220+ French Cat Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

  1. Pierre
    • Origin:

      French variation of Peter
    • Meaning:

      "rock, stone"
    • Description:

      One of the most familiar — if not stereotypical — Gallic names. Pierre was a Top 5 name in France from the 19th century through 1940 and is now on a steady decline in its native land. In the US, Pierre was most common in the 1980s but it has never cracked the Top 300.
  2. Serge
    • Origin:

      French variation of ancient Roman family name Sergius
    • Meaning:

      "servant"
    • Description:

      Old saints' and popes' name that went to France in the 1920s with the Russian Ballets Russes; in its Russian form, Sergei, it retains an artistic, almost effete air.
  3. Lucie
    • Origin:

      French, English
    • Meaning:

      "light"
    • Description:

      The French spelling of Lucy feels particularly light and shimmery.
  4. Angeline
    • Origin:

      French variation of Angela
    • Meaning:

      "angel"
    • Description:

      With Angelina becoming so popular thanks to Ms. Jolie, this could be a new twist—but everyone will always misunderstand it as Angelina. While it currently ranks at Number 951 in the US, it's Number 352 in France.
  5. Cecile
    • Origin:

      French feminine form of Cecil
    • Meaning:

      "blind"
    • Description:

      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.
  6. Maelle
    • Origin:

      French or Breton
    • Meaning:

      "chief or prince"
    • Description:

      This feminine form of Mael has the distinctive "aelle" ending found in Brittany. In the French spelling Maëlle, it is a Top 100 girls' name in France.
  7. Bellamy
    • Origin:

      English and Irish from French
    • Meaning:

      "fine friend"
    • Description:

      Bellamy is emerging as an up-and-coming girls' name, an Irish surname-y riff on the super-popular Bella series of names. While the Bella connection makes Bellamy sound a little trendier and more popular than it really is, we see the name possibly rising through the ranks for both genders in the coming years.
  8. Lynette
    • Origin:

      French elaboration of Lynn or Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "idol"
    • Description:

      Linda begat Lynn which gave way to Lynette, which peaked in the late 1960s. Lynette has been off the Top 1000 for a couple decades now, and the Lynn variations finding the most favor are those that put the "lyn" part at the end: Evelyn, Madelyn, Brooklyn.
  9. Mauve
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "violet-colored"
    • Description:

      Mauve is an offbeat color name whose soft and sentimental Victorian spirit is conveyed by the name. One of the newer color names like Blue, Gray and Plum that are increasingly being used as novel middle names, Mauve has the added benefit of being similar to stylish Maeve and classic Maude.
  10. Raine
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "queen"
    • Description:

      Attracted attention as the stepmother of Princess Diana.
  11. Quay
    • Origin:

      French word name
    • Meaning:

      "wharf"
    • Description:

      A name that looks intriguing and masculine on paper, but is, unfortunately, a homonym for a girl's name.
  12. Neville
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "new town"
    • Description:

      More often used in Britain than here, where most names ending in ville fall into the unthinkable class, this might make an exception via fans of the musical Neville Brothers.
  13. Ciel
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "sky"
    • Description:

      This simple yet evocative French word name was chosen for her daughter by model Niki Taylor. While Ciel may be pronounced in French with two syllables, many will pronounce it as "seal" and there may be confusion with Celia and sister Ceil.
  14. Camelia
    • Origin:

      Romanian and Spanish form of Camellia
    • Meaning:

      "camellia flower"
    • Description:

      A floral name, used in Romania and popular in Moldova too. Camellia is the English form, while Camélia is used in France. The flower itself is named after botanist George Josef Kamel.
  15. Devere
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "of the fishing place"
    • Description:

      An original choice for a fisherman's child.
  16. Valentine
    • Origin:

      French variation of Valentina
    • Meaning:

      "strength, health"
    • Description:

      For a girl, we'd say Val-en-teen, though many would insist on pronouncing it like the holiday.
  17. Cher
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "beloved"
    • Description:

      For years there was only one Cher, and then along came the charming heroine of the movie "Clueless." The world now officially has enough Chers in it.
  18. Henri
    • Origin:

      French and Finnish variation of Henry, German
    • Meaning:

      "estate ruler"
    • Description:

      The chic Euro spelling of Henry is rising along with the original form.
  19. Luis
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Louis
    • Meaning:

      "renowned warrior"
    • Description:

      Luis has long been one of the most popular Hispanic names in America — it was in the Top 100 every year from 1980 to 2014, though it's dropped a bit in popularity. It's familiar, yet would add a worldly touch to a basic surname.
  20. Celie
    • Origin:

      French variation of Cecilia
    • Meaning:

      "blind"
    • Description:

      Attractive, underused name made famous by the heroine of The Color Purple. Still, if you're going to go to Celie, why not go all the way to Celia or Cecelia? You can always use Celie for short.

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