Francophile Naming Guide -- Curiousities of Medieval France for Boys

Othon

Greek form of Otto

"wealth, fortune"

A Greek form of the rising star Otto, Othon was brought to public consciousness when a Bavarian prince named Otto became the first modern king of Greece in 1832. It was briefly popular in France in…

Pepin

German

"awe-inspiring"

Most famous as the name of King Pepin the Short, this choice might feel somewhat belittling. The even-shorter form is Pippin, a name adopted for musical theater, and the Dutch form Pepijn is in that…

Raimond

Estonian variation of Raymond, German

"wise-protector"

The short form, Raivo, is more common these days.

Rainier

German

"wise army"

European royal name, and to Americans a place-name evoking the majestic mountain in Washington state.

Ranulph

Scottish variation of Randolph

"shield-wolf"

An old name still occasionally heard in the U.K., but still and perhaps forever a foreigner in the U.S. Can be spelled Ranulf.

Renaud

French variation of Reginald

Attractive if phonetically confusing; also pronounced exactly the same as the Renault car.

Richer

Richer is a masculine name of Germanic and Old French origin, derived from the elements 'ric' meaning 'power' or 'ruler' and 'hari' meaning 'army.' As a personal name, it conveys strength and…

Theobald

German

"courageous people"

This is one of the least known or used of the Theo names, quite possibly because of its last syllable. In Samuel Butler's 1903 novel The Way of All Flesh , there is a clergyman character named…