Unique French girl names
95. Adeline
96. Anouk
Origin: Dutch, French
Meaning: Grace
97. Aveline
Origin: French
Meaning: Hazel
98. Avril
Origin: French
Meaning: April
99. Belle
Origin: French
Meaning: Beautiful
100. Brigitte
101. Caroline
Origin: French
Meaning: Free woman
102. Cécile
Origin: French
Meaning: Blind
103. Chantelle
Origin: French
Meaning: Song
104. Céline
Origin: French
Meaning: Heavenly
105. Claire (or Clair)
Origin: French
Meaning: Clear, bright
106. Clémentine
Origin: French, Latin
Meaning: Mild, merciful
107. Coco
Origin: French
Meaning: Victorious
108. Colette
109. Coraline
Origin: French
Meaning: Maiden
110. Delphine
Origin: French, Greek
Meaning: Of the womb
111. Demi
Origin: French
Meaning: Half or small
112. Édith
113. Éloïse
114. Fleur
Origin: French
Meaning: Flower
115. Geneviève
Origin: French
Meaning: Tribe woman
116. Hermine
Origin: French
Meaning: Army man/woman
117. Kiki
118. Léontine
Origin: French
Meaning: Lion
119. Lourdes
120. Lucienne
Origin: French
Meaning: Light
121. Lucille
Origin: French
Meaning: Light
122. Maëlle
123. Marianne
124. Maribel
125. Marion
126. Merle
Origin: French
Meaning: Blackbird
127. Milou
128. Nicole
129. Noëlle
Origin: French
Meaning: Christmas
130. Odette
Origin: French
Meaning: Wealth
131. Ottilie
132. Petunia
Origin: French
Meaning: Petunia flower
133. Reeva
Origin: French
Meaning: Riverbank
134. Renée
Origin: French origin
Meaning: Born again
135. Rochelle
Origin: French
Meaning: Small rock
136. Soleil
Origin: French
Meaning: Sun
137. Sylvie
Origin: French
Meaning: From the forest
What Mumsnet users say about unique French baby girl names
“Celine? Love it, went to sixth form with a (French) Celine and she was fabulous, so I find it really chic and cool.” - Mumsnet user, Martinisarebetterdirty
“Lucienne is pretty, with a very French feel to me. I think it would get pronounced "Lucy-en" usually in the UK though, if that matters.” - Mumsnet user, IamnotwhouthinkIam
“Marion? Lovely - French and pretty. Makes me think of Marion Cotillard.” - Mumsnet user, freesiasandpeonies
Unique French boy names
138. Bastien
139. Dashiell
140. Lancelot (Lance for short)
Origin: French
Meaning: Servant
141. Leroy
Origin: French
Meaning: The king
142. Marshall
143. Maxime
Origin: French
Meaning: Greatest
144. Matthieu
Origin: French
Meaning: Gift of God
145. Montague
146. Montgomery
147. Raoul
Origin: French
Meaning: Wolf counsel
148. Sébastien
Origin: French
Meaning: From Sébaste
149. Sinclair
150. Xavier
Origin: Basque
Meaning: Bright
151. Yves
Origin: Breton
Meaning: Archer
What Mumsnet users think about unique French baby boy names
“Love Monty, especially when short for Montgomery or Montague.” - Mumsnet user, FriedasCarLoad
“I know a couple of Xaviers (it's one of my favourite names).” - Mumsnet user, Poppi89
Gender-neutral French names
152. Beau
Origin: French
Meaning: Beautiful
153. Camille
154. Dominique
155. Forest (or Forrest)
156. Lou
157. Pascale (or Pascal)
158. Remi (or Remy)
Origin: French
Meaning: Rower
159. Sacha
160. Taylor
Origin: French, English
Meaning: Clothing maker
What Mumsnet users think about gender-neutral French baby names
“I know a little girl called Remy it’s such a gorgeous name and gender neutral too.” - Mumsnet user, MamaBear54321
“I love the name Taylor and always have, for a boy or girl.” - Mumsnet user, Khanny
How to choose a French baby name
Check the ONS top 100 lists for French names currently popular in the UK.
Check the latest French stats for the most popular names in France being chosen by French parents in 2024.
Analyse French naming trends and see if you can predict the next ‘big’ name to cross the Channel for UK shores. French names often become popular in the UK after they’ve experienced a spike in popularity in France. The name Élodie is the perfect example of this phenomenon. It was very popular in the late eighties and early nineties, reaching number one from 1998 to 1990. As it steadily declined in popularity in France, it began to pick up in the UK from the late 1990s, reaching the top 100 ONS list in 2019.
Immerse yourself in popular French culture for inspiration. The name Amélie experienced a stratospheric rise in popularity in the UK, following the release of the film Amélie in 2001. It was never actually particularly popular in France and has more or less dropped out of the rankings these days.
Chic French celebs, or stars with French heritage, have long influenced baby name trends. How about actors Brigitte Bardot, Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard or man of the moment Timothée Chalamet for inspo? Then there’s legendary designer Coco Chanel and singing star Édith Piaf, most famous for her classic song ‘Je ne regrette rien…’
For highbrow ideas, look to French historical figures such as Charles de Gaulle, who was France’s renowned Prime Minister during WW2, French scientist Louis Pasteur or even Marianne, the national emblem of France.
What is a cool French name?
We think a cool French name is one which is in the top 100 in France (so you know that modern French parents are choosing it) but hasn’t made the ONS top 100 over here, so you’re unlikely to meet lots of other kids with the same name.
With this in mind, Anaïs is a cool French name for girls. Neither overused (ranked at 91 in France) or obscure, it feels fresh, pretty and chic. For boys, Mathéo - the French form of Matthew - fits the brief. At number 56 in the French rankings, it’s current and popular - but not too popular. It also shortens to the adorable Matty.
What is a traditional French name?
Traditional French names which have stood the test of time in France for many years include Louise for girls, which has remained in France’s top 100 for most of the last century, aside from a blip during the 1970s and 1980s (incidentally when it was very popular in the UK).
For boys, the male version, Louis, follows a similar pattern and has been a popular choice for the majority of the last century.
Other traditional French names for girls include Capucine, Delphine and Manon while traditional French names for boys are Antoine, Bastien and Léo.
About the author
Louise Baty writes parenting content for Mumsnet, producing product round-ups, travel guides and baby name articles. She’s also written content for Mumsnet’s sister site, Gransnet.
Originally from West Yorkshire and now based in Nottinghamshire, Louise has worked as a features writer for consumer magazines and national newspapers for 20 years. She specialises in parenting and lifestyle features and emotional true life first-person interviews and has authored four non-fiction books on parenting and grandparenting.
Mum to two tweenagers, Louise’s own baby name choosing days may be long gone. However, she admits to having spent a LONG time deciding on her DCs’ names, together with her DP.
For this reason, Louise has a particular interest in baby names. She understands how difficult it can be to narrow down a short list from your long list of baby names, either during pregnancy or during the sleep-deprived days following the birth of your baby.