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In the past few weeks, you’ve seen our predictions for the rising names in the US, and Eleanor Nickerson’s forecast of what will be 2013’s most popular in the UK; today we look to France’s upcoming stars.

To check out the latest trends in French baby names, we turn once again to our go-to expert, Stéphanie Rapoport, creator of the popular site meilleursprénoms.com and author of L’Officiel des Prénoms .  For anyone conversant in French, the site is filled with interesting lists, charts and analysis on French baby names. But for those whose high school French is as shaky as mine, we asked Stéphanie to give us a recap en anglais.

When it comes to trends, one outstanding factor is that French baby names have never been shorter in length than they are today.  In 2013, I see few names having more than five letters and a profusion of names containing only three, such as Léa and Léo, Zoé and Tom.

Sounds are another major component of French naming style. Girl’s names ending in “a,” not surprisingly, dominate the scene, with nine of them holding the top twenty ranks. More interestingly, the “éo” sound is bouncing back for boys, thanks to Léo and the newcomer Timéo.

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This week, for her Nameberry 9 picks, Abby Sandel of Appellation Mountain, looks ahead to some baby names of 2013, as well other names that made the news.

As 2012 draws to a close – the year of Blue Ivy and a girl named Maxwell Drew – we’re all wondering what’s ahead.

Make no mistake, 2012 was a great year for baby names, but 2013 should be even more exciting.  There’s the royal baby, and now an American dynasty is expecting a new addition.  Jenna Bush Hager, daughter and granddaughter of two US presidents, is due next year, and given her family’s habit of passing down relatives’ names, it should make for a great birth announcement.

Add in Shakira – what will she name her first? – and Camila Alves – will she and Matthew come up with another v-name for baby #3?  – and there’s no shortage of news expected next year.

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