French Girl Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

After a long time in limbo, Prudence is now so clunky it'a cool, and it's starting to make a comeback, along with other Puritan virtue names like Mercy, Patience, and Constance.

This long-popular name in France sounds fresh, elegant and unusual here. Severine is the name of the most recent gorgeous James Bond Girl in the film Skyfall. Students of film history will associate the name with the complex character Catherine Deneuve played in the 1967 Bunuel classic, Belle de Jour..

A cute, zippy French saint's name that's picking up in popularity there, and here in the US. Zélie originated as a short form of Azélie, thought to derive from Adelaide via the Occitan form Azalaïs. Saint Zélie was born Marie-Azélie.

Long-standing French name that retains a feminine, fragile, and shell-like image.

Mathilde is even more popular in France than Matilda, a hipster favorite thanks to Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger, is here. And the French pronunciation, while confusing to English speakers, makes it softer and prettier than the version we're more familiar with. It's also very popular in Denmark and Noway, pronounced closer to the English variant.

Marine was trending for a long time in France, but the far right politician Marine (born Marion) LePen has dampened the mood.

Marietta would make for a classy and uncommon long form for cool nickname Etta.

Alouette is a sweet Gallic twist in the stylish bird name genre made familiar via the charming French children's song, Alouette, gentile alouette.

The Anatolian mother goddess Cybele had a place in Greek, Roman, Trojan, and Anatolian mythology. Today, she has special meaning as a symbol of gender nonconformity.

Curiously appealing, in a hoop-skirted, wasp-waisted way, Ottoline has recently entered the realm of modern possibility, especially since Sienna Miller chose it as the middle name of her daughter Marlowe.

Adeline in all its forms, including Adelyn, is rocketing up the list, but we do prefer the original to the variations. Or you might consider varying it yet further to Adelia, Adele, or Adelaide. Or lengthen it to Madeline/Madelyn.

Véra is a feminine name with Slavic and Russian origins, though it also appears in French and other European languages. It derives from the Latin 'vera' meaning 'truth' or 'faith.' The name gained popularity in Russia following the introduction of Christianity, as it embodied the virtue of faith. The accent mark in the French version (Véra) distinguishes its pronunciation slightly from the Russian variant. Throughout the 20th century, the name maintained modest popularity across Eastern Europe and France. Véra has a timeless, elegant quality with its two clear syllables and meaningful etymology. The name projects strength and integrity while maintaining a feminine, classic sound.

Relic of a past period of French favorites, out to pasture with Claudette and Paulette.

Pronounced just like Jean in the English-speaking world, but as the more unusual zhahn in France, this has sailed away with the first wave of French favorites: Denise, Michelle, et soeurs.

Once seen as a dated French Claudette-Colbert feminization, along with Annette and Paulette, we can see Claudette moving into a more plausible Colette-Cosette arena. While some may be put off by the common "lame" meaning, some etymologists theorize that the name may relate to the word for enclosure or clause, an alternate meaning that may appeal to a child with a form of this otherwise-appealing name.

The sort of oh-so-French name that's falling out of favor now.

French Canadian singer Dion made us notice this variation, but most parents would prefer the Selene spelling.

Suzanne became popular along with Susan but has just dropped out of the Top 1,000. Wait a generation (or two) in the US, though in France Suzanne is once again tres chic.

Yet another creative character name from Toni Morrison, Denver was a daughter of Sethe's in the novel Beloved. Today Denver is most familiar as the name of the largest city in Colorado, used almost equally for girls and boys.

Cecile is a fairly common French saint's name, scattered throughout classic French literature--in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, in Balzac's Cousin Pons, and Zola's Germinal.