Nickname help!
We want to name our baby Penelope but we can’t decide on a nickname? Help!
Inspired by the language of love for your petit bébé? Voilà! We’ve got the ultimate list of French boy names (and meanings) just for you.
If you’re looking for French boy names for your baby, maybe you’re looking for a name that is more “traditionally” French, or possibly more unique with a special meaning.
Classic French male names like Charles, Louis, and Dennis are always claiming a space in the official US top 1,000 names list, along with rarer monikers like Andre, Blaise, Dion, Josue, and Remy.
And then there are the truly unique French male names, such as Dio and Quincy.
So whatever takes your fancy, let us journey to the country of croissants, baguettes, berets, and… l’amor…
In this article: 📝
- What is a popular boy name in France?
- What is a good French name for a boy?
- What are old French names for males?
- What are unique French names?
What is a popular boy name in France?
Boy names inspired by the Gallic country range from the classic to the rare, the traditional to the popular.
Here are the most popular French boy names from 2022 that have certainly stood the test of time!
- Jean: Meaning “God is gracious”.
- Michel: Meaning “he who is like God”.
- Claude: Meaning “strong willed”.
- Dominique: Meaning “of the Lord”.
- Philippe: Meaning “lover of horses”.
- Francis: Meaning “free man”.
- Pierre: Meaning “rock”.
- Alain: Meaning “little rock”.
- Bernard: Meaning “bold as a bear”.
- Andre: Meaning “strong and manly”.
- Patrick: Meaning “nobleman”.
- Daniel: Meaning “God is my judge”.
- Jacques: Meaning “supplanter”.
- Christian: Meaning “follower of Christ”.
- Éric: Meaning “peaceful ruler”.
- Thierry: Meaning “ruler of the people”.
- Christophe: Meaning “bearer of Christ”.
- Laurent: Meaning “bright, shining one”.
- Pascal: Meaning “Easter or Passover”.
- Rene: Meaning “reborn”.
What is a good French name for a boy?
Now we know what’s popular, what about other French male names?
Allons-y!
- Alexandre: Meaning “defender of the people”.
- Ames: Meaning “friend”.
- Antoine: Meaning “priceless one”.
- Baptiste: Meaning “baptist”.
- Bastien: Meaning “venerable and revered”.
- Bayless: Meaning “bailiff”.
- Beauchamp: Meaning “beautiful field”.
- Beaumont: Meaning “beautiful mountain”.
- Bellamy: Meaning “good friend”.
- Breton: Meaning “from Brittany”.
- Bruce: Meaning “from the brushwood thicket”.
- Burke: Meaning “from the fortress”.
- Cable: Meaning “rope”.
- Cabot: Meaning “to sail”.
- Cavalier: Meaning “knight or horseman”.
- Chamonix: After the French resort at the base of Mont Blanc.
- Charles: Meaning “free man”.
- Chase: Meaning “to hunt”.
- Coty: Meaning “small hill”.
- Curtis: Meaning “courteous or polite”.
- Dabney: Meaning “from Aubigny”.
- Danon: Meaning “God is my judge”.
- Darrell: Meaning “open”.
- Delano: Meaning “from the forest of nut trees”.
- Delmore: Meaning “of the sea”.
- Delroy: Meaning “servant of the king”.
- Dennis: Meaning “God of Nysa”.
- Edouard: Meaning “wealthy guardian”.
- Elroy: Meaning “the king”.
- Ethan: Meaning “fort or firm”.
- Étienne: Meaning “garland or crown”.
- Fleming: Meaning “from Flanders”.
- Florin: Meaning “flowering”.
- Fort: Meaning “strong”.
- François: Meaning “free man”.
- Gable: Meaning “triangular-shaped hill”.
- Gabriel: Meaning “God is my strength”.
- Gage: Meaning “oath or pledge”.
- Garnet: Meaning “pomegranate”.
- Gaspard: Meaning “treasurer”.
- Georges: Meaning “farmer”.
- Gervais: Meaning “spearman or skilled with a spear”.
- Gilles: Meaning “pledge” or “young goat”.
- Guillaume: Meaning “strong willed protector”, the French version of William.
- Henri: Meaning “ruler of the house”.
- Hugo: Meaning “intellect”.
- Jermaine: Meaning “from Germany”.
- Lancelot: Meaning “servant”.
- Landry: Meaning “ruler”.
- Lebron: Meaning “brown-haired one”.
- Léo: Meaning “lion”.
- Leroy: Meaning “the king”.
- Liam: Meaning “desire or guardian”.
- Lucas: Meaning “person from Lucania” or “light-giver”.
- Lyon: Meaning “lion”.
- Marc: Meaning “warlike”.
- Mars: After the Roman god of war.
- Marshall: Meaning “one who looks after horses”.
- Matthieu: Meaning “gift from God”.
- Montague: Meaning “pointy hill”.
- Napoleon: Meaning “person from Naples”.
- Nathan: Meaning “God has given”.
- Nathanael or Nathaniel: Meaning “gift of God”.
- Neville: Meaning “new town”.
- Nicolas: Meaning “victory of the people”.
- Noel: Meaning “Christmas”.
- Olivier: Meaning “olive tree”.
- Page: Meaning “attendant”.
- Parc: Meaning “park”.
- Parish: Meaning “church district” or “from Paris”.
- Patrice: Meaning “noble”.
- Paul: Meaning “little one or small”.
- Raphaël: Meaning “healed by God”.
- Remi: Meaning “oarsman” or “remedy”.
- Rousseau: Meaning “red hair”.
- Roy: Meaning “king”.
- Rupert: Meaning “bright fame”.
- Russell: Meaning “redhead”.
- Sabastien or Sébastien: Meaning “venerable”.
- Sacha: Meaning “man’s defender”.
- Spencer: Meaning “keeper of provisions”.
- Stéphane: Meaning “crown of glory”.
- Terrance: Meaning “smooth”.
- Toulouse: After the French region by the Spanish border.
- Toussaint: Meaning “all saints”.
- Travis: Meaning “tollgate-keeper”.
- Valentin: Meaning “strength or health”.
- Vermont: Meaning “green mountain”.
- Warren: Meaning “park-keeper”.
- Yves: Meaning “yew wood”.
- Zeke: Meaning “God will strengthen”.
What name means handsome in French?
This is a name that’s always in the top charts around the world ‒ it’s short, it’s sweet, it’s:
- Beau: Meaning “beautiful or handsome”.
What French boy name means warrior?
After something with a bit more oomph to it?
How about these French male names that mean “warrior”?
- Guerrier: Meaning “warrior”.
- Harvey: Meaning “battle warrior or battle worthy”.
- Louis or Luis: Meaning “renowned warrior”.
- Marcel: Meaning “little warrior”.
- Marcellus: Meaning “young warrior”.
Is Paris a boy name?
Yes, Paris is a French name for boys, as well as for girls.
It’s a beautiful gender-neutral name that invokes images of elegant art, chic fashion, and haute cuisine.
What name means wolf in French?
There are a few fierce French boy’s names that mean “wolf”, so take your pick:
- Leloup: Meaning “the wolf” or “little wolf”.
- Loup: Meaning “wolf”.
- Lowell: Meaning “young wolf”.
What are old French names for males?
Want to keep things classic?
Here are the most traditional old French boy names and meanings ‒ some you may have heard of, but many have been lost to the ages:
- Abelard: Meaning “brave”.
- Algernon: Meaning “mustached man”.
- Alphonse: Meaning “noble and ready”.
- Anatole: Meaning “from Anatolia”.
- Barbeau: Meaning “fisherman”.
- Beauregard: Meaning “beautiful gaze”.
- Bouvier: Meaning “herdsman”.
- Chapin: Meaning “shoemaker”.
- Charnell: Meaning “burial place”.
- Claiborne: Meaning “boundary with clover”.
- Claucer: Meaning “trouser maker”.
- Clovis: Meaning “renowned fighter or famous in battle”.
- Coligny: A region in Eastern France.
- Corentin: Meaning “hurricane”.
- Dartagnan: Meaning “from Artagnan”, a name you might recognize from The Three Musketeers.
- Daumier: Meaning “thumb”, also the surname of a famous French artist.
- Davignon: Meaning “from Avignon”.
- Decartes: Meaning “dweller at the outskirts of town”.
- Deveraux: Meaning “riverbank”.
- Dio/Dion: Meaning “child of heaven and earth”.
- Dougray: Meaning “well-behaved”.
- Dumas: Meaning “on the little farm”.
- Duvall: Meaning “of the valley”.
- Elie: Meaning “the Lord is my God”.
- Érasme: Meaning “beloved or desired”.
- Fabrice: Meaning “smith”.
- Favre: Meaning “ironworker”.
- Florentin: Meaning “from Florence” or “blossoming”.
- Garson: Meaning “to protect”.
- Gaston: Meaning “from Gascony” or “foreigner”.
- Gaubert: Meaning “bright ruler”.
- Gautier: Meaning “army rule”.
- Granville: Meaning “large village”.
- Izod: Meaning “hardy or strong”.
- Josue: Meaning “the Lord is my salvation”.
- Lacrosse: Meaning “the cross”.
- Lafayette: Meaning “faith”.
- Lamont: Meaning “from the mountain”.
- Laramie: Meaning “canopy of leafy boughs”.
- Mailer: Meaning “enameller”.
- Marquette: Meaning “land owner”.
- Marvel: Meaning “miracle”.
- Mercer: Meaning “merchant”.
- Normandy: Meaning “land of the northern folk”.
- Obert: Meaning “noble or bright”.
- Pacome: Meaning “of strong nature” or “pacifier”.
- Percival: Meaning “pierce the vale”.
- Picard: Meaning “from Picardy, in northern France”
- Platt: Meaning “flat land”.
- Proust: Meaning “wise” or “worthy”.
- Quincy: Meaning “person from Quincy” or “estate of the fifth son”.
- Razo: Meaning “royal”.
- Regis: Meaning “kingly”.
- Reynard: Meaning “counsel or brave”
- Rigny: After the area in eastern France.
- Salinger: Meaning “Saint Léger”.
- Severin: Meaning “severe”.
- Tananarive: Meaning “city of the thousands”.
- Tavin: Meaning “royal staff”.
- Urbain: Meaning “from the city”.
- Vardon: Meaning “green knoll”.
- Vere: Meaning “alder”.
- Verrill: Meaning “faithful”.
- Villiers: Meaning “town-dweller”.
- Yannick: Meaning “God is gracious”.
What are unique French names?
If you want your petit chou to stand out from the crowd, cast your eyes over these unique French boy names to see what grabs your attention.
Some are traditional, some are modern, but all of them are one-of-a-kind.
- Aimon: Meaning “house or home”.
- Ambroise: Meaning “immortal”.
- Aramis: Meaning “from Aramits”, another character from The Three Musketeers.
- Armel: Meaning “bear prince”.
- Autry: Meaning “noble strength”.
- Bayard: Meaning “red-brown hair” or “foolhardy”.
- Benoit: Meaning “blessed”.
- Berne: Meaning “bold as a bear”.
- Blaise/Blaisot: Meaning “to lisp or stammer”.
- Candide: Meaning “white”.
- Chandler: Meaning “candle maker”.
- Chaplin: Meaning “clergyman”.
- Cheney: Meaning “oak tree”.
- Coeur: Meaning “heart”.
- Croix: Meaning “cross”.
- Damond: Meaning “the world”.
- Dax: After the commune in the French region of Landes.
- Denver: Meaning “green valley” or “from Anvers”.
- Diggory: Meaning “lost one”.
- Drury: Meaning “dear one or sweetheart”.
- Florent: Meaning “in flower”.
- Gabin: Meaning “of Gabium”.
- Gaetan: Meaning “from Gaeta in Italy”.
- Harlequin: Meaning “pantomime clown”.
- Iker: Meaning “visitor”.
- Jeter: Meaning “to throw”.
- Jocelin: Meaning “little goth”.
- Lanier: Meaning “wool worker”.
- Larue: Meaning “dweller by the road”.
- Lave: Meaning “lava”.
- Maël/Mael: Meaning “chief or prince”.
- Macon: Meaning “mason”.
- Maine: Meaning “mainland”.
- Maison: Meaning “house or home”.
- Nazaire: After Saint-Nazaire on the west coast of France.
- Noe: Meaning “rest or peace”.
- Nouvel: Meaning “new”.
- Pepin: Meaning “determined”.
- Prewitt: Meaning “brave little one”.
- Quain: Meaning “clever or quick”.
- Quennel: Meaning “dweller at the little oak tree”.
- Renate: Meaning “reborn”.
- Renon: Meaning “to make famous”.
- Saber: Meaning “sword”.
- Sequin: Meaning “shiny disc”.
- Sorrel: Meaning “reddish brown”.
- Thayer: Meaning “tailor”.
- Thoreau: Meaning “strength of a bull”.
- Vachel: Meaning “cowherd”.
- Vallis: Meaning “from Wales”.
- Vrai: Meaning “true”.
So, picked out your favorite French boy names for your petit garçon?
If you’re not sure, why not share your top few with the other moms-to-be of Peanut for a second opinion (and a third, fourth, fifth…)
Bonne chance, maman!