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This section includes first names of French origin. Since French is an official language in dozens of countries around the world, French names can be found in nearly all corners of the globe.
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Browse French male and female names by alphabetical order to find out the meanings of the names. Click on the first letter of the name you're looking for.
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The French language is a Romance language spoken by about 110 million native speakers and around 200 million non-native speakers in France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Monaco, the French-speaking areas in Africa, and other countries.
Before English became the lingua franca in the early 20th century, French was the most important international language for about 300 years. It is still the world's second most widely studied foreign language. The origins of Modern French date to the establishment of the French Academy in 1634.
Middle French was a standardized dialect that the government chose to replace Latin as the official language of administration in 1539. For the next century, the language was further standardized and purified, leading to the founding of the Academy.
The Old French dialects were spoken in the areas around modern France, Belgium, and Switzerland, with the first written texts appearing in 842. The language developed from spoken Latin, which the occupying Romans brought to France in the 2nd century BC.
Elements of the Celtic language Gaulish and the Germanic language Frankish also contributed to the development of Old French.
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