French Submitted Names

French names are used in France and other French-speaking regions. See also about French names.
gender
usage
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Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Ludovique f & m French (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare)
French feminine form of Ludovic. This name is unisex in Belgium and the Netherlands, with the balance between the sexes more equal in Belgium than in the Netherlands (where there are more female bearers than male bearers).
Lune f French (Modern, Rare), Dutch (Modern, Rare)
Derived from French lune "moon", making it a cognate of Luna.
Lunéciel f French (Modern, Rare)
Means “moon and sky” in French (lune et ciel).
Lunette f French (Archaic)
Means "little moon" in Medieval French. It is derived from French lune "moon" combined with a diminutive suffix. So, in other words, one could say that this name is the diminutive form of Lune.
Lydéric m French (Rare), French (Quebec, Archaic), French (Belgian, Rare)
French form of Liutric via one of its medieval Dutch forms (see Liederik).... [more]
Lylian f & m English (Rare), Estonian (Rare), French
English and Estonian feminine and French masculine variant of Lilian.
Lyonelle f French (Rare)
Feminine form of Lyonel.
Lyse f French, French (Belgian), French (Quebec)
Variant of Lise, although folk etymology likes to associate this name with the French word lys "lily". It is borne by Canadian BBC journalist Lyse Doucet (1958-).
Lysiane f French, French (Belgian), Flemish (Rare)
Combination of Elisabeth and Anne 1, although folk etymology occasionally considers this name a shortened form of Lysianassa... [more]
Mabire m Norman
Norman form of Mabille.
Macé m Medieval French, Norman
Old Norman and medieval French (and as such recorded in 15th-century Paris) form of Mathieu.
Macette f Norman, French (Archaic)
Feminine form of Macé, recorded from the early 1600s onwards.
Macha f French (Modern, Rare)
French transliteration of Russian Маша (see Masha).
Mâdelène f Norman
Cotentinais Norman form of Madeleine.
Madelène f Norman
Norman form of Madeleine.
Madelenne f Norman
Norman form of Madeleine.
Madlaingne f Picard
Picard form of Madeleine.
Madone f French
French form of Madonna.
Maé m & f French (Modern), French (Belgian, Modern)
Variant of Mahé, also used as a feminine name.
Maëlane f French (Modern)
Feminine form of Maëlan.
Maëlia f French, French (Belgian)
Gallicized form of Maelia.
Maëlo m French (Modern)
Elaboration of Maël.
Maève f French (Modern, Rare)
Of debated origin and meaning. Theories include a Gallicized form of Maeva, a contracted form of a name beginning with Ma- (such as Marie or Maëlle) and Ève and a Gallicized form of Meadhbh via its Anglicization Maeve.
Magdalène f French (Archaic), French (African)
Earlier form of Madeleine, as well as a more learned borrowing of Magdalena. This form is now mainly used in French-speaking African countries.
Magdelène f French (Archaic), French (African)
Variant of Magdalène. This form is now mainly used in French-speaking African countries.
Magdelon f French (Archaic), Theatre
Older French variant of Madelon, most famously used in Molière's work Les Précieuses ridicules.
Mage f & m French
Transferred from the surname ‘Mage’. Derived from an English-speaking word meant to be short for magician or a learned person.
Magloire m & f French, Afro-American (Slavery-era)
French masculine and feminine form of Maglorius (see Maglorio).
Magne m French (Archaic)
French form of Magnus.
Magrite f Norman, Walloon, Picard
Brayon Norman, Picard and Walloon form of Margaret.
Maguelone f Provençal, French
Provençal form of Magdalene.
Maguelonne f French (Rare), Occitan (Gallicized), Guernésiais
Gallicized and Guernésiais form of Occitan Magalona.
Maguy f French, Arabic
A short form of Marguerite.... [more]
Mahé m Breton, French
Gallicized form of Mahe, itself a variant of Breton Mazhe.
Maïlie f French (Modern, Rare), French (Belgian, Modern, Rare)
Variant of Maïlys, although it is also sometimes considered a contraction of Maïlys and Maëlie.
Maïlys f Breton, French
Either a blend of Maï, a Breton short form or contraction of Mary (compare Maïwenn), and Maëlys or a variant spelling of Mailys.
Maina f Arabic, French
Feminine form of Main.
Maïtena f Basque (Gallicized), French (Rare)
Gallicized form of Maitena. This is the name of the titular character in the award-winning 1927 French novel written by Bernard Nabonne.
Maïus m French (Acadian, Rare, Archaic)
A rare Acadian name. Possibly derived from the Latin name for the month of May mensis Maius.
Maixent m French, Provençal
Poitevin and Provençal form of Maxence.
Malaurie f French (Modern)
French borrowing of Mallory.
Maloé f French (Modern)
French form of Maloe.
Malory f French
Variant of Malorie.
Malou m & f French (Modern, Rare)
Variant of Malo, originally derived from Maclou. This is also used as a feminine name.
Mamert m Polish, Provençal, French, German (Rare)
French, German, Polish and Provençal form of Mamertus.
Manelle f French, English
Gallicized form of Arabic Manel, which is derived from Arabic منحة (menhh) "gift".
Manette f Luxembourgish, Louisiana Creole, Haitian Creole, French (African, Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Diminutive of Marie. In Louisiana, this name was also considered a rhyming variant of Nanette.
Manoé m French (Modern)
Allegedly a contraction of Emmanuel and Noé.
Manouchka f Haitian Creole, French (African, Rare), French (Rare)
French form of Manushka. (Cf. Manouschka, Manoushka.) A known bearer is Gabonese filmmaker Manouchka Kelly Labouba.
Manoun f Norman
Diminutive of Marie.
Manuella f Sardinian, French
Sardinian form of Emanuela.
Mâode f Norman, Anglo-Norman
Norman and Anglo-Norman form of Maude.
Maquieu m Norman, Guernésiais
Rouenneis Norman and Guernésiais form of Matthieu.
Marcou m Medieval French, French, Walloon
French diminutive of Marc (as -ou is a French masculine diminutive suffix) as well as a variant form of Marcoulf (perhaps via Marcoul), which is the original French form of Marculf.... [more]
Marcouf m Medieval French, French (Rare)
Variant form of Marcoulf, which is the original French form of Marculf. This given name is barely in use in France today, so it mostly survives there as a patronymic surname (albeit barely, as the surname is extremely rare there as well).... [more]
Margrite f Picard
Picard form of Marguerite.
Marguerie f Norman
Brayon Norman form of Margaret.
Margùérite f Norman
Cotentinais Norman form of Marguerite.
Margùite f Norman
Cotentinais Norman form of Marguerite.
Mariane f Portuguese (Brazilian), French (Rare), English (Rare)
Variant of Marianne, mostly used in Brazil. A notable bearer is French journalist and reporter Mariane Pearl.
Marie des Anges f French (Rare)
Means "Mary of the Angels", taken from the French Marian title Notre Dame des Anges, which means "Our Lady of the Angels". Shortened forms including Marie-Ange and Desange.
Marie des Neiges f French
Means "Mary of the Snows" in French. It is taken from the Marian title Notre Dame des Neiges. Shortened forms including Neige and Desneiges... [more]
Marieline f French
French cognate of Marilyn. It is related to the names Marilyne and Maryline, with the latter being used commonly in French.
Mariève f French (Quebec)
Contraction of Marie and Ève.
Mariloup f French (Quebec, Rare)
Variant of Marilou influenced by Loup. This is borne by the Canadian actress Mariloup Wolfe (1978-).
Marilyse f French, French (Belgian)
Contraction of Marie and Lyse.
Marinne f Picard
Picard form of Marine.
Marisoleil f French (Quebec, Modern, Rare)
Combination of Marie and Soleil, possibly created as a French equivalent of Spanish Marisol.
Marlie f Dutch, Flemish (Rare), French (Belgian, Rare), French (Modern, Rare), Haitian Creole, Afrikaans
Dutch diminutive of Marleen as well as a combination of Maria and names that end in lie.
Marotène f Norman
Diminutive of Marie.
Marotte f Norman
Diminutive of Marie.
Marquard m Dutch, German, French
Dutch, German and French form of Marcward.
Maryan m French
Gallicized form of Polish Marian 2.
Marylise f French, French (Belgian)
Variant of Marylis influenced by Lise.
Maryvette f French (Rare)
Combination of Marie and Yvette.
Maryvon m French (Rare)
Combination of Marie and Yvon.
Mathée f French (Rare)
Feminine form of Mathieu.
Matheline f French (Rare), Caribbean (Rare), Haitian Creole
Traditionally found in the Poitou-Charentes region of France, this name is of debated origin and meaning. Current theories include a derivation of Mathilde and a feminine form of the archaic masculine name Mathelin (which itself survives only as a surname today)... [more]
Mathilie f French (Archaic)
Of uncertain origin and meaning. Current theories include a feminine form of Mathieu and a local feminine form of Mathurin used in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
Mathurin m Breton, French
French and Breton form of Maturinus and thus ultimately derived from maturus, literally "timely" (also "mature, ripe, grown"). This name was borne by a 3rd-century saint who was responsible for spreading the gospel in the district of Sens, France.
Matisse m & f French (Rare), Dutch (Rare), English (Rare)
Transferred use of the surname Matisse. The surname was most famously borne by the French artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954), who is likely the reason behind the popularity of Matisse as a given name in the 21st century.... [more]
Matiu m Picard, Gascon
Picard and Gascon form of Matthew.
Mattéa f French, Corsican
French borrowing and Corsican Gallicized form of Mattea.
Maur m Polish, French, Provençal, Estonian (Rare)
French, Provençal and Polish form of Maurus and Estonian short form of Maurits and Mauri.
Maurane f French (Modern)
Most likely derived from Maurane, the stage name of the francophone Belgian singer Claudine Luypaerts (1960-2018). She was quite popular in the late '80s and early '90s. Luypaerts had based her stage name on the surname of Francis Morane (1940-2002), a French director of film and theatre whom she admired.
Maurelle f French
French origin meaning "dark, elfin".
Maxellende f French (Rare), History (Ecclesiastical)
French form of Maxellendis. This was the name of a 7th-century martyr; Saint Maxellende was a miracle worker, invoked for eye diseases.
Maximien m French
French form of Maximian.
Mayalène f French (Modern, Rare)
Of debated origin and meaning. Theories include a Gallicized form of Maialen (compare Maïalène).
Mayeul m French, History (Ecclesiastical)
Of debated origin and meaning. Theories include a derivation from Latin maius "the month of may" and a diminutive of Germanic names containing the element mag, a variant of megin meaning "strength"... [more]
Mayron m French (Modern), French (Belgian, Modern)
Of debated origin and meaning. Theories include a variant of Myron.
Mazarine f French (Rare)
Usage of this still relatively new French given name first started with Mazarine Pingeot (b. 1974), the illegitimate daughter of former French president François Mitterrand (1916-1996) and his mistress Anne Pingeot (b... [more]
Médéé m Norman
Norman masculine form of Medea.
Médiatrice f French (African)
From the title of the Virgin Mary, referring to her intercessory role as a mediator in the salvific redemption by her son Jesus Christ (compare English and Spanish/Portuguese equivalents Mediatrix and Mediatriz, Portuguese Medianeira and Spanish/Portuguese Mediadora).
Méen m French (Rare), Jèrriais
French and Jèrriais form of Meven.
Meije f French (Modern, Rare)
Transferred from the place name Meije.
Mélaine f French
French form of Melaina.
Mélanîn f Norman
Diminutive of Mélanie.
Mélasippe m French (Archaic), French (Quebec, Archaic)
French form of Melasippos via its latinized form Melasippus.
Melchisédech m French (Rare, Archaic), Biblical French
French form of Melchizedek. This name was borne by French author Melchisédech Thévenot (c. 1620 - 1692)
Méliane f French (Modern), French (Belgian, Modern, Rare)
Of uncertain origin and meaning.
Mélie f Jèrriais, French (Archaic), Literature
Jèrriais form of French Amélie as well as the local French vernacular form of Amélie found in the Poitou-Charentes region up until the 19th century... [more]
Mêlie f Norman, French
Diminutive of Emélie.
Mélinée f French (?)
Probably comes from either Mélanie or Mélaine or from Mélina or Méline. Famous bearer include Mélinée Manouchian (1913-1989), Armenian resistance fighters in France during World War II.
Melise f French (Modern)
Gallicized form of Turkish Melis.
Mélitine f French (Rare), French (Swiss, Archaic), French (Quebec, Archaic), History (Ecclesiastical)
French form of Melitini. While the name is archaic in Switzerland and Canada, it was revived in France in the early 1990s.
Mélitta f French (Rare)
French form of Melitta.
Mélodine f French (Rare)
Elaborated form of Mélodie.
Mélonie f Norman
Norman form of Melanie.
Mélusinne f Picard
Picard form of Mélusine.
Ménée m French
French form of Meneos via it's Latinized form Meneus.
Ménehould f French
Probably a French form of Meinhold. Saint Ménehould is a French saint from the 4th century. She gave her name to the small town of Sainte-Ménehould in the Champagne region.
Menerade f French (Archaic)
Local feminine form of Menrade found in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region up until the late 18th century.
Menrade m French (Archaic)
Local French form of Meinrad found in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region up until the 18th century.
Meranthe f French (Acadian)
Truncated form of Emeranthe.
Merceaux m French (Archaic)
Local form of Marceau found in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region up until the 1600s.
Mercédès f French
French form of Mercedes. This name was given to a queen of Spain from the French royal House of Orléans.
Merci f & m French (African, Rare)
Occasionally used in reference to the French word merci "gratitude; thanks", as evidenced by combination names like Dieu-Merci ("Thank you, God").
Mérianne f Picard
Picard form of Marianne.
Merlusinne f Picard
Picard form of Melusine.
Mesmin m History (Ecclesiastical), French (Rare)
French variant of Maximin. Saint Mesmin (died c. 520 AD) is a French saint associated with the Bishopric of Orléans. He was the second abbot of Micy Abbey, founded by his uncle, Saint Euspicius.
Miane f French (Rare)
French form of Miana 3
Miché m Jèrriais, Guernésiais, Norman
Jèrriais, Guernésiais and Norman form of Michael.
Michée m French
French form of Micah.
Michelette f French (Rare)
Diminutive of Michèle and feminine form of Michelet.
Michette f French (Archaic)
Diminutive of feminine names derived from Michel, such as Michelle and Micheline.
Michi m Norman
Cotentinais Norman variant of Miché.
Michou m & f French, Dutch (Rare), Flemish (Rare)
French diminutive of Michel, as -ou is a French masculine diminutive suffix. This diminutive has been in use since medieval times, as is evidenced by the fact that Michou is also a patronymic surname in France.... [more]
Mickael m Swedish (Modern, Rare), French
Swedish variant of Mikael and French variant of Mickaël.
Miette f French (Archaic), French (Belgian, Rare), Flemish (Rare)
Obsolete diminutive of Marguerite. In this day and age the name coincides with the French word miette "crumb" (which is also used as a term of endearment for children).
Mikaël m French
Variant of Michel.
Milane m & f French (Modern, Rare)
French adoption both of Milan and Milana.
Mile m Walloon, Picard
Diminutive of Émile.
Miléna f French
Variant of Milène.
Milène f French, Dutch (Rare)
Contraction of Marie-Hélène; it is also occasionally considered a French form of Milena (compare Mylène).
Mimile m Walloon, Picard
Diminutive of Émile.
Mimosa f English, Finnish, French, Spanish, Danish, Filipino, Italian
From Mimosa, a genus of plants that are sensitive to touch. The best known plant from that genus is the Mimosa pudica, better known in English as the touch-me-not. The plant genus derives its name from Spanish mimosa, which is the feminine form of the Spanish adjective mimoso meaning "cuddly".
Minélie f French
A mix of Minelle and Amélie. Meaning not known yet.
Minette f English (Rare), French (Rare, Archaic), Danish (Rare), Swedish (Rare), Afrikaans, Filipino
Diminutive of Mina 1. This was also a nickname of Henriette, Duchess of Orléans (daughter of the 17th-century English king Charles I)... [more]
Minèvre f French (African, Rare), Dutch (Rare)
Most likely a variant of Minerve, which is the French form of Minerva. Also compare the somewhat similar-looking names Ginevra and Guenièvre.
Minuette f French (Americanized)
Derived from the word "minuet", which is a slow, stately ballroom dance for two in triple time. It was especially popular in the 18th century. A known character to bear this version was a secondary character from the cartoon show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic".
Mirabel f English (Rare), Dutch (Rare), Belgian (Rare), French (Quebec, Rare), Judeo-Anglo-Norman
Derived from Old French mirable "wonderful; admirable", ultimately from Latin mirabilis "wonderful, marvellous, astonishing, extraordinary, remarkable, amazing" (compare Mirabelle).
Mirielle f French (Rare)
Possibly a variant of Miriel.
Mirinie f & m Hebrew (?), French (?), Arabic (?)
unknown meaning, origins uncertain. Sometimes seen as a last name, most commonly feminine.
Mitsou f French (Quebec, Modern, Rare)
Apparently this is a Francophone spelling of a Japanese name, Mitsu which means light and/or honey. A famous bearer is French Canadian Pop singer/actress Mitsou Gélinas.
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