French Boy Names
French male names derive primarily from the French language, often via Latin and Germanic roots filtered through medieval and Christian usage. Masculine forms commonly show endings such as -e with accent (André, Amédée), -ard (Allard), -aud (Arnaud/Arnoux), -in/-ain (Alain/Alain-type variants), -on (Aimon/Aimon-type), and diminutives in -ot (Amyot). Many have distinct feminine counterparts formed with endings like -e or -ette (André/Andrée; Antoine/Antoinette). Saints’ names and names of historical figures have been longstanding sources for boys.
Modern use favors concise, easily pronounced forms, with accented spellings often retained in France and sometimes dropped abroad. Examples include André, Antoine, Arsène, Amédée, Allard, Arnoux, Amyot, Aramis, Aleron, and Auben.
Showing 50
of 726 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabin | Derived from the Roman family name Gabius - 'from Gabii'. | French | Boy | 17,464 #1 | |
| Antoine | Derived from the Roman family name Antonius; commonly interpreted as "priceless" or "beyond praise". | French | Boy | 15,770 #2 | |
| Oliver | Olive tree / olive branch (symbol of peace) | French | Boy | 15,582 #3 | |
| Yanis | Yahweh is gracious | French, Greek, Hebrew | Boy | 13,335 #4 | |
| Maxime | Greatest | French | Boy | 13,287 #5 | |
| Baptiste | Baptist - 'one who baptizes' or associated with John the Baptist | French | Boy | 11,114 #6 | |
| Gaspard | Treasurer, treasure-bearer | French | Boy | 10,823 #7 | |
| Emile | Derived from the Roman family name Aemilius, often interpreted as 'rival' or 'eager/industrious'. | French | Boy | 10,606 #8 | |
| Marceau | Dedicated to Mars; 'warlike' or 'of Mars' | French | Boy | 8,705 #9 | |
| Edouard | Wealthy guardian | French | Boy | 7,736 #10 | |
| Lucien | Light / man of light | French, Latin | Boy | 6,137 #11 | |
| Amine | Trustworthy, faithful | Arabic, French | Boy | 5,339 #12 | |
| Olivier | Olive tree / associated with the olive (symbol of peace) | French | Boy | 4,894 #13 | |
| Julien | From Latin Julius, meaning "youthful" or "descended from Jove (Jupiter)" | French | Boy | 4,804 #14 | |
| Antonin | Belonging to Antonius | French, Latin | Boy | 4,619 #15 | |
| Romain | From Rome; Roman | French | Boy | 4,145 #16 | |
| Pierre | Rock, stone | French | Boy | 4,132 #17 | |
| Gaston | Guest; (by association) man from Gascony | French | Boy | 3,732 #18 | |
| Beau | Handsome; beautiful | French | Boy | 3,162 #19 | |
| Armand | Army man | French, Germanic | Boy | 2,973 #20 | |
| Lionel | Little/young lion | French | Boy | 2,884 #21 | |
| Swann | Swan; young man | English, French, Old English, Old Norse | Boy | 2,489 #22 | |
| Djibril | God is my strength | Arabic, French, Hebrew | Boy | 2,244 #23 | |
| Gauthier | Ruler of the army | French | Boy | 2,054 #24 | |
| Ange | Angel; messenger; angelic | French | Boy | 2,052 #25 | |
| Etienne | Crown, garland; 'crowned' | French | Boy | 1,944 #26 | |
| Aubin | White, fair, bright | French | Boy | 1,583 #27 | |
| Aurélien | Golden; 'the golden one' | French | Boy | 1,438 #28 | |
| Louie | Famous/renowned warrior | French | Boy | 1,302 #29 | |
| Sébastien | From the city of Sebastia; 'venerable' | French | Boy | 1,242 #30 | |
| Abdoulaye | Servant of God | Arabic, French | Boy | 1,186 #31 | |
| Florent | Blooming, flourishing; prosperous | French | Boy | 1,171 #32 | |
| Clovis | Famous battle | French, Germanic, Latin | Boy | 1,152 #33 | |
| Jimmy | Diminutive of James, meaning "supplanter" (from Hebrew Ya'akov) | English, French | Boy | 1,073 #34 | |
| Loup | Wolf | French | Boy | 1,044 #35 | |
| Amadou | Most commendable | Arabic, French | Boy | 1,027 #36 | |
| Jacques | Supplanter; "holder of the heel" (from Jacob) | French | Boy | 930 #37 | |
| Prince | Royal; ruler; chief | French | Boy | 899 #38 | |
| Benoit | Blessed | French | Boy | 823 #39 | |
| Rohan | From Sanskrit rohaṇ meaning 'ascending, rising, growing'; in some traditions also associated with 'red' or 'red-haired'. | Breton, French, Sanskrit | Boy | 814 #40 | |
| Dax | From the town of Dax; associated with thermal waters/hot springs | French | Boy | 798 #41 | |
| Curtis | Courteous, polite, well-mannered | English, French | Boy | 761 #42 | |
| Roy | Commonly "king" (Old French); also associated with "red" or "red-haired" (Gaelic). | French, Irish (Gaelic), Scottish | Boy | 715 #43 | |
| Russell | Red-haired; little red one | French | Boy | 696 #44 | |
| Gilles | Young goat, kid | French | Boy | 684 #45 | |
| Christophe | Bearer of Christ | French | Boy | 652 #46 | |
| Loann | Likely "God is gracious" if derived from John; otherwise a modern Breton compound/name-form | Breton, French | Boy | 614 #47 | |
| Leeroy | The king | French | Boy | 604 #48 | |
| Levy | Joined or attached; denoting a member of the Levite tribe | French, Hebrew | Boy | 595 #49 | |
| Yannick | God is gracious (diminutive: 'little John') | Breton, French | Boy | 546 #50 |
French Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland for every French-origin name in our dataset.
726
Names in this origin
110
With data in 2024
10,115
Births 2024
153,791
Peak year 1966