270+ French Boy Names

Mason with a French accent. It first entered the US Top 1000 in 2012, and it will likely hang on for as long as its brother-in-spelling-variations, Mayson.

Variation of Terence.

An undiscovered last-name-first option.

Hippolyte is the name of an Amazonian princess AND her son, both unfortunate mythical figures. The name Hippolyte, later borne by several saints, is a not an uncommon boys' name in France, but has barely set foot on American soil and is unlikely to do so. It was the middle name of famed French playwright Jean Giraudoux.

French form of Callistus or Callixtus, borne by several popes and saints.

Yannick originated as a diminutive of Yann, the Breton form of John. However, it has since become popular as a standalone name in its native region of Brittany, as well as in France as a whole, where it peaked at #31 in 1973-4. It remains well within the Top 500 in France to this day, and has also seen regular use in Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Quebec.

Hugh plus.

A happy combination of several desirable genres: it's a word name, it has a foreign accent, and it has a highly virtuous meaning. And few other parents will be bold enough to choose it.

Talented Jamaican-American actor Dule (born Karim Dule) Hill introduced this name, suggested by an aunt who'd heard it in France. Pronounced doo-lay.

A saints name and a word name, this is a modern, original way to convey a powerful meaning, especially in the middle place.

Straightforward surname with potential thanks to the rise of Carson. The actress Greer Garson gives it a splash of Hollywood glamor.

A Blaise/Blaze hybrid that maintains neither the history of Blaise nor the wordiness of Blaze.

Pronounced TEE-bow, this version, which is also a very common surname in France, has a lot more charm than the name it derives from — Theobald. A variant spelling is Thibaut.

Swaggering western place-name with a lot of cowboy bravado and panache.

The French spin on the name of the great Homeric hero with the vulnerable heel seems somewhat more portable into the modern world.

This surname-name oozes Southern charm; nevertheless, its most famous bearer was a New Englander, Rhode Island senator Claiborne de Borda Pell, who sponsored education legislation leading to the much beloved Pell scholarship programme. That connection alone instills this name with intellect as well as style.

Unisex option Dominique peaked for boys at Number 170 in 1991, perhaps due to the popularity of basketball player Dominique Wilkins. While it has now fallen out of the popularity charts in both the US and its native France, it was still given to around 140 boys and 60 girls in a recent year. This makes it a truly gender-neutral baby name, joining the ranks with - yet standing out from - the likes of Charlie, Rowan, Parker, and Sevyn.

Leandre, the French form of the name of a Greek mythological figure, the doomed lover of Hero, is gaining modern notice in France. Leandre is one of many leonine names, including Leopold, Leo, Leonie, and Leon, that are fashionable now.

Unique baby name and poetic Gallic choice. Guillaume Apollinaire was a French poet and novelist active in the early 20th century arts community, who is said to have coined the terms cubism and surrealism. He based his unique surname de plume on his Polish middle name, Apolinary.

A historic name seeing some modern use among French-speaking parents.