French Girl names

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I'm watching Charlotte Gray and when Charlotte went under cover in France she was called Dominique.

I am a bit of a Francophile and so it made me wonder what my preferred French name would be. I love Mathilde. I loved Ghislaine until it became associated with Maxwell. I went to school with a Sandrine which I thought was magnificent.

So I am curious as to what your fave french names are?

I am not naming a baby, but thought this might be the best place to put the query in case I want to change my name by deed poll one day.

Noemi
Lilou
Gabrielle
Estelle
Alizee
Maxine
Pauline, Paulette
Leonore
Helene
Celine
Sibylle
Agathe
Ines
Apolline

Andree

Didn't end up having any girls, but one of my favourite girls' names when we were thinking of them was Elodie. Also like Ariane, Solène, and a soft spot for Claudine as I loved the St Clare's series as a kid!

I use to work with a Mirielle in the early 00s she was the most arrogant, obnoxious, self entitled full of herself person I ever met, but I still love the name lol

One of my oldest friends is Giselle, very exotic in my small Northern town, I still remember meeting her and her saying “ my name is Giselle, it’s French” in her 10yo French accent. I still love it, but I find most names sound so much nicer in French.

And as short for Albertine!

...Mirielle. It means “miracle” and I think it’s a rather lovely name.
It doesn't.

And isn't it Mireille rather than Miri-elle?

Mireille is a name.

never heard Miri-Elle but have heard Murielle.

Orianne
Maeva
Genevieve

Anaïs or Ines

Beautiful names have been mentioned that sound divine when said by a French speaker or pronounced as a French speaker would pronounce them.

Claudine, Elodie, Delphine, etc, probably don't work quite as well in Basildon, Bolton and Birmingham.

I agree, and would add Amélie, Manon, Alison, Jacqueline etc.

Sorry but I was referring to the spelling. It is actually spelt Mireille not Mirielle, I hyphenated purely to emphasise the ei/ie.

I love the name Anais

Celine
Celeste

I also love Amélie but it's exploded in popularity.

I always loved Genevieve, but didn't use it for a variety of reasons...

1. I'm not French
2. I have a very long surname so wanted shorter first names
3. I didn't have any girls.

And Geneviève! Lovely in French but not as Jennerveev.

Thanks Norma, I didn't know where the accent went.

I love the name Ghislaine, but it should be pronounces “Jislenn” with a soft “j” not “Gillaine” as Ms Maxwell has it. I also like Aurélie and Hortense. I like French hyphenated names too, like Marie-Claude. I would have to have some reason, though, for calling a child a “foreign” name.

There's always Claire. Nice meaning - clear.

But I find it quite stodgy and old fashioned now.

Just reading this thread made me realise how many names in my family (siblings and their children) are French and I’d never thought about it before (we aren’t French).
Audrey isn’t French as one pp says though (I have a family member with that name and only she and I don’t have French names).
Love a French name!

Adélie
Zélie
Lison

@TheLivelyRose It's nice in a French accent, not so much in many UK accents. There are so many of them my age.

Which name?

@TheLivelyRose , Claire. As well as not sounding very nice in many accents, it's a name with 2 (or 3) spellings so people tend to use the wrong one.