User-created list
French names
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The names
Pierre
French variation of Peter
"rock, stone"
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,…
Cecile
French feminine form of Cecil
"blind"
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. Cecile, Cecily and Cecilia…
Anatole
Greek
"from the east, rising sun"
Anatole is one of the unique boys' names with an unusual-ish feel but an uncertain provenance, with a meaning related to sunrise and thus to fire. While it's Greek in origin, it is associated more…
Antoine
French variation of Anthony
"priceless one"
Antoine is a venerable French name that is still stylish in its native habitat, where it is in the Top 30. In the US, it was most popular in the 1970s and '80s, reaching Number 262 in 1985. There…
Etienne
French variation of Stephen
"garland, crown"
It's the French Steve yet feels oh so much more debonair. Well-used and still a popular classic in French-speaking lands, but one of the many French names for boys unfamiliar to most English…
Marcheline
French
"warrior"
Marcheline was the first name of Angelina Jolie's late mother, who was part French-Canadian, which Jolie and Brad Pitt used as the middle name for their twin daughter Vivienne. The name is related to…
Francois
Francoise
Mignonette
Form of Mignon, French
"delicate, dainty"
Mignonette is kind of a diminutive of a diminutive. Mignon is the French word for cute, so Mignonette is more or less cutie.
perenelle
Raine
French
"queen"
Attracted attention as the stepmother of Princess Diana.
Sorrell
French
"reddish brown"
Soft, amber-hued herbal and autumnal name that's used most often to describe the color of a horse. The proper spelling: Sorrel.
anjou
bretagne
Reynard
German
"powerful advice"
Associated with Reynard the cunning fox in medieval European animal tales. Reynard can make an unusual yet historic choice for a modern boy, a modern day Richard or Robert. Reynard "Reynie" Muldoon…
Severin
French variation of Severus; Latin
"stern, serious"
Severin is an ancient Roman family name borne by several early saints. It's still alive throughout Europe, and could be ready for import here. Severin Winter is a wrestling prodigy character in John…
Yves
French
"yew wood"
On paper, with its stylish ties to fashion legend Yves Saint-Laurent (born Henri), Yves looks great, but the pronunciation--EVE-- could lead to gender confusion. German variation Ivo might be cooler…
