French Submitted Names

French names are used in France and other French-speaking regions. See also about French names.
gender
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Osmanne f French (Archaic)
French form of Osmanna, common in the area around Féricy in the region of Île-de-France in the 1600s and 1700s thanks to saint Osmanne who is the patron saint of Féricy.
Osval m Picard
Picard form of Oswald.
Oudatte f French (Archaic)
Diminutive of Ode (see also Houdée) found in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region up until the 1600s.
Oulry m French (Swiss, Archaic)
Gallicized form of Ulrich used in the Montreux area of Switzerland up until the late 1600s.
Ours m French (Rare)
French form of Ursus. Also note that ours is an ordinary word in the French language, where it means "bear" (which is ultimately derived from Latin ursus "bear", so the root is either way the same).
Oury m & f French (African)
French form of Ulrich.
Ovila m English, Spanish, French (Quebec)
Meaning unknown, possibly from Latin ovile, meaning "sheepfold."
Ozanne f French (Archaic)
Variant of Osanne. Ozanne-Anne Achon was the wife of Pierre Tremblay, one of the first settlers of Nouvelle-France ("New France" in English), the area colonized by France in North America.
Ozille f French (Acadian)
Certainly related to Ozile and possibly to Ozella.
Pacifique m French (Archaic), French (African), French (Belgian, Rare)
French form of Pacificus. The name coincides with French pacifique "pacific, calm, peaceful".
Palmire f French, French (Belgian), Walloon
French variant and Walloon form of Palmyre.
Palmyre f French, Norman
French form of Palmira. This also coincides with the French name of the ancient oasis city of Syria, known in English as Palmyra.
Pancrace m French (Archaic), Walloon
French and Walloon form of Pancratius.
Pancrache m Norman
Norman form of Pancrace.
Pâolène f Norman
Norman form of Pauline.
Paoul m Norman
Norman form of Paul.
Pâquerette f French (Rare)
Derived from French pâquerette "daisy".
Paquette f Literature, Theatre, French (Rare)
Feminine form of Pasquet or Paquet, medieval French pet forms of Pascal. Folk etymology links the name with modern French paquet (Middle French pacquet) "parcel, package"... [more]
Parfaite f French (Rare), French (Quebec, Rare), French (African)
French form of Perfecta. Also compare Parfait, which is the masculine equivalent of this name.
Pascalette f French (Rare)
Feminine form of Pascal.
Paschaise m & f French (Archaic)
French form of Paschasius (masculine) and Paschasia (feminine).
Pascou m French
French diminutive of Pascal, as -ou is a French masculine diminutive suffix. This diminutive has been in use since medieval times, as is evidenced by the fact that Pascou is also a patronymic surname in France.
Pasquaire m French (Archaic)
French form of Pascharius. It appears to have been rare, or at least it was never as common as the form Pasquier.
Pasquier m Medieval French, French (Rare)
French form of Pascharius. It originated in the medieval period, during which time it was fairly common. The name has since nearly fallen out of use; nowadays it is much more common as a patronymic surname.
Pathé m French (African), Western African
Transferred use of the surname Pathé.
Patient m French (African), History (Ecclesiastical, Gallicized), English (Puritan)
From the Late Latin name Patiens. It was also used by the Puritans as a vocabulary name, from the English word patient.
Patriche m Picard
Picard form of Patricius.
Paulet m French, Provençal
Diminutive of Paul.
Paulin m German, Polish, French, Lengadocian, Provençal, Gascon, Romansh, Romanian, Moldovan, History (Ecclesiastical)
Romanian, Polish, French, Languedocian, Provençal, Gascon, Romansh and obsolescent German male form of Paulinus.
Pélage m French (Archaic)
French form of Pelagios via Pelagius.
Pensée f French (Rare)
Derived from French pensée "pansy (the flower); thought, idea".
Perenelle f French, English, Literature, Medieval French
Old French form of Petronilla borne by Perenelle Flamel (1320-1402), wife and fellow alchemist of Nicolas Flamel. They are known for their quest to discover the philosopher's stone, a legendary substance said to turn any metal into gold and to make its owner immortal.... [more]
Périne f French
Variant of Perrine.
Perlette f French (Rare)
Diminutive of Perle. In other words: you could say that this name is the French cognate of Perlita.
Perline f French (Rare)
Diminutive of Perle.
Permal m French (African)
Not available.
Pernatte f French (Archaic)
Archaic feminine diminutive of Pierre.
Pernette f French (Rare)
Feminine form of Pernet.
Péroline f French
A form of Pétronille (cf. Peronel, Perenelle). The virgin martyr Saint Petronilla is also known as Péroline in French.
Peronne f French (Archaic)
Archaic feminine diminutive of Pierre.
Pérotène f Norman
Feminine diminutive of Pièrre.
Perroline f French (Rare)
An other form of Péroline.
Pervenche f French (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare)
Derived from French pervenche "periwinkle".
Pétremand m French (Archaic)
Gallicized form of Petermann, a German diminutive of Peter. This name was found in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region up until the late 1600s.
Petronette f French, Dutch
Diminutive form of Petrona or Petronia, in a similar way as names like Antoinette and Nicolette... [more]
Pexine f French (Rare, Archaic), History (Ecclesiastical)
Variant of Pazanne. The name of an obscure French saint whose life and work are somewhat of a mystery. Nonetheless, she left her name in several place names throughout France.
Phélie f French (Rare)
Truncated form of Ophélie.
Phelippe m Norman
Rouenneis and Cotentinais Norman form of Philippe.
Philaé f & m French (Rare)
Possibly taken from Philae, the Latinized form of Φιλαί (Philai), the Greek name of an ancient island of the Nile which was the center of the worship of Isis and the site of temples dedicated to her... [more]
Philanise f French (Quebec)
Possible vairant of Philonice
Philias m French (Quebec)
Possible variant of Phileas
Philiberthe f Norman
Norman feminine form of Philibert.
Philidore m English, French, Literature
Philidore likely meaning "gift of love", from the Greek philos (φιλος) meaning "friend, lover" and doron (δωρον) meaning "gift".... [more]
Phillippe m English (Rare), French (African)
English variant of Philip and French variant of Philippe.
Philogène m French
French form of Philogenes. Known bearers of this name include the French foreign minister Louis Philogène Brûlart de Sillery (1702-1770), the Belgian painter Charles-Philogène Tschaggeny (1815-1894) and the Belgian ornithologist Philogène Wytsman (1866-1925).
Philothée m & f French (Rare)
French form of Philotheus (via its Latinized form Philotheos) and Philothea. While the masculine name has fallen out of use, the feminine name was revived in the late 2000s.
Philou m & f French, Dutch (Modern)
French diminutive of Philippe. In France, the name is strictly masculine and primarily used informally, i.e. it is not typically used on birth certificates.... [more]
Phiona f English, English (African), French (African)
Variant of Fiona. It is used mainly in Uganda (regarding (African) English usage) and Burundi (regarding African French usage).... [more]
Pholien m French (Belgian)
Variant of Feuillen via Pholian, itself an older Gallicization of Foillan. This name is borne by Pholien Systermans, a Belgian swimmer who gained the Belgian 100m freestyle record in 2009.
Phrosine f French (Archaic), French (Quebec, Archaic), Theatre
Truncated form of Euphrosine. Mélidore et Phrosine (1794) is an opera by the French composer Étienne Méhul. It is considered an important example of early Romantic opera.
Pie m & f French (Rare)
French form of Pius and Pia.
Pière m Picard
Picard form of Pierre.
Piérine f French (Rare)
Feminine form of Pierre.
Piérotin m Norman
Diminutive of Pierrot.
Pierrat m French (Archaic)
Local diminutive of Pierre found in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region up until the late 1600s.
Placite f Norman
Norman feminine form of Placidus.
Plamedie f French (African)
Contraction of the French phrase plan merveilleux de Dieu meaning "God's wonderful plan", mainly used in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Pllacide m Norman
Norman form of Placidus.
Pllagie f Norman
Norman feminine form of Pelagius.
Pognon m French (Cajun), African American, American (South)
Transferred use of the surname Pognon.
Polet m French
Diminutive of Paul.
Polyte m Norman
Norman short form of Hippolyte 2.
Pomeline f French (Rare)
Variant form of Pomelline. This name is best known for being one of the middle names of Charlotte Casiraghi (b. 1986), who is the daughter of Princess Caroline of Hanover (formerly of Monaco)... [more]
Pommeline f French (Rare), Flemish
Modern form of Pomelline via its variant form Pomeline. The spelling of this form of the name was influenced by the French word pomme meaning "apple", which the name (and its variant form) has always shared a certain resemblance with and thus often led people to associate it with apples (to some degree).
Pompée m & f French
French masculine and feminine form of Pompeius (see Pompey). This was the name of a female Breton saint, also known as Aspasie, Pompaïa or, in Breton, Coupaïa/Koupaïa.
Porphyre m French (Archaic)
French form of Porphyrios (see Porfirio).
Portien m French (Archaic)
French form of Portianus. This name was borne by Portien Colombel de Bois-Aulard (1730-1805), a French politician.
Pothin m French (Archaic)
French form of Potheinos via its latinized form Pothinus.... [more]
Potit m Bulgarian (Archaic), French (Archaic), Russian (Archaic), Serbian (Archaic)
Bulgarian, French, Russian and Serbian form of Potitus.
Précieuse f French (Rare)
Feminine form of Précieux, cognate to English Precious.
Précieux m French (Rare)
Means "precious," from Latin pretiōsus.
Prielle f French (Modern, Rare), Jewish
French feminine form of Priel.
Primerose f French (Rare)
Derived from French primerose "primrose".
Primien m French
French form of Primianus.
Priscillien m French
French form of Priscillian.
Prospère m French
Variant of Prosper.
Protais m French (Archaic), French (African), French (Quebec, Archaic)
French form of Protasius. This given name is no longer in use in France today, but it still survives in francophone countries in Africa, such as Rwanda.... [more]
Prothade m Medieval French, French (Archaic)
This given name is best known for being the name of a 7th-century saint, who was bishop of the city of Besançon in eastern France and died in 624 AD. The meaning of the saint's name, which was often latinized to Prothadius in writing, is uncertain... [more]
Prunelle f French
French form of Prunella.
Purdey f & m English (Rare), French (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname, a variant of Purdie.... [more]
Quatremer m French (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname Quatremer.
Quentine f French (Archaic), French (Quebec, Archaic)
French form of Quintina. Also compare the masculine counterpart Quentin.
Querelle f French
Querelle is the French for quarrel. ... [more]
Quiémence f French (Rare, Archaic)
Local vernacular form of Clémence found in the Poitou-Charentes region.
Quiéta f French
French form of Quieta.
Quillien m Breton (Archaic), French (Archaic)
Breton and French form of Killian, which is no longer in use as a given name today, but it still survives as a patronymic surname (which is most prevalent in Brittany and the rest of northwestern France).
Quint m Catalan, Dutch, English, Emilian-Romagnol, French (Rare), German
Catalan, Emilian-Romagnol and French form of Quintus as well as the Dutch, English and German short form of any given name starting with Quint-, such as Quinten and Quintijn (Dutch), Quintus and Quintinus (German) and Quintin (English).... [more]
Quinte f French (Archaic)
French form of Quinta.
Quintien m French (Rare)
French form of Quintianus. Not to be confused with Quentin.
Quintienne f French (Archaic)
French form of Quintiana. Also compare the masculine counterpart Quintien.
Quintil m French
French form of Quintilis.
Quintilien m French (Rare), French (Quebec, Rare)
French form of Quintilianus (see Quintilian).
Quintille m French
French form of Quintillus.
Quintine f French (Archaic), French (Quebec, Archaic), Dutch (Rare), English (Rare), French (Belgian, Archaic)
French variant form of Quentine, of which the use has not solely been limited to France: it has been used in other francophone regions in the world (such as Québec in Canada and Wallonia in Belgium) and even in non-francophone countries, such as the Netherlands.... [more]
Quitterie f French
French form of Quiteria.
Raduin m French
French form of Radwin.
Rahoul m French
A French name meaning "a council of wolves".
Râine f Norman
Norman form of Regina.
Raïssa f French
French form of Raisa 1.
Rameaux m French (Rare, Archaic)
Derived from French dimanche des Rameaux "Palm Sunday". This name used to be given to children born on this day.
Ramsamy m French (African)
Transferred use of the surname Ramsamy.
Râou m Norman
Norman form of Ráðúlfr.
Raoulette f French (Archaic)
A feminine form of Raoul.
Raulette f French (Archaic)
A feminine form of Raul.
Raulin m French (Archaic)
Archaic diminutive form of Raoul. Nowadays in France, one is far more likely to find Raulin as a surname rather than a first name or nickname.
Rauline f French (Archaic)
Feminine form of Raulin.
Rebecques m French
Masculine form of Rébecca.
Régina f French
French form of Regina.
Reinette f French (Rare)
Diminutive of Reine.
Réjane f French
transferred use of the surname Réjane. This name may have been first been used in the 1880s thanks to the French actress Gabrielle Réjane, born Gabrielle-Charlotte Reju (1856-1920).
Rémiette f French (Rare)
Feminine form of Rémiet (and thus ultimately of Rémy).
Rémin m Norman
Norman form of Rémy.
Rémique m French (Rare)
Probably derived from Latin Remigius (see Rémy), likely via its variant Remicus.... [more]
Remon m French (Archaic), Medieval Spanish
French variant of Raymond and medieval Spanish variant of Ramon.
Rénâée f Norman
Norman feminine form of Réné.
Renaude f French (Quebec)
Feminine form of Renaud.
Renelle f French (Rare), French (Belgian)
Variant of Renelde. It coincides with a place name, which belonged to a former tributary of the Seine.
Renier m French
Variant of Rainier, as well as a shorter form of Régnier.
Restitute f French (Archaic), French (African, Rare)
French form of Restituta. This name has not enjoyed as much use as its variant Restitude has, which is why this name is nearly extinct while that name is not.
Rétif m French (Rare)
Transferred from the surname Rétif.... [more]
Rhéa f French (Rare)
French form of Rhea.
Rhéal m French (Quebec), French (Acadian)
Possibly a variant of Réal.
Rhéane f French (Modern, Rare)
Recent coinage of uncertain origin and meaning. Theories include an elaboration of Rhéa.
Richarde f French (Rare)
French form of Richarda. Saint Richardis, known as Richarde in French, was the wife of Holy Roman Emperor Charles III ("the Fat").
Richer m Norman, Anglo-Norman
Derived from the Germanic name elements rih "ruler, king" or rihhi "kingdom, realm" or "rich, mighty" and heri "army".
Ridel m Norman
Possibly derived from the Germanic element rīd "ride".
Rigoberte f French (Rare)
Feminine form of Rigobert.
Rirette f French (Modern, Rare)
Probably derived from the French word rire "laughter". ... [more]
Robertine f Medieval French, French (Rare), French (Quebec, Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), Dutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare), English (Rare)
Medieval French diminutive of Roberte and feminine form of Robertin. This name was borne by Robertine Barry (1863-1910), a French Canadian journalist and publisher.
Robespierre m French (Rare, Archaic)
Transferred use of the surname Robespierre as a given name, used in reference to Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), who was one of the best-known leaders of the French Revolution.
Robine f Medieval French, French (Rare), Dutch (Rare)
French feminine form of Robin, which originated in medieval times. For reasons unknown, it fell out of use after the Middle Ages, after which it continued to survive as a matronymic surname (mostly in the Normandy region of France)... [more]
Robinette f Medieval French, French (Rare), English (American, Rare)
Medieval French diminutive of Robine (as -ette is a French feminine diminutive suffix). In other words: you could say that this name is the feminine form of Robinet... [more]
Robinique f English (Rare), French (Rare)
Feminine diminutive of Robin.
Rodéric m French (Rare)
French form of Roderic.
Rodin m & f French (Rare), Dutch (Rare), English (Rare)
Originally a pet form of given names containing the Germanic element hrod "fame". Usage of this name nowadays is probably mainly inspired by the famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), whose surname has the same etymological origin.
Rogat m Catalan, French (Archaic), Polish (Archaic)
Catalan, French and Polish form of Rogatus.
Rokia f French (African)
French and French African form of Ruqayya.
Roline f Dutch, French (Archaic)
In The Netherlands, this name is a variant of Roeline - though with this spelling, it may also be a short form of Caroline... [more]
Rollon m Norman, Medieval French
Norman and Medieval French form of Rollo.
Rolloun m Norman
Cotentinais Norman variant of Rollon.
Romaline f French (African, Rare)
Possibly a variant of Romualdine. It is also possible that this name is a combination of Romaine or Romane with a French feminine given name that ends in -line, such as Aline, Coraline and Pauline.
Romaric m Germanic, French
Derived from Old High German hrôm "fame, glory" combined with rîcja "powerful, strong, mighty." The second element is also closely related to Celtic rîg or rix and Gothic reiks, which all mean "king, ruler." This name was borne by a Frankish saint from the 8th century AD, from whom the French village Remiremont derives its name.