French Girl Names (with Meanings & Popularity)
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Louisianna
Spelling variation of Louisiana, French place name
LeeLee Sobieski, who knows a thing or two about unique names , chose this spelling twist for her daughter. Does the extra n make it more of a name and less of a place, or more of an invention and so…
Domitilla
Italian feminine diminutive of Roman family name Domitius, Latin
"tamed"
Domitilla is the name of the wife of the Roman emperor Vespasianus and the mother of the emperors Titus and Domitianus. There is a Santa Domitilla with catacombs in Rome named after her. The…
Domitille
French feminine variation of Roman family name Domitius, Latin
"tamed"
Domitille is the French form of the ancient royal name Domitilla. Domitille is used today, and was in the French Top 500 during the 2000s. While English speakers might say it as dom-ih-till or…
Alienor
French, meaning unknown
Also seen as Alyenor and Eleonore, this is an old French name dating back to the Arthurian romances and still heard today.
Frostine
French
"freezing"
Frostine, best known in the U.S. as the name of the Candyland queen, is newly fashionable in France and is certainly a choice that any little girl the world over would love. Fanciful, if…
Dariela
Feminine variation of Darrell, French
"dear one, beloved"
Dariela may have a not-quite-authentic provenance, but it's a pretty name and an unusual choice in the girly Isabella-Gabriella group.
Noely
Variation of Noel, French
"Christmas"
If Joely (as in actress Richardson) is a name, why not Noely? As nickname-names become both more acceptable and more fashionable, Noely may be a fresh spin on one traditional name for Christmas…
Zelie
French
"noble"
A cute, zippy French saint's name that's picking up in popularity there, and starting to in the US as well. Zélie originated as a short form of Azélie, thought to derive from Adelaide via the Occitan…
Sixtine
French feminine variation of Sixtus
"sixth-born"
While Sixtine is a name with ancient roots that's popular in modern-day France, it's hard to imagine it gaining hold in English-speaking lands, given its similarity to the number sixteen and its…
Mercer
French occupational surname
"a merchant"
Mercer is one fashionable occupational name that can work as well for girls as boys, perhaps because of the soft c or the conventionally feminine nickname Mercy.
Pomeline
French, related to "apple"
"apple"
A rarely heard--even in France--name, most prominent as the third name of Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and granddaughter of Grace Kelly.
Eponine
French literary name
Eponine is attracting new notice via the movie of Les Miserables, based on the book by Victor Hugo. Eponine is the spoiled daughter of Cosette's foster parents whose name, according to the story, was…
Solstice
English from Latin
"when the sun stands still"
Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother . But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls…
Raphaëlle
Variation of Raphaela
Antinea
French after the Greek name for the Queen of Atlantis
In Pierre Benoit's novel, Antinea is a beautiful and charming queen with a hideous secret: She has a cave wall with 120 niches carved into it, one for each of her lovers. Only 53 have been filled;…
Leopoldine
French feminine version of Leopold
"brave people"
A sophisticated girls' name for those attracted to Leona, Leonie and Leonore.
Zerline
French variant of Zerlin and Zerlina
"beautiful dawn"
Although a variant of the operatic Zerlina, Zerline has her own theatrical tale. She is the star character of the opera Fra Diavolo by Daniel Auber. Zerline, daughter of the innkeeper of Terracina,…
Allemande
Word name
"German Dance"
An Allemande is a renaissance musical form meaning 'German dance" - Handel composed many famous allemandes. As a name, Allemande has the advantages of being unusual whilst still having a history, and…
Ermentrude
French version of Germanic Ermendrud
"universal strength"
Ermentrude was the name of two medieval queens of France. Despite these distinguished beginnings, this antique name is unlikely to catch on with contemporary parents, perhaps because the first…
Petronille
French feminine variation of Petronius, Latin
"yokel, woodpecker, stone"
So many names sound better with a French accent, and Petronille is one of them: it feels unusual in an elegant way. Usually spelled as Pétronille, it is derived from the Latin Petronius, possibly…