Both Unique and Classic French Girl Names

  1. Justine
    • Origin:

      French feminine variation of Justin
    • Meaning:

      "fair, righteous"
    • Description:

      Justine is a French name that's never reached the popularity we think it deserves. Like its far-more-common brother Justin, Justine is sleek, and sophisticated, but still user-friendly.
  2. Iva
    • Origin:

      Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Slovak, Czech, English
    • Meaning:

      "willow tree; God is gracious; yew tree; bow warrior"
    • Description:

      Short, sweet, and sharp, this multicultural choice is currently popular in Croatia, Czechia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. While not in the charts elsewhere, it is familiar in English speaking countries, and in the Netherlands.
  3. Brittany
    • Origin:

      English name of the French region Bretagne, meaning 'from Briton'
    • Description:

      Brittany first arrived on the US popularity list in 1971, and rapidly zoomed up the charts, in the Top 100 a decade later. By 1986 it had entered the Top 10, becoming the third most popular girls’ name in the country by 1989.
  4. Marianne
    • Origin:

      French combination of Marie and Anne
    • Meaning:

      "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + grace"
    • Description:

      A midcentury Catholic classic that's not chosen by many parents today. Leonard Cohen fans might think of the beautiful song So Long, Marianne, named for his lover and muse Marianne Ihlen.
  5. Solange
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "solemn"
    • Description:

      This is a soft, soignée French girls' namethat has become familiar here via singer Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyonce.
  6. Pauline
    • Origin:

      French, feminine variation of Paul
    • Meaning:

      "small"
    • Description:

      Pauline had its moment of glory almost a century ago, when movie audiences were thrilling to the silent serial The Perils of Pauline; it's a sweet and gentle name that just might be due for reconsideration. Off the list since the late 1990s, Pauline was a Top 50 name from around 1908 to 1930.
  7. Apolline
    • Origin:

      French form of Apollonia, feminine variation of Apollo, Greek mythology name
    • Meaning:

      "destroyer"
    • Description:

      Apolline is a luscious French name chic in Paris -- it's a Top 100 name for baby girls in France -- and ripe for the plucking in the English-speaking world. Derived from the mythological name Apollo, the name may mean strength; Apollo was the god of sun and light. Apolline is a perfect choice for those attracted to the name Apple who don't want to go quite that far.
  8. Tiffany
    • Origin:

      English variation of Theophania, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "of divine manifestation"
    • Description:

      One of the first luxury brand names and the quintessential Booming Eighties status-conscious moniker; used by Donald Trump for his daughter, Tiffany has plummeted far from its high in the Top 25.
  9. Celina
    • Origin:

      Greek, French
    • Meaning:

      "moon or heavenly"
    • Description:

      A light and pretty pan-cultural name which can be considered a variant of either the Greek name Selene or Selena, meaning "moon", or of the French Celine, meaning "heavenly". An attractive choice that is surprisingly rare in the US: out of the Top 1000 since 2006.
  10. Lacey
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "from Lassy"
    • Description:

      A unique combination of a surname feel and dainty femininity, Lacey is a favorite in the UK where it ranks in the Top 500. Likely derived from the name of a place in Normandy, it might occasionally be considered a diminutive to Wallace ("Welshman") or Larissa ("citadel").
  11. Margaux
    • Origin:

      French spelling variation of Margo
    • Description:

      Yes, it's pronounced with a long o sound at the end, just like Margo and Margot. This spelling was popularized by supermodel, actress, and tragic Hemingway granddaughter Margaux, whose name spelling came courtesy of a bottle of French wine. (The original spelling of her name was Margot; she changed it when she heard her parents were drinking a bottle of Chateau Margaux the night she was conceived.) Margo itself is a diminutive of Margaret, which means "pearl" or, in its French version, "daisy." Margaret or Marguerite would be more stylish variations now.
  12. Mathilde
    • Origin:

      French; Norwegian; Danish; Dutch; German, variation of Matilda
    • Meaning:

      "battle-mighty"
    • Description:

      Mathilde is even more popular in France than Matilda, a hipster favorite thanks to Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger, is here. And the French pronunciation, while confusing to English speakers, makes it softer and prettier than the version we're more familiar with. It's also very popular in Denmark and Noway, pronounced closer to the English variant.
  13. Aurelie
    • Origin:

      French variation of Aurelia, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "the golden one"
    • Description:

      Aurelie is the delicate French variation of Aurelia, one of the most improbable popular names of recent years. Both versions of the name are lovely, but it might be difficult to insist that Americans pronounce Aurelie the attractive French way rather than like plain old orally.
  14. Monique
    • Origin:

      French variation of Monica
    • Meaning:

      "advisor"
    • Description:

      The sort of oh-so-French name that's falling out of favor now.
  15. Nicolette
    • Origin:

      French, diminutive of Nicole, feminine variation of Nicholas, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "people of victory"
    • Description:

      Frilly and feminine, Nicolette is the name of an enchanting princess in the medieval French romance, Aucassin et Nicolette, but really got its publicity from the heyday of Desperate Housewives and its star Nicollette Sheridan. It peaked in the US back in 1993, when it ranked at #327.
  16. Prudence
    • Origin:

      Virtue name
    • Meaning:

      "caution"
    • Description:

      Prudence, like Hope and Faith, is a Puritan virtue name with a quiet charm and sensitivity that is slowly returning to favor, though it hasn't yet registered on the charts.
  17. Desiree
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "desired, wished"
    • Description:

      One of the original French names chosen by midcentury parents for their sophistication and je ne sais quoi, Desiree has since become completely assimilated in the US. It ranked in the Top 1000 from 1954-2017, but has since dropped back out.
  18. Rosemarie
    • Origin:

      Combination of Rose and Marie
    • Meaning:

      "rose flower + drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved"
    • Description:

      Rosemarie had its moment in the sun back in the middle of the last century, when parents were looking for new ways to recycle traditional family names. So a child might combine her two grandma's names and become Rosemarie (or Annmarie or Maryjean), but these combination names feel dated now.
  19. Joelle
    • Origin:

      Feminine variation of Joel, Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "Jehovah is his God"
    • Description:

      Joel is one of those boys’ names that's never been super-popular yet has never been UNpopular either -- it's been in the Top 400 in the US since we started keeping statistics in 1880. So it's inevitable that its female form Joelle would gain visibility too, and indeed Joelle was used most widely during Joel's reign in the Top 100, from the late 1960s through the early 1990s.
  20. Adrienne
    • Origin:

      Latin, feminine variation of Adrian
    • Meaning:

      "man from Adria"
    • Description:

      A long-integrated French feminine form of Adrian, now overshadowed by the a-ending version, but still a valid option, with considerable substance and dignity—though these days more parents would probably choose Adriana.

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