France has spent centuries exporting its taste in food, film, and clothes, and its baby names travel just as well. They also carry more history per syllable than almost anything on an English name list.
Below are 100 French girl names, from the ones topping the charts in Paris right now to medieval spellings nobody has used in 400 years. Every entry gives you the origin, the meaning, a pronunciation you can actually say out loud, and the current ranking where a real figure exists.
If your family has French roots, or you just want a name with a bit more shape to it, start here.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Adeline, Madeline, Rosalie, Camille and Annabelle.
100 French Girl Names and Meanings
The list runs alphabetically and mixes names sitting in the current French top 10 with spellings nobody has used since the Middle Ages.
1. Adeline
- Origin: French and English, from Adelina
- Meaning: Noble
- Pronunciation: ad-uh-LEEN in French, AD-uh-line in English
- Variations: Adele, Adelina, Aline
- Popularity: #59 among U.S. girls’ names in 2025 (3,864 births), per U.S. Social Security Administration data. Rising in the United States, up 201% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Adeline evolved from the Germanic word element adal, which means noble. It arrived in France through Adelina and never really left, though English speakers have their own way of landing the ending.
It is no longer a quiet choice. Adeline sat at #925 in the United States in 1999 and reached #59 in 2025, which is a climb of more than 850 places in a single generation. Expect at least one more in the preschool class.
In 2017, British indie rock band alt-J released the track Adeline. The song tells the story of a Tasmanian devil who falls in love with a woman he watches swimming in a waterhole.
2. Adrienne
- Origin: French, feminine form of Adrian
- Meaning: From Hadria
- Pronunciation: ah-dree-EN
- Variations: Adriane, Adrianne, Adriana
Adrienne means from the city of Hadria, an Italian town that also gave the Adriatic Sea its name. The Roman family name Hadrianus is the link, and the emperor Hadrian is the reason it travelled.
It reads as calm rather than showy, which is rare for a five-syllable French name. Adrienne is a painting by Belgian painter Gustave Van de Woestyne. Painted in 1919, Adrienne now hangs in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp.
3. Aglaé
- Origin: French form of the Greek Aglaia
- Meaning: Splendor, beauty
- Pronunciation: ah-glah-AY
- Variations: Aglaia
Aglaé comes from the Greek name Aglaia, which means splendor, beauty. In myth, Aglaia is the youngest of the three Graces, so the name has carried the idea of brightness for a very long time.
Aglae, without the accent above the e but from the same Greek root, is a genus of orchid bees found in South America. What makes these bees unique is their beautiful metallic blue body.
4. Albertine
- Origin: French, feminine form of Albert
- Meaning: Noble and bright
- Pronunciation: al-behr-TEEN
- Variations: Alberte, Albertina, Alba
The French feminine form of Albert, Albertine sits on the Old German pairing adal, noble, and beraht, bright. Both halves are flattering, and neither has gone stale in the thousand-odd years since.
Payne Whitney House is the New York location of the French Embassy to the United States cultural services. Within this historical mansion, there is the Albertine bookshop which hosts cross-cultural events, book clubs, and more.
Bertie and Tina both work as everyday short forms if the full four syllables feel formal on a toddler.
5. Alizée
- Origin: French word name
- Meaning: Trade wind
- Pronunciation: ah-lee-ZAY
- Namesakes: Alizée, French singer
A modern French name from the French word alizé, Alizée means trade wind. Weather names usually arrive as English imports, so it is a pleasant surprise to find one that is French on both sides.
Singer Alizée is one of the best known French pop artists of the century so far. Her mezzo-soprano voice and flexible artistic style made her a fixture of the European music scene.
6. Amandine
- Origin: French diminutive of Amanda
- Meaning: Worthy of love, lovable
- Pronunciation: ah-mahn-DEEN
- Variations: Amanda, Amandina
A French diminutive of Amanda, Amandine means worthy of love, lovable. The Latin root amanda is a gerundive, so the sense is closer to she who must be loved than she who is loved.
In French cooking, an amandine is a garnish of almonds, while in Romania, amandine is a type of layered chocolate sponge cake with caramel, chocolate, fondant, and sometimes almond cream. Whether that is a charming association or a lifetime of dessert jokes depends on your family.
7. Ambre
- Origin: French cognate of Amber
- Meaning: Amber
- Pronunciation: AHMBR
- Variations: Amber, Ambra
- Popularity: Last listed among U.S. girls’ names in 2023 at #15,337 (5 births), per U.S. Social Security Administration data, and below the five-births-a-year cutoff since. Steady in the United States, down 1% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Ambre means amber, like the semi-translucent fossilized tree resin. The French version drops the hard English r and lands much softer.
It is not a rarity at home. Ambre ranked #21 in France in 2010, climbed to #2 in 2023, and held #3 in 2024, so a French classroom is likely to hold more than one. In the United States it stays unusual, which makes it a useful choice for parents who want a top-of-the-charts French name without the crowd.
8. Amélie
- Origin: French form of Amelia
- Meaning: Work
- Pronunciation: ah-may-LEE
- Variations: Amelia, Emeline
- Popularity: Ranked #457 in France in 2024, after peaking at #16 in 1991
Amélie is the French form of Amelia and traces back to the Old German element amal, work. It is a plainer meaning than the name sounds, which is part of the appeal.
Set against the backdrop of modern Parisian society, the 2001 movie Amélie is a romantic comedy about a waitress trying to make life better for those around her. The film is why most English speakers know the name at all.
French parents have moved on since: Amélie peaked at #16 in France in 1991 and sat at #457 in 2024. Outside France it still reads fresh.
9. Amour
- Origin: French form of Amor
- Meaning: Love
- Pronunciation: ah-MOOR
Amour means love, straight from the French word, with no etymological detour at all.
Rarely used since the early 20th century, Amour is a French gender-neutral name that was given far more often to boys than to girls. Anyone tempted should say it out loud in an English sentence first, because it carries a lot of weight for one word.
10. Anaëlle
- Origin: Modern French, modelled on Breton names
- Meaning: Coined name, usually linked to Anne, grace
- Pronunciation: ah-nah-EL
- Variations: Anaël, Naëlle
Anaëlle was created in the 20th century and built to sound Breton, following the pattern of names like Gwenaëlle. That makes it a modern invention rather than an old regional name, whatever its look suggests.
The meaning most often attached to it is grace, borrowed from Anne. Anne is the French Anna, which comes from Hannah, and that is where the definition of grace comes from.
The dieresis on the e is doing real work here: it tells a French reader to sound the a and the e separately instead of blending them.
11. Andrée
- Origin: French, feminine form of André
- Meaning: Manly, masculine
- Pronunciation: ahn-DRAY
- Variations: Andréa, Andréanne
- Namesakes: Andrée Borrel, Second World War resistance agent
The French feminine form of Andrew, Andrée means manly, masculine, from the Greek andreios. Giving it to a daughter has never seemed to bother French parents.
Andrée Borrel helped establish a safe house for allied forces members escaping from France in the Second World War. Borrel later became instrumental in the Parisian Special Operations Executive network, was captured by the Nazis, transported to Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp, and executed at 24.
12. Angeline
- Origin: French diminutive of Angela
- Meaning: Messenger, angel
- Pronunciation: ahn-zhuh-LEEN
- Variations: Angèle, Angelina, Angélique
Angeline means messenger, from the Greek angelos, the same word behind angel. French kept the softer zh sound in the middle where English uses a hard j.
The most popular year for Angeline in the United States was 1915, when 922 baby girls were given the name. It has never returned to that level, so it now reads as a recovered antique rather than a current pick.
13. Annabelle
- Origin: Variant of Annabel
- Meaning: Lovable
- Pronunciation: AN-uh-bel
- Variations: Annabel, Anabel, Annabella
- Popularity: #343 among U.S. girls’ names in 2025 (891 births), per U.S. Social Security Administration data. Falling in the United States, down 38% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Annabelle means lovable, usually traced through Annabel to the Latin amabilis. French speakers hear the belle at the end and read it as beautiful, which is a happy accident rather than the true root.
It peaked at #57 in the United States in 2014 and has drifted down to #343 by 2025, which puts it in a comfortable spot: recognizable, spellable, and no longer everywhere.
The 2014 supernatural horror movie Annabelle is based on the story of a vintage porcelain doll of the same name. A prequel to The Conjuring, it tells the tale of a doll that is supposedly possessed by a demon, which is worth knowing before you pick it.
14. Ariane
- Origin: French form of Ariadne
- Meaning: Most holy
- Pronunciation: ah-ree-AHN
- Variations: Arianne, Ariadne, Ariana
Ariane evolved from Ariadne, the Cretan princess who handed Theseus the thread out of the labyrinth. The Greek elements are usually read as most holy.
Ariane is also the name of a series of non-reusable launch vehicles. Manufactured and operated by Arianespace, Ariane rockets have carried satellites and automated transfer vehicles into orbit, which gives a mythological name an unusually modern second life.
15. Babette
- Origin: French diminutive of Élisabeth or Barbara
- Meaning: My God is my oath, or foreign
- Pronunciation: bah-BET
- Variations: Babeth, Bettina, Barbe
Babette can mean foreign, or my God is my oath, and which one you get depends on where you start.
It has two possible meanings because it is the French diminutive for both Barbara, meaning foreign, and Elizabeth, meaning my God is my oath. Parents who like the sound but want a longer name on the birth certificate can use either as the formal version.
16. Béatrice
- Origin: French form of Beatrix
- Meaning: Voyager, traveler
- Pronunciation: bay-ah-TREESS
- Variations: Beatrix
Béatrice means voyager, traveler. The chain runs back to the Late Latin Viatrix, from via, road, though centuries of association with beatus, blessed, quietly reshaped how people read it.
Beatrice reached peak popularity in the United States in 1910. The United States is also the only country where Béatrice was used for boys often enough to reach the top 1,000 lists.
17. Bénédicte
- Origin: French, feminine form of Benedict
- Meaning: Blessed
- Pronunciation: bay-nay-DEEKT
- Variations: Benoîte, Bénédicta
Bénédicte means blessed, from the Latin benedictus, literally well spoken of.
It is one of two French feminine forms of Benedict. The other is Benoîte, which is the counterpart of Benoît. Bénédicte is the bookish one; Benoîte is the countryside one.
18. Bernadette
- Origin: French, feminine form of Bernard
- Meaning: Brave as a bear
- Pronunciation: behr-nah-DET
- Variations: Bernardine, Bernadine
- Namesakes: Bernadette Soubirous, visionary of Lourdes
Bernadette means brave, hardy, and the first half is literally a bear: the Old German bern plus hard.
Born in southwestern France, Bernadette Soubirous became famous for her visions of the Virgin Mary and the discovery of the holy spring of Lourdes. The site has been visited by millions of all denominations, some of whom claim miraculous cures.
That association is strong enough that the name still reads as Catholic to most people, which some families will want and others will not.
19. Camille
- Origin: French form of Camilla
- Meaning: Uncertain
- Pronunciation: kah-MEE
- Variations: Camilla, Camila, Cammie
- Popularity: #240 among U.S. girls’ names in 2025 (1,299 births), per U.S. Social Security Administration data. Steady in the United States, up 11% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
The meaning of Camille is not settled. Many sources tie Camille and Camilla to the Latin Camillus, a youth employed in religious services, but plenty of onomastic references treat that as unproven.
In France it is given to boys as well as girls, which surprises English speakers who read it as purely feminine. In the United States it has held the #200 to #300 band since the 1990s and sat at #240 in 2025.
The French pronunciation drops the final consonant entirely, so it is kah-MEE, two syllables, not three.
20. Capucine
- Origin: French word name
- Meaning: Nasturtium
- Pronunciation: kah-pu-SEEN
- Namesakes: Capucine, French model and actress
Capucine is French for nasturtium, the peppery orange flower that turns up in salads.
Capucine was the stage name of the French model and actress born Germaine Hélène Irène Lefebvre. A prolific performer in television and film, she was best known for her comic roles in The Pink Panther series.
Flower names are having a long moment, and this one comes with a nickname built in: Capu.
21. Cécile
- Origin: French form of Cecilia
- Meaning: Blind
- Pronunciation: say-SEEL
- Variations: Cécilia, Cecily
- Namesakes: Cécile Fatiman, Haitian revolutionary
Cécile comes from the Roman family name Caecilius, built on the Latin caecus, blind. Saint Cecilia later attached it to music, so the name carries two very different associations at once.
As a mambo, or priestess, Cécile Fatiman presided over the ceremony at Bois Caiman at which the first slave insurrection of the Haitian Revolution was planned.
22. Céleste
- Origin: French, from the Late Latin Caelestis
- Meaning: Heavenly, of the sky
- Pronunciation: say-LEST
- Variations: Célestine, Celestina
From the Late Latin name Caelestis, Céleste means heavenly, of the sky. French uses it for boys as well, though it leans feminine now.
In the video game Celeste, a young woman named Madeline climbs a fictional version of a Canadian mountain and has to face her own anxiety to finish the climb. It has given the name an unexpected following among people who have never opened a baby name book.
23. Claude
- Origin: French form of the Roman Claudius
- Meaning: Lame, crippled
- Pronunciation: KLOHD
- Variations: Claudine, Claudette, Claudia
Claude means lame, crippled, from the Latin claudus. Roman family names were rarely flattering, and this one is honest about it.
Many English speakers assume Claude is masculine and are surprised to find it is gender-neutral in French. It was a popular choice for girls in the French royal family during the 15th and 16th centuries, and on a girl today it lands as cool rather than old-fashioned.
24. Clémence
- Origin: French, from the Latin Clemens
- Meaning: Merciful, gentle
- Pronunciation: klay-MAHNSS
- Variations: Clémentine, Clemency
Clémence is from the Latin name Clemens and means merciful, gentle. It is one of the few virtue names that never sounds stern.
The quasi-legendary Clémence Isaure is said to have founded the Academy of Floral Games. The oldest literary institution in the Western world, the academy still runs the Floral Games, a series of poetry competitions with floral prizes.
25. Cosette
- Origin: French, from chosette
- Meaning: Little thing
- Pronunciation: koh-ZET
Cosette comes from the French chosette, which means little thing. You will see it written Cossette in places, but the single s is the correct spelling, and the double s is a French-Canadian surname rather than a given name.
In Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables, Cosette is the daughter of Fantine. Her mother leaves her with the Thénardiers, who exploit her until Jean Valjean buys her freedom and raises her as his own.
The whole name is a diminutive already, so there is nothing left to shorten. That suits some families and frustrates others.
26. Cunégonde
- Origin: French form of Kunigunde
- Meaning: Clan war, family war
- Pronunciation: ku-nay-GOHND
- Variations: Kunigunde, Cunegonda
Cunégonde comes from the Old German Kunigunde, built from kuni, clan or family, and gunda, war. Saint Cunigunde of Luxembourg, an 11th-century empress, is the reason it spread through Europe at all.
In Voltaire’s Candide, Cunégonde is the beautiful, endlessly unlucky love interest whose fate is the running joke of the book. That satire is now the name’s dominant association in France, which is largely why nobody uses it.
File this one under names to admire from a distance.
27. Edmée
- Origin: French, feminine form of Edmé
- Meaning: Wealthy protection
- Pronunciation: ed-MAY
- Variations: Edmonde, Edma
Edmée is the French feminine version of Edmé, a relative of Edmund, from the Old English ead, wealth or fortune, and mund, protection. Two syllables, one accent, and almost nobody else has it.
Belgian singer Edmée Daenen had her biggest success with a cover of Roxette’s Listen To Your Heart. One of few trance tracks to reach the Billboard Hot 100, where it hit number 8, the single also went gold.
28. Églantine
- Origin: French flower name
- Meaning: Sweetbriar rose
- Pronunciation: ay-glahn-TEEN
- Variations: Eglantyne
Églantine is another name for the sweetbriar, the wild rose that smells of apples after rain. It is a flower name with more texture than most.
Eglantyne Jebb founded the charity Save the Children and drafted a document that went on to become the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 1924, the French government ordered Jebb’s document displayed in every French school.
29. Élodie
- Origin: French form of Alodia
- Meaning: Foreign riches, other wealth
- Pronunciation: ay-loh-DEE
- Variations: Alodia, Elodia
- Popularity: Ranked #310 in the United States in 2025
Élodie means other wealth, through the medieval Spanish saint Alodia, and the Gothic root behind it is usually read as foreign riches.
The recent climb has been steep. Élodie sat at #737 in the United States in 2023, #372 in 2024, and #310 in 2025, and it ranked #49 in England and Wales and #57 in Quebec in the same year. If you want it before it becomes common, that window is closing.
The accent is optional outside France, and most American birth certificates carry it as Elodie.
30. Enora
- Origin: Breton form of Honoria
- Meaning: Honor
- Pronunciation: ay-NOR-ah
- Variations: Honorine, Honoria
Enora is the Breton form of Honoria, from the Latin honor. Three open syllables, no silent letters, and an English speaker will get it right on the first try.
The name is used mainly by the Breton people of northwestern France. As one of six Celtic nations, the Bretons have a strong cultural identity and their own language alongside French, and their name pool looks noticeably different from the rest of the country.
31. Eulalie
- Origin: French form of Eulalia
- Meaning: Sweetly speaking
- Pronunciation: uh-lah-LEE
- Variations: Eulalia, Lalie
Eulalie is from the Greek eulalos, built on eu, good, and lalos, talkative. Sweetly speaking is the usual gloss, and it is one of the few name meanings that is also a compliment about manners.
The Edgar Allan Poe poem Eulalie, A Song was published in 1845, the same year as the far more famous The Raven. It tells of a man who overcomes his hopelessness when he marries the beautiful Eulalie, which makes it the sunniest thing Poe ever wrote.
Lalie is the ready-made nickname.
32. Faustine
- Origin: French, feminine form of Faustinus
- Meaning: Lucky, auspicious
- Pronunciation: foh-STEEN
- Variations: Faustina, Fausta
Faustine evolved from the Roman nickname Faustus, which means lucky. Two Roman empresses called Faustina wore it in the second century, and both got temples out of it.
The catch is the surname it shares a root with. Although the name means lucky, the Faustian bargain is never far from an educated reader’s mind, so decide whether that association bothers you before you commit.
33. Flavie
- Origin: French, from the Roman Flavius
- Meaning: Golden, yellow-haired
- Pronunciation: flah-VEE
- Variations: Flavia, Flavienne
Flavie is from the Roman family name Flavius, built on the Latin flavus, yellow or golden. The Flavian emperors are the reason the family name survived at all.
Two syllables, an easy v in the middle, and a meaning about light hair that a dark-haired child will grow into just fine. It is common enough in Quebec to feel real and rare enough elsewhere to feel chosen.
34. Fleur
- Origin: French word name
- Meaning: Flower
- Pronunciation: FLUHR
- Variations: Fleurette, Flore, Flora
Fleur is French for flower. It does the same job as Flora with half the syllables and none of the Victorian dust.
The vowel is the only obstacle for English speakers, who tend to flatten it toward flur. Fleurette softens it if you want something longer, and Flore is the direct French form of Flora if you want something older.
35. Gervaise
- Origin: French, feminine form of Gervasius
- Meaning: Uncertain, often read as spear servant
- Pronunciation: zhehr-VEZ
- Variations: Gervais, Gervasia
Gervaise is the feminine form of Gervasius, and the honest answer on meaning is that nobody is sure. The first element is usually linked to the Old German ger, spear, but the second half has never been settled.
Gervaise is a rare girls’ name in France and has not seen much use since the 1950s. Zola gave it to the doomed laundress at the center of L’Assommoir, which did the name no favors, and English speakers will hear the comedian Ricky Gervais before they hear anything else.
36. Gwenaëlle
- Origin: Breton, feminine form of Gwenaël
- Meaning: Blessed and generous
- Pronunciation: gwen-ah-EL
- Variations: Gaëlle, Gwendoline
- Namesakes: Gwenaëlle Aubry, French novelist
Gwenaëlle means blessed and generous, from the Breton gwenn, white or blessed, and hael, generous. The gwenn element runs through half of Brittany’s name pool.
Gwenaëlle Aubry is the author of Personne, published as No One in the United States and prefaced by Rick Moody. It tells the story of Aubry’s father and what it was like to grow up with him as he struggled with bipolar disorder.
Outside France, expect to spell it out every single time. Gwen is the obvious escape hatch.
37. Hortense
- Origin: French form of Hortensia
- Meaning: Garden
- Pronunciation: or-TAHNSS
- Variations: Hortensia, Ortensia
Hortense comes from the Roman family name Hortensius, usually traced to the Latin hortus, garden. It is one of the few Roman names that describes a place rather than a trait.
The name has been out of fashion long enough to sound striking again, which is roughly the point at which vintage names start moving. It would suit the daughter of a gardener, a botanist, or anyone who spends every free weekend in the dirt.
38. Huguette
- Origin: French, feminine form of Hugues
- Meaning: Heart, mind, spirit
- Pronunciation: u-GET
- Variations: Hugette
- Namesakes: Huguette Clark, American heiress and painter
Huguette means heart, mind, spirit, from the Old German hug. It is the feminine of Hugues, the French Hugh.
American philanthropist, painter, and heiress Huguette Clark is the subject of the book Empty Mansions. After successful treatment for basal cell cancer, Clark chose to spend her last 20 years living in a hospital room while her staff maintained three sprawling, unoccupied mansions.
39. Inès
- Origin: French form of Inés
- Meaning: Chaste, pure
- Pronunciation: ee-NESS
- Variations: Inez, Agnès
Inès is the French form of the Spanish Inés, which goes back to Agnes.
Agnes is often wrongly thought to mean lamb, because it looks like the Latin agnus. It actually comes from the Greek hagne, from hagnos, meaning chaste or pure. The lamb reading is a medieval mix-up that stuck, and Saint Agnes is still shown holding one.
40. Isaure
- Origin: French form of Isaura
- Meaning: From Isauria
- Pronunciation: ee-ZOR
- Variations: Isaura
- Popularity: Ranked #230 in France in 2024
Isaure means from Isauria, an ancient region in what is now southern Turkey. Place names make unusually clean given names, and this one has no baggage attached.
It was a modestly popular French name in the early 1900s, disappeared, then came back. Isaure ranked #277 in France in 2022 and #230 in 2024, so the revival is real and still climbing.
41. Joëlle
- Origin: French, feminine form of Joel
- Meaning: Yahweh is God
- Pronunciation: zhoh-EL
- Variations: Joëlla, Joela
- Namesakes: Joëlle Jones, comics artist and writer
Joëlle is the French feminine form of Joel, which means Yahweh is God. The dieresis keeps the o and the e from blending into a single sound.
American comic book artist and writer Joëlle Jones has drawn Supergirl, produced interiors and covers for Batman and Catwoman, and writes regularly for DC. Her illustrations have been the basis for eight DC Cover Girl statues.
42. Laetitia
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Joy, happiness
- Pronunciation: lay-tee-SYAH in French, luh-TEE-shuh in English
- Variations: Lætitia, Letizia, Letitia
- Namesakes: Laetitia Casta, model and actress
Laetitia means joy, happiness, and it is the original Latin form that English shortened into Letitia and then Lettie.
French writes it three ways, Laetitia, Laëtitia, and Lætitia, and all three are legal. Pick one and stick with it, because the spelling will follow your daughter through every form she ever fills in.
Among her professional achievements, model and actress Laetitia Casta has been the face of a global cosmetics brand, a Victoria’s Secret Angel, and a cover model for Vogue and Elle.
43. Léone
- Origin: French, feminine form of Léon
- Meaning: Lion
- Pronunciation: lay-OHN
- Variations: Léonne, Léonie, Léontine
Léone is the French feminine form of Léon, from the Greek leon, so it plainly means lion.
It is worth keeping straight from its near-twin: Léone comes from Léon, while Léonie comes from the Latin Leonius. They sound close, they mean the same animal, and only one of them is currently popular in France.
Two syllables and a hard finish make Léone the tougher-sounding of the pair.
44. Léonie
- Origin: French, feminine form of Leonius
- Meaning: Lion
- Pronunciation: lay-oh-NEE
- Variations: Léone, Léontine
- Popularity: Ranked #29 in France in 2024
Léonie comes from the Latin Leonius, another name built on leo, lion, the same root behind Leo. It is the softer of the two French lion names for girls.
France has taken to it properly. Léonie ranked #29 in France in 2024 and has not left the French top 35 since 2020, so it is a settled favorite rather than a passing hit.
Canadian toy company Maplelea produces 18-inch dolls similar to the American Girl line. Their Léonie doll lives in Quebec City, writes music, plays guitar, and plays outdoor hockey, which is a fair summary of the name’s energy.
45. Lilou
- Origin: French diminutive
- Meaning: None on its own
- Pronunciation: lee-LOO
- Variations: Lylou, Lou, Lilo
- Popularity: #7,349 among U.S. girls’ names in 2025 (15 births), per U.S. Social Security Administration data. Rising in the United States, up 92% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Lilou has no meaning of its own. It began as a nickname for girls whose names contained the sound lee, and it was first registered as a name in France in 1997, the same year The Fifth Element arrived with its character Leeloo.
The curve since then is a textbook modern name: first ranked at #488 in 1998, peaked at #8 in 2010 and 2011, and back down to #172 by 2024. It is now the name of French twenty-somethings rather than French babies.
46. Livie
- Origin: French and Czech, feminine of Livius
- Meaning: Uncertain, possibly linked to the Latin liveo, to envy
- Pronunciation: lee-VEE
- Variations: Livia, Livy
Livie is the French feminine form of the Roman family name Livius, which may be related to the Latin liveo, to envy, or lividus. Older baby name lists sometimes print the root as Linius, which is simply a typo that has been copied for decades.
Livia Drusilla was the wife of and adviser to the emperor Augustus. She was later given the title Augusta and, after her death, formally deified. Not many two-syllable names come with that kind of resume.
47. Loane
- Origin: Breton, feminine form of Elouan
- Meaning: Linked to light
- Pronunciation: loh-AN
- Variations: Louane, Louna, Elouan
- Namesakes: Loane, French singer-songwriter
The modern French name Loane is the feminine form of the Breton Elouan, a name usually connected to a root meaning light or good.
Loane Rathier is a French singer-songwriter who performs under the single name Loane. On her album Le Lendemain, working in the style of French contemporary chanson, she duets with Lenny Kravitz.
48. Luce
- Origin: French and Italian variant of Lucia
- Meaning: Light
- Pronunciation: LUESS
- Variations: Lucie, Lucia, Lucille
Luce means light, straight from the Latin lux. It is about as short as a French girls’ name gets.
The film Luce is an American thriller about a former child soldier adopted from Eritrea and raised in the United States. After an incident at school, Luce’s parents are forced to confront the idealized version of their son they have been carrying around.
In English-speaking countries it will be read as Lucy nine times out of ten, so decide now whether you will correct people.
49. Ludivine
- Origin: French, probably from Leutwin
- Meaning: People’s friend
- Pronunciation: lu-dee-VEEN
- Variations: Ludovine
- Namesakes: Ludivine Lasnier, kickboxing champion
Ludivine probably comes from a feminine form of Leutwin, built from the Old German liut, people, and wini, friend. Almost nothing outside France uses it, which is part of its charm.
French kickboxer Ludivine Lasnier is a former ISKA world flyweight champion under K-1 rules and has been competing since 2015.
Three syllables, no silent letters, and a soft landing on the final vine.
50. Lya
- Origin: French variant of Léa
- Meaning: Weary
- Pronunciation: LEE-ah
- Variations: Léa, Lia, Leah
Lya is a modern variant of Léa, which is the French form of Leah. The meaning most often given is weary, which sounds harsh until you remember it is one of the oldest names in continuous use.
Leah is a biblical Hebrew name, and Leia is the Greek biblical rendering of it, so Lya doubles as a very quiet Star Wars reference for parents who want one.
51. Lyna
- Origin: French variant of Lina
- Meaning: None on its own
- Pronunciation: LEE-nah
- Variations: Lina, Lena, Line
Lyna is a variant of Lina, and Lina is a short form of names ending in lina, such as Carolina and Angelina. It carries no meaning by itself, whatever older name lists claim.
The Lyna river flows from northern Poland into the Kaliningrad region of Russia. As a tributary of the Pregolya, it eventually reaches the Baltic Sea.
52. Madeline
- Origin: French and English form of Magdalene
- Meaning: Of Magdala
- Pronunciation: MAD-uh-line in English, mad-LEN as Madeleine in French
- Variations: Madeleine, Madelon, Magdalena
- Popularity: #81 among U.S. girls’ names in 2025 (3,086 births), per U.S. Social Security Administration data. Falling in the United States, down 18% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Madeline is the French form of Magdalene, meaning of Magdala, the town on the Sea of Galilee. Madeleine is the standard French spelling; Madeline is the one that travelled.
Austrian-American author Ludwig Bemelmans wrote the Madeline books about a small, fearless, red-haired seven-year-old at a Parisian boarding school. Two generations of children have met the name that way first.
It peaked near #50 in the United States in 1998, sat at #95 in 2023 and #86 in 2024, and has climbed to #81 in 2025, so it is neither a fad nor a rarity.
53. Maëlie
- Origin: Breton, feminine form of Maël
- Meaning: Prince, chieftain
- Pronunciation: mah-ay-LEE
- Variations: Maëlle, Maëlys, Maëly, Maëlya
Maëlie is a Breton name from mael, meaning prince or chieftain. Breton names carry their meanings on the surface, and this one is about rank.
The dieresis scares people off, and it should not: it simply means the a and the e are pronounced separately rather than as a single ay sound. Say mah-ay-LEE and you have it.
The family is large, so there is a version for most tastes: Maëlle is the shortest, Maëlys the most decorative.
54. Magali
- Origin: Occitan form of Magdalene
- Meaning: Of Magdala
- Pronunciation: mah-gah-LEE
- Variations: Magalie, Magdeleine, Madeleine
- Namesakes: Magali Noël, actress and singer
Magali is the Occitan form of Magdalene, so it shares a root with Madeleine but sounds nothing like it. The south of France has its own name pool, and this is one of its best exports.
Despite a screen career of more than 50 years, French actress and singer Magali Noël is still best remembered at home for her 1956 single Fais-moi mal, Johnny. One of the first rock and roll records in French, it was banned from the radio for its lyrics.
55. Mahault
- Origin: Old French form of Matilda
- Meaning: Strength in battle
- Pronunciation: mah-OH
- Variations: Mahaut, Maud, Mathilde
Mahault evolved from Matilda, built on the Old German maht, might, and hild, battle. It is the medieval French spelling, and French aristocratic families have kept it alive when nobody else would.
The written form and the spoken form barely agree: mah-OH, with the whole back half silent. That gap is why it never crossed the Channel, and it is also why it looks so much better on paper than it sounds at a playground gate.
56. Maia
- Origin: French form of the Greek Maia
- Meaning: Good mother, nurse
- Pronunciation: mah-YAH
- Variations: Maya, Maja
Maia means good mother, foster mother, and in Greek myth she is the eldest of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes. The month of May takes its name from her Roman counterpart.
French usually writes it Maïa, with the dieresis separating the a and the i. It travels better than almost any other name on this list: four letters, one obvious pronunciation, and a version in half the languages of Europe.
57. Mailys
- Origin: French, variant of Maylis
- Meaning: From the town of Maylis
- Pronunciation: mah-EESS
- Variations: Maylis, Maëlys
- Namesakes: Maylis de Kerangal, novelist
Mailys is a variant of Maylis, which is taken from a village in the Landes region of southwestern France and its Marian shrine. You will often see it glossed as mother of lilies, from an Occitan reading of the syllables, but that is folk etymology laid over a place name.
Award-winning French author Maylis de Kerangal’s novel Mend the Living was published in the United States as The Heart and adapted for film. It follows a single heart transplant across 24 hours and asks what we owe the dead.
58. Manu
- Origin: French short form of Emmanuelle
- Meaning: God is with us
- Pronunciation: mah-NU
- Variations: Emmanuelle, Manon, Manou
Manu is the French short form of Emmanuelle and Emmanuel, so the meaning is God is with us.
It is also a masculine name in Hinduism, where the Sanskrit sense is thinking or wise, and a male name from Finland meaning great. Few two-syllable names arrive from three unrelated directions at once.
In France it reads as a nickname rather than a full name, which is worth knowing if you plan to put it on the birth certificate.
59. Marceline
- Origin: French, feminine form of Marcellinus
- Meaning: Traditionally linked to the god Mars
- Pronunciation: mar-suh-LEEN
- Variations: Marcelle, Marcelline, Marcella
Marceline is the French feminine form of Marcellinus, which sits in the large Marcus family. Those names are traditionally connected to the god Mars, though the link has never been proven and no reliable source glosses the name as male.
A marceline is also a fabric similar to taffeta silk, used mainly in hat-making or as a slightly stiff lining for dresses. It is a soft name with a starched second life.
60. Margaux
- Origin: French variant of Margot
- Meaning: Pearl
- Pronunciation: mar-GOH
- Variations: Margot, Marguerite, Margaret
- Popularity: #1,199 among U.S. girls’ names in 2025 (191 births), per U.S. Social Security Administration data. Rising in the United States, up 163% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Margaux is a variant of Margot, which is a short form of Marguerite, the French Margaret. The meaning at the bottom of that chain is pearl.
The spelling comes from Château Margaux, the Bordeaux estate in the Médoc, which is why the name reads as slightly grand to French ears. It ranked #23 in France in 1999, #36 in 2020, and #55 in 2024, so it is easing down gently rather than falling.
English speakers will try to pronounce the x. They should not.
61. Marianne
- Origin: French, combination of Marie and Anne
- Meaning: Grace, favor
- Pronunciation: mah-ree-AHN
- Variations: Marie-Anne, Maryanne, Mariana
Marianne is a combination of Marie and Anne, so it carries the sense of grace and favor twice over.
It is also the name of the personification of the French Republic. Real French women have sat as models for the Marianne busts that stand in every town hall, courthouse, and government building in the country, which makes this the most officially French name on the list.
62. Marine
- Origin: French form of Marina
- Meaning: Of the sea, or from the Roman name Marius
- Pronunciation: mah-REEN
- Variations: Marina, Marinette, Marin
Marine is the French form of Marina, the feminine of the Roman cognomen Marinus. That name derives either from the family name Marius or from the Latin marinus, of the sea, and the sea reading is the one that stuck.
The trouble is entirely in translation. In English-speaking countries the first association is the military branch, and the second is anything to do with the ocean, so a French daughter named Marine will spend a lot of time explaining herself abroad.
63. Marjolaine
- Origin: French word name
- Meaning: Marjoram
- Pronunciation: mar-zhoh-LEN
- Variations: Marjolein
Marjolaine is French for marjoram, the herb. Botanical names usually stop at flowers, so a kitchen herb is a genuinely different choice.
A marjolaine is also a layered dessert built from long rectangles of nutty meringue with ganache or buttercream between them, usually dark chocolate, pistachio, hazelnut, or coffee. Between the herb and the cake, this name has better food credentials than most.
Marjo and Laine both work as short forms.
64. Marthe
- Origin: French form of Martha
- Meaning: The lady, the mistress
- Pronunciation: MART
- Variations: Martha, Martine
- Namesakes: Marthe Servine, composer
Marthe means the lady, in the sense of the lady of the house. It comes from Aramaic and reaches French through the New Testament.
French compresses it to a single syllable, which gives a very old name a surprisingly modern shape. French-American composer Marthe Servine was born in Paris and moved to the United States at ten; she is best remembered for her solo piano works.
65. Maximilienne
- Origin: French, feminine form of Maximilian
- Meaning: The greatest
- Pronunciation: mak-see-mee-LYEN
- Variations: Maxime, Maxine
Maximilienne means the greatest, built on the Latin maximus. At five syllables it is the longest name on this list and it knows it.
It was reasonably common in France through the first two decades of the 20th century, then faded, and dropped off the top 1,000 girls’ names entirely in the 1940s. Max and Maxine are the obvious everyday forms.
66. Mélina
- Origin: French form of Melina
- Meaning: Honey
- Pronunciation: may-LEE-nah
- Variations: Méline, Melina
Mélina is generally traced to the Greek meli, honey, though the root is disputed. Some sources prefer mel, the element behind bee, which lands in roughly the same place.
It sits close to Mélanie without sharing a root, which catches people out. Mélanie comes from melas, black, so the two names mean almost opposite things.
67. Mélisande
- Origin: French form of Millicent
- Meaning: Strong worker
- Pronunciation: may-lee-ZAHND
- Variations: Millicent, Mélissandre
The French form of Millicent, Mélisande is built from Old German elements usually read as work and strength. Strong worker is a plain meaning for a name that sounds anything but plain.
Austrian painter Marianne Stokes painted Mélisande between 1895 and 1898. The painting now hangs in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne.
Mel, Lisa, and Sandy are all hiding in there if the full four syllables feel like a lot.
68. Michelle
- Origin: French, feminine form of Michel
- Meaning: Who is like God
- Pronunciation: mee-SHEL
- Variations: Michèle, Micheline, Michaela
- Popularity: #465 among U.S. girls’ names in 2025 (661 births), per U.S. Social Security Administration data. Falling in the United States, down 57% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Michelle means who is like God, a rhetorical question rather than a claim, and it is the French feminine of Michel.
It is the most naturalized French name here. Michelle hit #2 in the United States in 1969 and had eased to #465 by 2025, which is exactly the point where a name stops sounding like everyone’s aunt.
If you want the French look, Michèle drops one l and one e.
69. Mirabelle
- Origin: From the Old French mirable
- Meaning: Wonderful
- Pronunciation: mee-rah-BEL
- Variations: Mirabel, Mirabella, Belle
Mirabelle derives from the Old French mirable, meaning wonderful, which in turn comes from the Latin mirabilis. It is a rare case of a name that means exactly what it sounds like it should.
The English-language version of the Japanese children’s anime Ojamajo Doremi renamed its lead Mirabelle Haywood, so the show went out as Magical DoReMi. Belle and Mira are both waiting as short forms.
70. Mireille
- Origin: Provençal, from the Occitan Mirèio
- Meaning: Often read as to admire
- Pronunciation: mee-RAY
- Variations: Mirèio, Mireia, Mirella
Mireille is generally read as to admire, from the Occitan mirar, though the name did not exist before a poet made it up.
Frédéric Mistral coined Mirèio for the title character of his 1859 poem, written in Occitan about a farm girl in the Rhône delta. The poem won him a Nobel Prize in Literature and the name spread from Provence into the rest of France.
71. Modeste
- Origin: French form of Modestus
- Meaning: Restrained, moderate
- Pronunciation: moh-DEST
- Variations: Modestine, Modesta
From the Late Latin Modestus, Modeste means restrained, moderate. It belongs to the small family of Roman virtue names that early Christians adopted wholesale.
This gender-neutral French name was used about equally for boys and girls at the start of the 20th century. Use for girls effectively stopped in the 1920s, and use for boys followed in the 1950s, so it is now a period piece.
72. Monique
- Origin: French form of Monica
- Meaning: Unknown
- Pronunciation: moh-NEEK
- Variations: Monica, Monika
Monique is the French form of Monica, and the honest answer on meaning is that nobody knows. Greek and North African origins have both been proposed and neither has held up.
It surprises most people to learn Monique was given to boys as well as girls in France until the 1950s. Around the same time it took off in English-speaking countries, where it has always been strictly feminine.
73. Morgane
- Origin: French form of Morgan
- Meaning: Sea circle
- Pronunciation: mor-GAHN
- Variations: Morgan, Morgana, Morganne
Morgane may mean sea circle, from Old Welsh elements, though as with most very old Celtic names the reading is not certain.
It is the French form of Morgan, and unlike the English original it is exclusively feminine. The Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay is the reason it carries an edge, and Brittany claims her as its own.
74. Mylène
- Origin: French, blend of Marie and Hélène
- Meaning: Blended name with no separate meaning
- Pronunciation: mee-LEN
- Variations: Marylène, Marilène, Milène
Mylène is a contraction of Marie, the French form of Mary, and Hélène, the French form of Helen. You will sometimes see it glossed as beloved moon, which reads the Hélène half as the Greek moon element, but that is a later invention rather than the name’s actual construction.
It is one of a large French family of Marie blends, alongside Marylène, Maryline, and Marilou. All of them let a family honor two grandmothers at once.
75. Nadège
- Origin: French form of the Russian Nadezhda
- Meaning: Hope
- Pronunciation: nah-DEZH
- Variations: Nadia, Nadine, Nadezhda
- Namesakes: Nadège August, actress and podcast host
Nadège means hope. It is the French rendering of the Russian Nadezhda, which is simply the Russian word for hope used as a name.
Actress, producer, and podcast host Nadège August was born in Brooklyn and spent part of her childhood in Haiti. She has appeared in television series including Tyler Perry’s Ruthless and hosts the podcast What the Fockery.
The soft zh ending is the only thing English speakers stumble over.
76. Nadine
- Origin: French diminutive of Nadia
- Meaning: Hope
- Pronunciation: nah-DEEN
- Variations: Nadia, Nadège, Nadya
Nadine means hope, inherited from the Russian side of its family.
It is the French diminutive of Nadia, which is short for the Russian name Nadezhda. Confusingly, Nadia is also an entirely separate Arabic name meaning delicate, tender, moist, so the same four letters carry two unrelated histories.
77. Narcisse
- Origin: French form of Narcissus
- Meaning: Often linked to the Greek narke, sleep, numbness
- Pronunciation: nar-SEESS
- Variations: Narcissa
Narcisse is usually connected to the Greek narke, meaning sleep or numbness, the same root behind narcotic, which suits a flower whose scent is famously heavy. In French it works for boys and girls alike.
The Narcisse Snake Dens in Manitoba are one of the strangest wildlife sites in Canada. Tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes hibernate there through the winter and emerge together in spring.
78. Natacha
- Origin: French form of Natasha
- Meaning: Birthday of the Lord
- Pronunciation: nah-tah-SHAH
- Variations: Natasha, Nathalie, Natalia
- Namesakes: Natacha Océane, fitness presenter
The French form of Natasha, Natacha traces back to the Latin natale domini, the birthday of the Lord, which is why it is read as a Christmas name.
French swaps the sh for a ch and the result looks noticeably softer on paper. Online fitness presenter Natacha Océane was midway through a doctorate when her YouTube channel took off, and she is known for backing her advice with actual research.
79. Nicolette
- Origin: French diminutive of Nicole
- Meaning: Victory of the people
- Pronunciation: nee-koh-LET
- Variations: Nicole, Colette
Nicolette means victory of the people, from the Greek nike, victory, and laos, people.
It is the affectionate version of the French name Nicole, and it has a built-in escape route that most long names lack: Colette, which is simply Nicolette with the front removed and is a perfectly good name in its own right.
80. Noèle
- Origin: French, feminine variant of Noël
- Meaning: Christmas
- Pronunciation: noh-EL
- Variations: Noëlle, Noélie, Noëlla
Noèle means Christmas, and it is the feminine variant of Noël.
It should be said noh-EL, with both vowels sounded. English speakers reliably flatten it to no-EL or squash it into a single syllable that rhymes with bowl. If your daughter is a December baby the name will explain itself; if she is not, expect the question every time.
81. Noémie
- Origin: French form of Naomi
- Meaning: Pleasantness
- Pronunciation: noh-ay-MEE
- Variations: Noémi, Naomie, Naomi
- Namesakes: Noémie Lafrance, choreographer
Noémie is the French form of Naomi, a Hebrew name meaning pleasantness. The accents do all the work of turning a familiar biblical name into a French one.
New York-based Canadian choreographer Noémie Lafrance is known for site-specific work that builds dance around architecture, staging pieces in stairwells, swimming pools, and parking garages.
82. Océane
- Origin: French, from océan
- Meaning: Ocean
- Pronunciation: oh-say-AHN
- Variations: Océanne
- Popularity: Ranked #228 in France in 2024, after peaking at #6 from 2001 to 2003
Océane means ocean, straight from the French word.
Its rise and fall is one of the sharpest in modern French naming. Océane reached #6 in France and held it from 2001 to 2003, then fell to #228 by 2024. That makes it a millennial name at home and an unusual one everywhere else.
83. Odette
- Origin: French diminutive of Oda or Odilia
- Meaning: Wealth, fortune
- Pronunciation: oh-DET
- Variations: Odile, Oda, Odetta
- Popularity: #883 among U.S. girls’ names in 2025 (303 births), per U.S. Social Security Administration data. Rising in the United States, up 290% over the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Odette means wealth, fortune, built on the Old German element aud.
In Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Princess Odette is the white swan, and her dark counterpart Odile is a form of the same name. Choosing one means quietly choosing a side.
It has just come back from a long absence: Odette last ranked #825 in the United States in 1905 and returned at #881 in 2025, more than a century later.
84. Oriane
- Origin: French form of Oriana
- Meaning: Gold
- Pronunciation: aw-RYAN
- Variations: Orianne, Oriana, Orlane
Oriane is usually linked to the Latin aurum, gold, though a French root in orient has also been proposed.
The pronunciation is the trap. It is not ORI-anne: French runs the last part together as a single syllable, so it comes out aw-RYAN rather than aw-ree-ANN.
85. Osanne
- Origin: French form of Osanna
- Meaning: Deliver us, save us
- Pronunciation: oh-ZAN
- Variations: Osanna, Hosanna
Osanne is the French form of Hosanna, meaning deliver us.
Hosanna is a cry used in both Judaism and Christianity. Christians know it as the shout that greeted Jesus entering Jerusalem, which is why the name has always carried a Palm Sunday association and why it has never been common outside religious families.
86. Pascale
- Origin: French, feminine form of Pascal
- Meaning: Relating to Easter
- Pronunciation: pahs-KAL
- Variations: Pascaline, Pasquale, Pascal
Pascale is related to the Late Latin Paschalis, which means of Easter, and behind that sits the Hebrew Pesach, Passover. Two festivals for the price of one name.
It was a common French choice through the 1950s and 1960s and now reads as a mother’s name rather than a baby’s, which is roughly when names start coming back. Pascaline is the longer version if you want more room.
87. Perle
- Origin: French and Yiddish cognate of Pearl
- Meaning: Pearl
- Pronunciation: PEHRL
- Variations: Perlette, Pearl, Perla
Perle means pearl, and it is one of the shortest names on this list.
It is not only a French given name. Perle is also a Yiddish name, and it was used as the vernacular equivalent of Margaret, which also means pearl. That double life makes it a quiet way to honor relatives on either side of a mixed family.
88. Perrine
- Origin: French, feminine form of Perrin
- Meaning: Stone
- Pronunciation: peh-REEN
- Variations: Perrette, Pierrette, Petra
Perrine means stone, through Perrin, a medieval diminutive of Pierre.
As the feminine of Pierre, it is the natural choice if you want to name a daughter after a Peter in the family without reaching for something as heavy as Petra. Two syllables, one obvious pronunciation, and it has never been common enough to date.
89. Philomène
- Origin: French form of Philomena
- Meaning: Friend of strength
- Pronunciation: fee-loh-MEN
- Variations: Philomena, Filomena
Philomène joins the Greek philos, friend or lover, to menos, mind, strength, force. Friend of strength is the usual rendering.
French girl names tend to run longer and frillier than their English counterparts, but this is the reverse: Philomène is the sterner, more grown-up version of the girlish Philomena.
Philo and Mena are both usable if the full three syllables feel heavy on a newborn.
90. Placide
- Origin: French form of Placidus
- Meaning: Calm, quiet
- Pronunciation: plah-SEED
- Variations: Placida, Placido
Placide comes from the Latin placidus and means calm, quiet, the same root that gives English placid.
It is a bold thing to name a newborn, since you will not know for months whether it fits, and a fussy baby will make it look like wishful thinking. Parents who like the sound but not the risk usually go to Solange or Clémence instead.
91. Régine
- Origin: French form of Regina
- Meaning: Queen
- Pronunciation: ray-ZHEEN
- Variations: Reine, Regina, Réjane
- Namesakes: Régine Chassagne, musician
Régine means queen, from the Latin regina. If you want the plain French word instead of the Latin one, Reine does the same job in one syllable.
French Canadian Régine Chassagne is a founding member of the band Arcade Fire, where she sings and plays keyboards, drums, and accordion. Her family left Haiti during the Duvalier regime, and that history runs through a lot of the band’s work.
92. Romaine
- Origin: French, feminine form of Romanus
- Meaning: Roman
- Pronunciation: roh-MEN
- Variations: Romane, Romana, Romy
Romaine is the French feminine of Romanus and simply means Roman.
It was used in France until the 1960s and then dropped away, right around the time romaine lettuce became a year-round supermarket staple across the world. Timing is everything with a name. Romane is the current French spelling and carries none of the salad baggage.
93. Rosalie
- Origin: French form of Rosalia
- Meaning: Rose
- Pronunciation: roh-zah-LEE
- Variations: Rosalia, Rosa
Rosalie comes from the Late Latin Rosalia, built straight on rosa, rose. Older name lists sometimes gloss it as famous type, which belongs to a different Germanic name entirely and has nothing to do with this one.
Saint Rosalia, a 12th-century hermit, is the patron of Palermo and the reason the name spread through southern Europe. Rosalie Duthé was a French courtesan and portrait model, and according to historian Joanna Pitman she is the first recorded dumb blonde.
94. Rosemonde
- Origin: French form of Rosamund
- Meaning: Horse protection
- Pronunciation: rohz-MOHND
- Variations: Rosamund, Rosamond
Rosemonde means horse protection, from the Old German hros, horse, and mund, protection.
Despite what the first syllable suggests, it has no connection to the name Rose at all. It is the French variation of the English name Rosamund, and the rose is a coincidence of sound that medieval writers were happy to encourage.
95. Roxane
- Origin: French form of Roxana
- Meaning: Bright, dawn
- Pronunciation: rok-SAN
- Variations: Roxanne, Roxana
The French form of the Ancient Greek name Roxana, Roxane means bright or dawn, and behind the Greek sits an Old Persian original.
It is a name with real history: the historical Roxana was a Bactrian noblewoman who married Alexander the Great. French keeps the single n; English usually doubles it. Either way it would suit a child born at first light.
96. Sacha
- Origin: French spelling of Sasha
- Meaning: Defender of men
- Pronunciation: sah-SHAH
- Variations: Sasha, Alexandra, Alexandre
The gender-neutral French name Sacha means defender of man.
This is the French spelling of the Russian and Ukrainian Sasha, a diminutive of Aleksandra, the Russian Alexandra, and that is where the meaning comes from. In France it leans slightly masculine and works perfectly well on either side.
97. Sébire
- Origin: Norman French form of Sibyl
- Meaning: Prophetess
- Pronunciation: say-BEER
- Variations: Sibylle, Sybille, Sibyl
The Norman French name Sébire means prophetess, from the Greek sibylla, the oracle women of the ancient world.
This form of Sibyl was popular in 19th-century France, when medieval names tied to early Christianity came back into fashion. It has never crossed the Channel, which makes it about as unusual as a French girls’ name gets.
98. Séphora
- Origin: French form of Zipporah
- Meaning: Bird
- Pronunciation: say-foh-RAH
- Variations: Zipporah, Tzipora
Séphora is from the Hebrew Zipporah, meaning bird. In the Book of Exodus, Zipporah is the wife of Moses.
The obstacle is obvious and unavoidable: the French cosmetics chain has owned this word in shoppers’ heads for decades, so friends and relatives will assume you named your daughter after a makeup store. Tzipora sidesteps it if the meaning matters more than the sound.
99. Séraphine
- Origin: French form of Seraphina
- Meaning: Fiery ones, burning
- Pronunciation: say-rah-FEEN
- Variations: Seraphina, Séraphie, Sérafine
- Namesakes: Séraphine Louis, French painter
Séraphine is built on the seraphim, the six-winged order of angels, and the Hebrew root behind them means to burn. Fiery ones is the meaning that comes with it, and it sits comfortably among the saint-adjacent names French families have always drawn from.
Séraphine Louis, born in 1864, worked as a housekeeper in Senlis and painted dense, glowing flower canvases by candlelight until the German collector Wilhelm Uhde noticed her work in 1912. Martin Provost’s film about her life won seven César Awards, including Best Film and Best Actress for Yolande Moreau.
Fina and Sera are the practical short forms.
100. Solange
- Origin: French, from the Latin Sollemnia
- Meaning: Religious, solemn
- Pronunciation: soh-LAHNZH
- Variations: Solène, Soline, Solenne
Solange comes from the Latin Sollemnia, from a word meaning religious or solemn, and Saint Solange, a 9th-century shepherdess, is the patron of Berry.
The sound is nothing like the meaning: two open syllables ending in a soft zh, closer to a jazz standard than a hymn. Solène and Soline are the shortened French variants if the full name feels weighty.
French Girl Name FAQs
Picking the One That Fits
One hundred names, and the distance between the two ends of the list is wider than it looks. Ambre, Léonie, Margaux, and Isaure are in daily use in France right now. Cunégonde, Sébire, and Mahault have not been on a birth certificate in generations.
If you want a French name that works on both sides of the Atlantic, Camille, Madeline, Odette, Adeline, and Élodie all rank in the United States today and none of them needs a pronunciation lesson at the school gate. If you want the opposite, the Breton and Norman spellings are still sitting there unused.
