Paging through the fat new issue of Vogue the other night, I found myself riveted not by the gorgeous models, not by the fabulous clothes, but by – mais oui – the names.
The French names, in particular, which seemed to jump out at me everywhere from the magazine, attached to chic grownup women as well as charming little girls and boys.
We’ve blogged about modern French names a couple of times, but the uninitiated still think of French names as the now-tired Danielle and Nicole, or the even-tireder Jean and Jacques.
But there’s a whole new group of French names coming up, along with a raft of classic French names never widely used among English speakers which sound fresh and chic right now.
While international names such as Hugo and Luna, Old Testament choices like Sarah and Noah, and even English names such as Emma and Tom may dominate the French baby name popularity list, authentically French choices are fashionable too, in Pittsburgh as well as Paris.
Here, French names that are chic for your own little fille or garcon.
Girls
AgatheAmandineAnaisAnoukApolline
AurelieAxelleCapucineCelineClaudeClemenceColineCoralieElodieEmmanuelleEugenieEulalieFaustineFloreFrancoiseGaetaneHeloiseInesLeonaLilouLouiseLucileMaelysMaevaManonMargotMargueriteMarineMathildeNinonOceanePhilippinePruneRomaneSixtineSoleneVictoireZelie
Boys
AchilleAmauryAntoineBaptisteBastienClementClovisCorentinFlorinGabinGabrielGaspardIlanJulesLeandreMaloMaxenceMaximeRomainSevanThibaultZephyr
Photo of the adorable baby thanks to WinterScarlett; you can buy the chic headband on their Etsy shop.
Pamela Redmond
Pamela Redmond is the cocreator and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. The coauthor of ten groundbreaking books on names, Redmond is an internationally-recognized baby name expert, quoted and published widely in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, CNN, and the BBC. She has written about baby names for The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and People.
Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling novelist whose books include Younger, the basis for the hit television show, and its sequel, Older. She has three new books in the works.