French names for girls have long fascinated American parents.
Want proof? Every generation claims at least a few favorites. Some, like Genevieve and Josephine, feel like they’re imported directly from Paris. Others, like Julie and Elaine, seem less distinctively French – but their roots are undeniable.
One more piece of evidence? This post has long been among the five most popular lists at Appellation Mountain!
Read on for a discussion of past French names for girls in favor in the US, and some très chic, très français ideas for a nom de fille today.
And if you’re looking for even more French names, be sure to visit Méilleurs Prenoms, my go-to site for French baby names.
A few notes: I’ve omitted diacritical marks throughout most of this list. It’s a difficult call. They’re misspelled without them. And yet, if you use these names in the US, it’s likely many official forms will omit them. My suggestion? If you’re comfortable with the idea that sometimes Anaïs will be just plain Anais, don’t worry about it. But if it bothers you? It might be better to choose a different name.
Secondly, for rare names, I’ve tried to provide some guidance about how to pronounce them. This isn’t necessarily the way you’d hear them in France; I’m aiming for a reasonable approximation of what non-French speakers in the US would probably say.
French Names for Girls: 1880 to 1939
Between 1880 and 1939, these names all appeared in the US Girls’ Top 100 for at least a few years:
- Blanche
- Charlotte
- Elaine
- Genevieve
- Jacqueline
- Josephine
- Louise
- Lucille
- Marguerite
- Pauline
French Names for Girls: Baby Boom
Most of those names remained in use, and many climbed the charts during the Baby Boom. They were joined by:
- Diane
- Joanne
- Michelle
- Renee
- Suzanne
- Valerie
French Names for Girls: 1960s to 1990s
Today’s parents are likely to answer to French names like:
- Danielle
- Denise
- Nicole
- Stephanie
French Names for Girls: 21st Century Favorites
Current classrooms are filled with girls named:
- Charlotte
- Claire
- Gabrielle, the given name of Coco Chanel
- Genevieve
- Josephine
- Madeline, or even the more specifically French Madeleine – though the most popular spelling at the moment is the streamlined – and more American – Madelyn
French Names for Girls: Neglected Possibilities A to L
These names all feel nicely French and mostly undiscovered. For even more fanciful options, see the Find Your Fanciful French name graphic above.
Anaïs – Thanks to writer Anais Nin this name feels slightly familiar in the US. A form of Anna, it’s pronounced ah nah EES.
Capucine – You wouldn’t name your daughter Nasturtium, but translate it to French, and Capucine has potential. It’s the name of a famous French model and actress from the 1960s. In the US, it might be confused for cappuccino, but it’s pronounced kap uh SEEN.
Celeste – Celeste might be the most accessible name on this list.
Chantal – A place name and saint’s surname, Chantal also resembles chant, the French word for song. It saw some use in the US in the 1980s and 90s, but quickly faded.
Élodie – A long time favorite on the site, Elodie is the French form of Alodia. It’s never recently entered the US Top 1000, and with sound-alike Melody in use, it could wear well.
Eulalie – The French version of the Greek Eulalia feels spirited and unexpected. It could shorten to Lally.
Françoise – I’ve heard that Francoise is quite dated in France today. And yet, Francis names all feel like they’re on the upswing in the US. It sounds something like frahn SWAHZ, but it’s a challenging name for non-French speakers.
Lilou – Lily names are white hot in the US, so how about Lilou? It might be cousin to Lily, but it owes its popularity to 1997 sci fi movie The Fifth Element.
French Names for Girls: Neglected Possibilities M to Z
Mireille – The heroine of Pierre Capretz’ French in Action series, Mireille taught countless American students to parlez français. The spelling is tricky, but the sound – mee RAY – works.
Maëlys – This is one of several feminine forms of Mael, a Breton saint from the fifth century. It’s pronounced something like MAH eh liss. Maēlle is another option.
Noémie – Naomi and the Italian Noemi rank in the current US Top 1000, but the French spelling does not.
Océane – River is big in the US, but in French-speaking countries, it was the word for ocean that made waves.
Salomé – A Biblical girls’ name, Salome is heard in many languages. But it’s been in the French girls’ Top 100 recently, so it feels like a fit for this list.
Severine – Severus belongs to Harry Potter. But maybe Severine fits with names like Genevieve?
Sidonie – At peak Sidney, Sidonie might have confused. But maybe it works today? It’s not related to Sidney. Instead, it comes from an old Latin name from the city of Sidon, in Phoenicia.
Solange – Another saint’s name, Solange looks like a smoosh of sol – sun – and ange – angel. But it actually comes from a Latin word meaning religious.
Zélie – St. Zelie Martin was the mother of St. Therese of Lisieux. She and her husband, Louis, were canonized in 2015. That’s raised the name’s profile considerably. Combined with that zippy Z, it’s one of the most wearable rarities on this list.
French Names for Girls: Now Find Yours!
I’ve taken some of the rarest of the rare names and put them together. Find your fanciful French name above!
What are your favorite French names for girls?
This post was published originally on July 17, 2008. It was revised substantially and re-posted on July 12, 2018.
My little Franco-American daughter is named Eloise. And for number 2 we’re thinking Mirabelle (for a girl) or Theodore (for a boy). Do you think those go well together? My daughter has such a huge personality, we need something that stands its own and sounds consistent.
Elodie and Mirabelle are gorgeous together! I like both names separately, but I also think they are evenly matched – they sound like sisters. For a boy, I adore Theodore – he’s been on my short list, too. Would you use a nn – Theo/Teddy – or would he be Theodore?
How about Alaire?
Alaire is definitely not a French name. Abby, being French, I can give you more names if you’re interested.
I’m just throwing this out there. I’m only 13 but i love french names and so i love just looking at the different ones there are. But I have this name that I’m in love with. I don’t think it’s french and I don’t think it’s ever been used before. It’s Envy. I just need opinions about this name because I plan on naming my first baby girl this when I get older of course. i just want to know if this name is too flashy or because Envy’s an actual word but i do think it’s really pretty for a girl name. Maybe too creative? Please reply and leave your opinions posted. Thanks![:
Envy does have an attractive sound, and word names are very current. But I think Envy crosses the line because of the meaning. Names like Sailor, Fern, Emerald, and Cadence all started out unusual, but their meanings were positive. It is tough to put a positive spin on Envy.
Then again, standards change. I thought Sailor was absurd when I first heard it, and now I rather like it. The same is true of Emerald, which now sounds less Wizard of Oz, more Ruby’s cousin. In a decade or more when you have your first child, Envy might not sound unwearable.
But something tells me that two things will happen. First, envy is one of the seven deadly sins – so I think she’s likely to always seem like an outrageous choice. Second, there are names that share Envy’s sounds: Aven, Evanie. But those sounds are shared with lots of names that are VERY popular right now, like Ava and Avery. Chances are that, as those names fade, Envy will also sound less like an original but attractive choice and the word qualities will be even more of an issue.
I actually picked Stephanie partly because it was French (but would also sound good and look good without the accent on the first e. The French pronunciation is STAY-phanie, roughly), partly for Stevie Nicks who I adore and admire and partly because it would be JUST common enough for her to find keychains and other personalized stuff with her name on it, but NOT common enough for there to be more than one Stephanie in her school 😉 And nicknames vary by age. As a toddler, she called herself Anie (because that’s what she could manage to pronounce of her name – think Stephanie minus the Steph for the sound). As a girl on the brink of Jr High, she goes by Steph. I was hoping to call her Stevie as a nickname but she…just doesn’t look like a Stevie (maybe as an adult!!)
I had a daughter last year and we named her Ma
Any thoughts on the French word “Nouveau” (meaning new) for a girl’s name?
To be honest, I don’t love it. But I think that’s because it has picked up the tiniest bit of a pejorative tone, thanks to the phrase “nouveau riche.”
I think Nouvel has some serious possibility, and is very much overlooked. It is Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s middle name, in homage to the celebrated architect Jean Nouvel. Nouvelle is the feminine form of nouveau, as in “nouvelle cuisine.” Nouvel is an alternate masculine form, used if the noun starts with a vowel. Nouvelle is too fussy for my tastes, but I like Nouvel for a girl – we’re used to seeing -el endings as feminine, like Mariel and Laurel. And with the “ou” sound so current – Ruby, Louisa, Lula, etc. – I think she’d fit in, too.
Nouvel also reminds me of one of my favorite foreign-language-word-name choices, also French: Ciel, sky.
I don’t think Nouveau is impossible to wear, and in the middle spot, I’d say “why not?”
One of my favorite French names is actually “Laetitia” or “L
What bliss this discussion is! I’ve always adored french names – eg Agathe, Ludivine, Mathilde, Aude. My cousin is married to a frenchwoman and they have two fabulous girls (Zoe and Anais). I quizzed them about their friends’ names recently and two stood out: Clemence and, truly, Prune! Prune said with an authentic Gallic ‘r’ is really something.
Ooooo, love some of these, particularly in the last section. I’m really intrigued by the idea of using Piaf as a first name, but maybe that’s just because I’m a huge Edith Piaf fan.
Just a note that in french, “Salome” would be pronounced “Sah-lome,” because there is no accent on the e. But great list!
Actually, there is an accent – French girls are called Salom