French is a beautiful language, and even the most common French names sound a little like magic. So if you love the sound of the French language as much as we do, you may want to name your little man a classic French male name. We're here to help. We've dug up some of the best and most popular old French boy names from across the centuries to help you find the perfect fit.
French Versions of Common English Names
There are several classic male names that take on slightly different forms in different languages. Give your little guy's name an exotic feeling by choosing a boy name that's the French version of a common English name.
- Alain (ah-lahn), variant of Alan - handsome
- Alexandre (ah-lex-ahn-dr), variant of Alexander, - defending men
- Antoine (on-twah-neu), variant of Antwan - unknown
- Arnaud (are-noh), variant of Arnold - eagle power
- Benoit (behn-wah), variant of Benedict - blessed
- Christophe (kree-st-off), variant of Christopher - being Christ
- Édouard (ay-doo-wahr), variant of Edward - rich guard
- Étienne (ay-tee-ehn), variant of Stephen - crown, that which surrounds
- Gaspard (gas-par), variant of Jasper - treasurer
- Gauthier (goh-tee-ay), variant of Walter - ruler of the army
- Grégoire (gray-gwar), variant of Gregory - watchful
- Luc (loo-k), variant of Luke - from Lucania
- Marc (marhk), variant of Mark - warlike
- Mathieu (mah-tyoo), variant of Matthew - gift of God
- Michel (mee-shell), variant of Michael - who is like God?
- Nicolas (nee-koh-lah), variant of Nicholas - victory of the people
- Olivier (oh-lihv-ee-ay), variant of Oliver - olive tree
- Philippe (fee-leep), variant of Philip - friend of horses
- Raymond (ray-mohn) - protection
- Robert (roh-behr) - bright fame
- Roger (roh-jeh) - fame
Related: 80+ Old-Fashioned Boy Names That Are Classically Cool
Old French Boy Names From the Early 1900s
Names that were popular in France in the early 1900s are often still popular today. Some names, like Jean and Pierre, were popular in 1945 and are still in the top given names in France.
- Adrien (ah-dree-eh) - from Hadria
- Albert (al-bair) - noble and bright
- Alphonse (ahl-fons) - ready for battle
- André (on-dray) - manly
- Armand (ahr-manh) - soldier
- Camille (cah-mee-ya) - priest's helper
- Clément (kleh-man) - merciful
- Elie (ilee) - the lord is my God
- Émile (ay-meel) - rival
- Eugène (oo-zhen) - well-born
- Félix (feh-leeks) - happy
- François (fron-swah) - Frenchmen
- Frédéric (freh-dehr-ik) - peaceful ruler
- Georges (zh-or-zh) - farmer
- Germain (zher-min) - from Germany
- Henri (on-ree) - home ruler
- Hugo (oo-goh) - heart, mind, spirit
- Jean (zhahn) - God is gracious
- Léon (lay-ohn) - lion
- Louis (lwee) - famous battle
- Lucien (loo-see-ehn) - light
- Marcel (mar-sell) - male
- Maxime (mak-sim) - greatest
- Noé (noh-ay) - rest
- Noël (no-ehl) - born on Christmas
- Pierre (pee-air) - stone
- Raphaël (rah-fi-ehl) - God heals
- René (ruh-nay) - born again
Classic French Boy Names From the 1800s
French boy names from the 1800s have a lot of overlap with 20th-century French boy names. One of the popular things was hyphenating the name Jean (zhahn) with another name, such as Jean-Pierre or Jean-Paul. Other names include:
- Auguste (o-gust) - great and magnificent
- Charles (sharl) - free man
- Claude (klawd) - strong-willed
- Ernest (ehr-nest) - serious
- Fernand (fair-nohn) - brave traveler
- Gabriel (gah-bree-el) - God is my strength
- Guillaume (gee-aum) - resolute protector
- Jacques (zhahk) - supplanter
- Joseph (zho-sef) - God shall add
- Jules (zhool) - youthful
- Julien (zhoo-lee- eh) - youthful
- Marius (mah-ree-oos) - manly
- Maurice (mor-ees) - Moorish
- Paul (pol) - humble
- Raoul (rah-ool) - wise wolf
- Victor (veek-tohr) - conquerer
Medieval Boy Names From France
If you look at popular names in Paris in the 1400s, you'll find some unique French names, as well as names like Pierre and Thomas that are still popular in France today.
- Colin (coh-lohn) - young dog
- Estienne (ay-tee-ehn) - crown, that which surrounds
- Gillet (zhee-lay) - young goat
- Guillhaume (gee-ohm) - desire helmet
- Jaquet (zhah-kyay) - supplanter
- Jehan (zhahn) - God is gracious
- Perrin (pay-ron) - stone
- Regnault (rayn-yoh) - counsel power
- Robin (roh-bon) - bright fame
- Thomas (toh-mah) - twin
Names of Famous French Men
From famous French leaders to well-known fictional French characters in literature and movies, these recognizable names are great French male names.
- Baptiste (bah-teest) - Baptist, to dip; usually combined with Jean like famous biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
- Blaise (blayze) - lisping; famous mathematician and inventor Pascal
- Charlemagne (shar-luh-man-yeh) - Charles the Great; Frankish king
- Cyrano (sir-ah-noh) - unknown; fictional character de Bergerac
- Gaston (ga-stohn) - stranger, guest; fictional brute from Beauty and the Beast
- Gustave (goo-stahv) - unknown; Eiffel Tower Architect Eiffel
- Guy (ghee) - Guy de Maupassant, 19th Century French author
- Honoré (o-no-reh) - Honoré de Balzac, 18th Century French novelist and playwrite
- Jean-Claude (zhahn-klawd) - God is gracious; actor Van Damme
- Jean-Luc (zhahn-loo-k) - God is gracious; fictional Star Trek character Picard
- Lestat (lay-stat) - status; fictional French vampire
- Laurent (lor-ahn) - from Laurentum; Tour de France winner Fignon
- Ludovic (loo-doh-veek) - famous battle; famous chef Lefebvre
- Maximilien (maks-ee-mee-leon) - Maximilien de Robespierre, French lawyer and statesman
- Napoleón (nah-poh-lay-ohn) - unknown; French emperor Bonaparte
- Rémi (ray-mee) - oarsman; fictional mouse from Ratatouille
- Yves (eev) - yew; fashion designer Saint Laurent
Your Own Little Frenchman
Whether you have French ancestors or you just love French culture, a classic French name can turn your son into your own little Frenchman. If French is not your first language, you can use a pronunciation guide to help you say the names how the French would.
