Awesome French Names

  1. Kevin
    • Origin:

      Irish
    • Meaning:

      "handsome"
    • Description:

      Kevin came to the US with the large wave of Irish Immigrants after World War I, hitting the US Top 1000 list for the first time in 1921 and never leaving.
  2. Laetitia
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "gladness, happiness"
    • Description:

      Laetitia adds a layer of ancient patina to the more prosaic LETITIA.
  3. Lara
    • Origin:

      Russian, diminutive of Larissa or Larisa
    • Meaning:

      "citadel"
    • Description:

      This is an alternative to Laura or Lauren made romantic by Dr Zhivago, and badass by video-game heroine Lara Croft.
  4. Laurette
    • Laurine
      • Lili
        • Origin:

          Spelling variation of Lily or diminutive of Lilian
        • Description:

          Lili has been blooming in many forms for a couple of decades now. The Lili version will surely get more attention now that the Duke and Duchess of Susses, aka Harry and Meghan, are using is as a short form for their daughter Lilibet Diana's name. Lili makes the slight and light though that is not necessarily a bad thing; it also mutes the name's floral identity and gives it a cute and quirky repetitive spelling, ala Coco and Lulu. A famous German song is titled Lili Marlene.
      • Lilian
        • Origin:

          Alternate spelling of Lillian, English
        • Meaning:

          "lily; pledged to God"
        • Description:

          Lilian is the far less popular than the 'Lillian' spelling. To avoid a lifetime of mistakes and misspellings, we suggest you go with the Lillian spelling, which also looks more polished on paper. Whichever spelling you prefer, these names are benefitting from the fashion for girls' names starting with L.
      • Lilianne
        • Lise
          • Origin:

            Diminutive of Elisabeth, Hebrew
          • Meaning:

            "pledged to God"
          • Description:

            Lise is most often found in the U.S. as the second half of the hybrid name Annalise. Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet bears a pretty alternative spelling, pronounced LEESE.
        • Lisette
          • Origin:

            French, diminutive of Elizabeth or Lise
          • Meaning:

            "pledged to God"
          • Description:

            Lisette, also spelled Lizette, is a dainty,, if somewhat dated, Gallic offshoot of Elizabeth. It reached its U.S. peak of popularity in 1999, then fell off the list in 2001.
        • Louise
          • Origin:

            French and English, feminine variation of Louis
          • Meaning:

            "renowned warrior"
          • Description:

            Louise has for several decades now been seen as competent, studious, and efficient—desirable if not dramatic qualities. But now along with a raft of other L names, as well as cousin Eloise, Louise is up for reappreciation—sleek and chic, stylish in Paris, and starting to become so in the US as well. Louisa is perhaps more in tune with the times, but Louise has more edge. Louise has been on the rise lately, and reentered the US Top 1000 for the first time in a quarter century in 2016.
        • Luc
          • Origin:

            French
          • Meaning:

            "man from Lucania"
          • Description:

            Luc is the sleeker Gallic cousin of Luke, and if you want to know the difference between their pronunciations, just watch Kevin Kline's hilarious description in the film French Kiss. Peter Gabriel and Sean Patrick Thomas picked this version for their sons.
        • Lucas
          • Origin:

            Latin form of Luke
          • Meaning:

            "man from Lucania"
          • Description:

            Lucas is a Top 10 boys' name with a slightly-less-popular almost-identical twin brother, Luke. Like Elijah and Elias, Lucas and Luke come from the same root and have the same meaning and so feel even more popular than they are.
        • Lucie
          • Origin:

            French, English
          • Meaning:

            "light"
          • Description:

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

            French variation of Latin Lucilla
          • Meaning:

            "light"
          • Description:

            Lucille is a name that had long been overpowered by its link to Lucille Ball, with an image of tangerine-colored hair, big, round eyes, and a tendency to stage daffy and desperate stunts. But with the newfound craze for double-L names like Lily and Lila, Lulu and Luna, and as the choice of Lucille by hipster parents Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson, Lucille is breaking free from its old clownish image, moving rapidly up the charts over the past decade after a long nap.
        • Lydie
          • Léa
            • Origin:

              Hebrew
            • Meaning:

              "weary"
            • Description:

              French version of Leah, currently popular with French-speaking parents. In this spelling, it looks pleasingly like the female equivalent of Leo (or Léo), and sounds like Leia.
          • Léandre
            • Léo
              • Madeline
                • Origin:

                  English variation of Magdalen
                • Meaning:

                  "high tower or woman from Magdala"
                • Description:

                  Madeline, a lovely name with a soft and delicate image, is an old-fashioned favorite that returned to favor in the 1990's, combining a classic pedigree with a cute nickname option: Maddy.