150+ French Last Names

A felicitous combo of two sweet names; also a Queens, New York neighborhood.

Laramie was derived from the French word la ramée, meaning "leafy canopy." It was historically a French surname, but today it is a viable first name option for girls or boys. The Wyoming city gives it more of a cowgirl Western than French vibe.

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

Landry is one rising surname name, often after legendary Dallas Cowboys football coach Tom Landry, that is given to boys and girls. But the y ending does give it a feminine sound (as opposed to the more boyish and more popular Landon). Land is a Landry nickname that might work for boys or girls.

Popular President Franklin Delano Roosevelt inspired a brief fashion for this as a first name in the 1940s; almost never heard today.

Didier is kind of a Desiree for boy--a lively, confident name that's widely used in France and has definite possibilities here. It's the name of an early French saint.

Though it's close to the German and French form of Matthew, Mathis, this name of the great artist can work as well for girls.

Dior was among the fastest-rising names for both girls and boys in the US in the early 2020s, but was the fastest-falling name for boys in the 2023 statistics.

Devereaux is familiar to many English speakers as a surname but not as a first. It's a habitational name related to the River Eure in France. Mick Jagger has a son with this name in a different spelling, Deveraux.

A cute and fresh way to get to Max, this was the name of a sixth century saint. Maxence is a Top 100 boys' name in France, but largely unknown in the US where it is given to only a handful of baby boys each year.

Despite its modern sound, Blaise has plenty of history as a given name (for boys), from a Christian martyr to Arthurian legends. Today Blaise feels like the cool and edgy Blaze with a French accent.

Allaire, a last name in France. could make a first, with its light and airy feel.

Traditionally used by the ultrareligious, the French boys' name Baptiste comes from the Greek word meaning "to dip". Baptiste is one of the Top 100 Boy Names in France.

This is an energetic dance of an Irish surname, great for both genders. Could also be spelled Delancy.

While the (male) French form is pronounced in English like the girls' name Michelle and the German form had a hard k-like sound in the middle, this variation of Michael is distinguished by being used evenly for girls and boys in the U.S. For either gender, though, pronunciation issues will dominate.

What's the difference between Alexander, the usual English spelling of this deeply classical name, and Alexandre, the French version? English speakers might find the proper French pronunciation challenging: a-lehk-SAHN-dreh, but that last syllable is barely pronounced. Americans might an an a or an ee on the end of the name, or simply pronounce it as Alexander, for better or worse.

Maisel is a German-Jewish surname, brought into the spotlight as that of Miriam Maisel, aka The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The TV show, which premiered in 2017, has led to small numbers of girls given the name in recent years. It feels like a blend of stylish vintage names Maisie and Hazel.

Bardot joined the first and last names of other glamour girl icons such as (Jean) Harlow when David Boreanaz chose the surname of '50s French sex symbol Brigitte Bardot for his daughter. Bardot debuted in the US charts in 2022.

Transferred use of the surname Vianney, in reference French saint Jean-Marie Vianney. It is generally masculine in France, Belgium and French-speaking Africa, but in Latin America it is mainly feminine and sometimes spelt Vianey.

Linked to the early days of feminism via Germaine Greer, this saint's name feels neither French nor German enough.