Beautiful, Chic French Names for Baby Girls
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Ooh la la ....names that are 'tres chic'. We think even Coco Chanel would be proud. Viva la France!
- Abella
Origin:
French, meaning 'breath'Description:
A pretty name heard in the Louisiana Cajun community, Abella would fit right in with all the other, more familiar, bella names.
- Adeline
Origin:
French, diminutive of AdeleMeaning:
"noble, nobility"Description:
Adeline has a lovely, old-fashioned "Sweet Adeline" charm, but has become so popular in the US under so many spellings and variations -- with Adalynn and Adalyn also popular -- that considered together it is far more popular than it first seems. Adorable nickname Addie is also pervasive.
- Alouette
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"lark"Description:
Alouette is a sweet Gallic twist in the stylish bird name genre made familiar via the charming French children's song, Alouette, gentile alouette.
- Amalie
Origin:
Danish, Norwegian, and German form of Amalia or AmeliaMeaning:
"work"Description:
In European countries where it's regularly used as a form of the Amelia family of names, the pronunciation is very similar to the a-ending form, Amalia.
- Ambrette
Origin:
French, word nameDescription:
Ambrette is the name of a French dessert pear, and also a West Indian hibiscus seed.
- Amelie
Origin:
French variation of AmeliaMeaning:
"work"Description:
Emily gets a Bohemian spin and a French accent when it becomes Amelie. This favorite among French girl names has been gaining notice here thanks to the charming 2001 French film Amelie; it entered the American popularity list in 2002 and is now solidly established in the Top 1000.
- Angelique
Origin:
French diminutive of AngelaMeaning:
"angelic"Description:
Angelique was the fastest-rising girl name of 2021, influenced by French-Mexican actress Angelique Boyer, who starred in the telenovela Imperio de mentiras (Empire of Lies).
- Annette
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"grace"Description:
Annette is a French diminutive of Ann which was among the first wave of widely-used girls' names from France, now neglected for so long that it's almost starting to feel stylish again.
- Antoinette
Origin:
French feminine diminutive form of AntoineMeaning:
"priceless one"Description:
This feminization of Anthony, like other early French forms, such as Babette and Nanette, is not heard as often as it once was, but it could be time for a reappraisal of this delicate Gallic choice.
- Arielle
Origin:
French variation of ArielMeaning:
"lion of God"Description:
While not as popular as the Ariel spelling of Little Mermaid fame, this rendition has achieved popularity in its own right.
- Aveline
Origin:
French from GermanMeaning:
"desired; or island, water"Description:
Aveline is a name that's long been an obscure cousin of more widely-used choices, but may come into its own riding the tail of the megapopular Ava, which may derive from the same root.
- Babette
Origin:
French, diminutive of BarbaraDescription:
A less common relic of the Claudette-Paulette-Annette era.
- Bastienne
Origin:
Variation of Sebastienne, FrenchMeaning:
"person from Sebastia"Description:
Rare French option for girls, but feels familiar thanks to the popularity of Sebastian.
- Bernadette
Origin:
GermanMeaning:
"brave as a bear"Description:
Although feminizations ending in "ette" are not particularly popular now, Bernadette is a pleasant, feminine, but strong name that doesn't feel prohibitively dated. And though strongly associated with the saint who saw visions of the Virgin Mary—Saint Bernadette of Lourdes—it is now no longer strictly inhabiting the Catholic diocese.
- Blanche
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"white"Description:
Blanche, which originated as a nickname for a pale blonde and then became associated with the notion of purity, was in style a century ago, ranking in the double digits until 1920. She then had to fight the stereotype of faded Southern belle, a la Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire and Blanche Devereaux in TV's Golden Girls. Now all three of the Golden Girls--Blanche, Rose and Dorothy--could be ready for revival, with Blanche sounding like a stronger, simpler alternative to Bianca.
- Brie
Origin:
French, place-name of cheese-producing region, short form of BrianaDescription:
Place-name and homonym of Bree, less popular than its enlargement, Brielle or Brianna. Brie Larson is a notable bearer.
- Brielle
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"hunting grounds"Description:
Though it sounds so modern, Brielle is, among other things, a traditional Cajun contraction of Gabrielle, but it has now spread far beyond that community. Brielle is also the name of a historic seaport in the western Netherlands.
- Brigitte
Origin:
French variation of BrighidMeaning:
"strength or exalted one"Description:
Brigitte is the French version of the ancient Irish Brighid long associated with 1950s sex symbol Brigitte Bardot. If you want to pronounce Brigitte the French way, it's brih-ZHEET.
- Calais
Origin:
French place-nameDescription:
Undiscovered name of picturesque northern French port.
- Camille
Origin:
FrenchMeaning:
"young ceremonial attendant"Description:
At one time just the sound of the name Camille could start people coughing, recalling the tragic Lady of the Camellias, the heroine played by Greta Garbo in the vintage film based on a Dumas story, but that image has faded, replaced by a sleek, chic, highly attractive one.