French baby names
The names filed as French are those whose meaning comes from French itself: word names such as Beau ("handsome"), Noelle and Noel ("Christmas") and Esme ("esteemed"), Norman nicknames that became surnames (Russell, "little red one"; Grant, "tall"), and names like Eleanor and Oliver that first appear in French and whose deeper origin is uncertain. Of the names we have researched, 53 are French, given to 65,667 US babies in 2025.
Rising French names
Biggest climbers in rank since 2020: Lenora (#1,114 to #539), Soleil (#1,199 to #758), Elodie (#703 to #310), Quincy (#1,195 to #815), Darcy (#1,191 to #857), Montgomery (#1,094 to #962), Warren (#343 to #240), Beau (#109 to #60), Leroy (#923 to #888), Russell (#370 to #345).
French girl names (27)
| Name | Meaning | Rank 2025 | Babies 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eleanor | Origin uncertain | #12 | 7,649 |
| Nora | short form of Eleanor or Honora | #20 | 6,380 |
| Genevieve | #148 | 1,981 | |
| Noelle | Christmas | #202 | 1,507 |
| Amy | beloved | #257 | 1,200 |
| Esme | esteemed, loved (French Esmé) | #298 | 1,032 |
| Mallory | unlucky (Norman nickname) | #372 | 825 |
| Macie | variant of Macy (from Massy, France) | #438 | 703 |
| Elodie | #310 | 980 | |
| Dior | #1,126 | 208 | |
| Lenora | variant of Eleanor (origin uncertain) | #539 | 562 |
| Lacey | from Lassy, a place in Normandy | #738 | 370 |
| Anais | French form linked to Anne (origin uncertain) | #892 | 299 |
| Jolie | pretty (French) | #1,030 | 243 |
| Soleil | sun (French) | #758 | 358 |
| Eleanora | variant of Eleanor (origin uncertain) | #865 | 313 |
| Darcy | from Arcy, Normandy; or Irish "dark" | #857 | 316 |
| Violette | violet (the flower) | #894 | 298 |
| Desiree | "desired" | #1,429 | 151 |
| Lorraine | from the region of Lorraine | #1,044 | 238 |
| Courtney | from Courtenay (Latin curtus 'short') | #2,335 | 78 |
| Geneva | Geneva (city); or short for Genevieve | #1,657 | 125 |
| Tracy | from Norman place names (Thracius); or Theresa | #2,171 | 86 |
| Francine | from Frances; "Frenchwoman" | #1,850 | 108 |
| Yvonne | feminine of Yves (perhaps 'yew') | #2,063 | 92 |
| Cherie | "darling" | #8,470 | 12 |
| Blanche | white | #6,892 | 16 |
French boy names (26)
| Name | Meaning | Rank 2025 | Babies 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver | Origin uncertain | #3 | 14,939 |
| Miles | Meaning disputed | #44 | 6,072 |
| Beau | handsome (French) | #60 | 5,165 |
| Calvin | little bald one | #132 | 2,710 |
| Barrett | #171 | 2,138 | |
| Grant | large, tall (nickname) | #228 | 1,555 |
| Warren | game park; or from Varenne, Normandy | #240 | 1,471 |
| Russell | little red one (red-haired) | #345 | 944 |
| Noel | Christmas | #478 | 635 |
| Bellamy | fair friend (Norman French) | #721 | 374 |
| Corbin | crow, raven (Norman nickname) | #512 | 586 |
| Quincy | from a French place name, from Quintus 'fifth' | #654 | 422 |
| Bruce | from a Norman place name (meaning disputed) | #536 | 558 |
| Trace | short for Tracy | #758 | 340 |
| Curtis | courteous | #985 | 232 |
| Leroy | the king (French) | #888 | 269 |
| Montgomery | Gomeric's hill | #962 | 241 |
| Lyle | "the island" | #1,047 | 211 |
| Lamar | "the pool" | #1,517 | 115 |
| Terrell | #1,538 | 113 | |
| Percy | from Percy-en-Auge, Normandy | #1,279 | 154 |
| Marquis | marquis (noble title) | #1,672 | 99 |
| Darrell | from d'Airel (Norman place name) | #1,691 | 97 |
| Lowell | "little wolf" | #3,281 | 36 |
| Merle | "blackbird" | #3,485 | 33 |
| Dewey | #3,870 | 28 |
How origins are assigned
Each name gets one origin: the language its meaning comes from, which is not always the language it reached English through. Mateo is Spanish in form but Hebrew in origin, so it is listed as Hebrew. The lists cover the roughly 2,000 most used names we have researched so far. Common meanings among French names: names from places, love, beautiful.