f]Amandine[/name_f] ; [name_f]Marianne[/name_f] ; [name_f]Florence[/name_f] ; Daphné ; [name_f]Ariane[/name_f] ; [name_f]Diane[/name_f] ; [name_f]Emilie[/name_f] ; [name_f]Elodie[/name_f] ; [name_f]Justine[/name_f] ; Cécile

My friends’ and family’s kids : [name_f]Alice[/name_f] ; [name_f]Laure[/name_f] ; [name_m]Ad[/name_m]èle ; [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] ; [name_f]Marguerite[/name_f] ; [name_f]Jeanne[/name_f] ; [name_f]Louise[/name_f] (the old ladies’ names are coming back like nobody’s business!) ; Léa ; [name_f]Romane[/name_f] ; [name_f]Manon[/name_f] ; [name_f]Mathilde[/name_f] ; [name_m]Jos[/name_m]éphine ; [name_f]Ninon[/name_f] ; [name_m]Zo[/name_m]é

That’s all I can think of at this point - but if you’re interested in how specific names are perceived in [name_f]France[/name_f] across social classes / generations , do ask and hopefully I can help ! That being said, if you don’t live in [name_f]France[/name_f], it may be totally irrelevant and allow you to use any name you find pretty regardless of its social connotations in [name_f]France[/name_f]!

Some of my favourites have been mentioned, but here are some [name_m]French[/name_m] names that I like:

[name_f]Ana[/name_f]ïs
[name_f]Ariane[/name_f]
Aurélie
[name_f]Camille[/name_f]
Cécile
Clémence (it’s my middle name, so I have a soft spot for it)
[name_f]Emmanuelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Estelle[/name_f]
[name_u]Fran[/name_u]çoise
Hélène
Maëlle
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Marielle[/name_f]
[name_f]Mireille[/name_f]
Noémie
[name_f]Sylvie[/name_f]

My grandma’s name was [name_f]Odile[/name_f] [Oh-deal; doesn’t rhyme with crocodile :)], though I’m not sure how much you’d like that one.

I can’t speak to how names are perceived in [name_f]France[/name_f], but from working with a lot of [name_m]French[/name_m] Canadians in the past, I feel like the -ette names have a dated feel, as do [name_m]Claud[/name_m]- names ([name_f]Claudine[/name_f], [name_f]Claudette[/name_f]).

I had to laugh at this one. My old boss had Huguette as a middle name. We all knew her middle initial was “H” because it was in our work emails, but she was very embarrassed to admit that the “H” was for Huguette. :slight_smile:

Thanks for your input on which names go with which generations in [name_f]France[/name_f]. My dad is Belgian (though lives in the US now) and [name_m]French[/name_m] is his first language, so I love looking at [name_m]French[/name_m] names.

Oh, and this is the website for the most popular names in [name_m]Quebec[/name_m]. You may find some interesting [name_m]French[/name_m] names here:
http://www.rrq.gouv.qc.ca/Interactif/PR2I121_Prenoms/PR2I121_Prenoms/PR2SPrenoms.aspx

Edit gone. .

[name_f]Coralie[/name_f] is my favorite, although there have been so many other beautiful names suggested. I like [name_f]Anais[/name_f] as well.

[name_f]Perrine[/name_f]
Fleurange
Sebastienne
(all from my genealogy research)

[name_f]Love[/name_f] [name_m]French[/name_m] names, but they can become hard when not pronounced properly (as is often the case in the US).

Some of my favorites:
[name_f]Manon[/name_f]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
Salomé
[name_f]Anouk[/name_f]
[name_f]Ilona[/name_f]
[name_f]Apolline[/name_f]
[name_m]Ad[/name_m]èle
[name_f]Ana[/name_f]ïs
[name_f]Lilou[/name_f]
[name_f]Margot[/name_f]
[name_f]Gabrielle[/name_f]
[name_m]Sol[/name_m]ène
[name_f]Christelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Fabienne[/name_f]
[name_f]Juline[/name_f]
[name_f]Annelise[/name_f]
[name_f]Chantal[/name_f]
[name_f]Josiane[/name_f]
[name_f]Violette[/name_f]
[name_u]Simone[/name_u]
[name_f]Annick[/name_f]
Chloé
[name_f]Estelle[/name_f]
Noelise
Joselle
Sofiane
[name_f]Anissa[/name_f]

[name_f]Alouette[/name_f] is one of my favorite [name_m]French[/name_m] name possibilities. I think it would be similar to naming a girl [name_f]Sparrow[/name_f] or [name_f]Lark[/name_f] here. [name_f]Fleur[/name_f] would be somewhat like [name_f]Flora[/name_f]. Here are a few more:

[name_f]Mirabelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Tulipe[/name_f]
[name_f]Etoile[/name_f]
Miette
[name_f]Reverie[/name_f]
[name_f]Satine[/name_f]

Interesting what you say about [name_f]Chantal[/name_f] because it is still used in Germany (where we live), at least to some extent, although it has some trashy connotations. I try to ask my husband why but he can’t explain it. Same goes for [name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f], which is a pity!

What kind of associations do the names [name_f]Sandrine[/name_f] and [name_f]Nicolette[/name_f] have? I’ve always liked [name_f]Sandrine[/name_f] (husband doesn’t), he really, really likes [name_f]Nicolette[/name_f]. I’m not sold on it though.

I absolutely love [name_m]French[/name_m] names. Some of my favorites

[name_f]Alouette[/name_f]
[name_f]Nicolette[/name_f]
[name_f]Odette[/name_f]
[name_f]Minuet[/name_f]
[name_f]Josette[/name_f]
[name_f]Angelette[/name_f]
[name_f]Celine[/name_f]
[name_f]Magdalaine[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosine[/name_f]
[name_f]Eponine[/name_f]
[name_f]Francine[/name_f]
[name_f]Isaline[/name_f]
[name_f]Nanine[/name_f]
[name_f]Thomasine[/name_f]
[name_f]Marceline[/name_f]
[name_f]Estee[/name_f]
[name_f]Orlee[/name_f]
Pomee
[name_f]Desiree[/name_f]
[name_f]Zele[/name_f]
[name_f]Joie[/name_f]
[name_f]Ivonne[/name_f]
[name_f]Jacquie[/name_f]
[name_f]Fifi[/name_f]
[name_f]Kiki[/name_f]
[name_f]Lilou[/name_f]
[name_f]Reine[/name_f]
[name_f]Abella[/name_f]
[name_f]Gisele[/name_f]
[name_f]Louisa[/name_f]
[name_u]Simone[/name_u]
[name_f]Corinne[/name_f]
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f]
[name_f]Marguerite[/name_f]
[name_f]Eleanore[/name_f]

Naming your child [name_f]Alouette[/name_f] would be cruel. There’s a very popular kids’ [name_m]French[/name_m] song (popular in [name_f]France[/name_f] and [name_m]French[/name_m]-[name_f]Canada[/name_f]) about [name_f]Alouette[/name_f] (which is really a kind of bird, not a name I’ve ever heard of being given to a child) and they’re bound to be teased a lot about it.

Many of the popular and current [name_m]French[/name_m] names have been mentioned, so I’ll just name names of my relatives and friends (we are all [name_m]French[/name_m] Canadian)

My grandparents generation (b. 1910-1930)
[name_f]Jeanette[/name_f]
Cécile
[name_f]Madeleine[/name_f]
[name_f]Pauline[/name_f]
[name_f]Estelle[/name_f]
Thérèse
[name_f]Anette[/name_f]

My parents generation (b.1950-1965)
[name_f]Denise[/name_f]
[name_f]Louise[/name_f]
[name_f]Suzanne[/name_f]
[name_f]Carole[/name_f]
[name_f]Pierrette[/name_f]
[name_f]Lucie[/name_f]
[name_f]Colette[/name_f]
[name_f]Linda[/name_f]
[name_f]Diane[/name_f]
[name_f]Lynne[/name_f]
[name_f]Lise[/name_f]

My generation (b. 1985-1995)
[name_f]Marie[/name_f]-[name_f]Eve[/name_f]
[name_f]Nathalie[/name_f]
[name_f]Marie[/name_f]-Andrée
[name_u]Pascale[/name_u]
[name_u]Ren[/name_u]ée
Mélissa
Émilie
Michèle
[name_f]Alexandra[/name_f]
Véronique
Stéphanie
Mélanie
Carianne

Next generation (b. 2000 +)
Véronique
[name_f]Sophie[/name_f]
[name_f]Isabelle[/name_f]
[name_f]Mathilda[/name_f]
[name_f]Liliane[/name_f]
[name_f]Mari[/name_f]ève
[name_f]Camille[/name_f]
[name_f]Lily[/name_f]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f]
Maélie
[name_m]Audr[/name_m]ée
[name_f]Ella[/name_f]

And that’s all the people I know I can think of right now xD But I know pretty much all the french names so I could go on forever. Others I like :

[name_f]Sophie[/name_f]-[name_f]Anne[/name_f]
Amélie
[name_f]Ariane[/name_f]
[name_f]Isaline[/name_f]
Aurélie
[name_f]Audrie[/name_f]
Élia
Éliane
Élodie
Geneviève
[name_f]Jeanne[/name_f]
[name_f]Juliette[/name_f]
[name_f]Marguerite[/name_f]
[name_f]Mireille[/name_f]
Mylène / Mylaine
[name_f]Myriam[/name_f]
[name_f]Rosalie[/name_f]