Plenty of common U.S. names have French origins (hi, millions of Charlottes and Maries) — but the more French those French baby names sound, the rarer they become on our side of the pond. Sure, you’ll run into a Jeanne or a Pierre on occasion, but you’re much less likely to run into a boy named Maxence or a girl named Manon. (Pour quoi?!)
That’s where these French names for babies come in handy. They’re either the French versions of names we’re more familiar with, or they’re unique names from France. Amandine, for example, is the French version of Amanda. And the name Noé is the French version of a name we’ve loved for decades — Noah.
While many French names come from saints (think Baptiste, Jean, Jacques, Michel, Pierre, or Marie), others are a little more modern and unique. And some are monikers chosen by A-list celebs for their kids — like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter Vivienne.
The only drawback to these beautiful names is that most of them have a high potential for mispronunciation; they contain sounds and letter combos that the majority of native English speakers aren’t accustomed to. But if folks can learn to pronounce Arnold Schwarzenegger, Timothee Chalamet, and Saorise Ronan’s names, well, they can learn your baby’s name too.
Whether your family has a French background or you’re just a proud Francophile who loves the language and culture, these French baby names may be the perfect fit for your petite bebe.
Unique French names for baby boys
These elegant French baby names for boys could be perfect for your son. Check out the names below:
- Antoine
- Armand
- Augustin
- Baptiste
- Basile
- Bastien
- Brice
- Charles
- Clément
- Édouard
- Émilien
- Enzo
- Gabin
- Gaétan
- Gaspard
- Gaston
- Hugo
- Jacques
- Léo
- Loan
- Loïc
- Luc
- Maël
- Malo
- Marc
- Marceau
- Marcel
- Mathieu
- Mathis
- Mathys
- Maxence
- Nicolas
- Noé
- Pascal
- Pierre
- Quentin
- Raphaël
- Rémy
- Sacha
- Sébastien
- Théo
- Timéo
- Timothee
- Tristan
- Valentin
Unique French names for baby girls
You’ll likely find very few girls given these names in the U.S. (even though they’re gorgeous!) — so if you’re looking for a unique baby name as well as a French baby name for your daughter, you’re in luck. Check out this list of lovely French names for girls:
- Adèle
- Agnes
- Amandine
- Amélie
- Anaelle
- Anaïs
- Apolline
- Aveline
- Blanche
- Capucine
- Chanel
- Cherise
- Chloé
- Clémence
- Élise
- Élodie
- Eugénie
- Faustine
- Flavie
- Fleur
- Genevieve
- Giselle
- Héloïse
- Jacqueline
- Jolie
- Juliette
- Léa
- Léonie
- Lilou
- Lise
- Loane
- Lucie
- Madeleine
- Maeva
- Manon
- Margaux
- Marion
- Mathilde
- Méline
- Morgane
- Noémie
- Océane
- Odette
- Pauline
- Salomé
- Simone
- Solène
- Théa
- Vivienne
- Yvonne
- Zoé
Gender-neutral French names
Looking for a unisex name for your baby? According to babynames.com, these French monikers are all gender-neutral:
Colorful French baby names
We may have Blue Ivy and other colorful celebrity baby names, but these French names literally come in all the colors of the rainbow.
- Azure (blue)
- Bleu (blue) — also the middle name of one Ella Bleu Travolta!
- Burgundy (purple-red)
- Cerise (cherry red)
- Citron (lemon-yellow)
- Clementine (orange)
- Mauve (purple)
- Mazarine (blue)
- Violette (violet)
Looking for more baby name inspiration? Check out our favorite celebrity baby names:
More Stories from Parenting
Leave a Comment