French Name Generator
French given names built from their real Frankish and Latin roots, with surnames from the de, du and le layers that produced Dupont and Leroy.
7,803,300 combinations
Male and female french names, each with a matching french last name and the meaning of every element shown.
- Marcin Fontaineville
Marc of Mars + in little
Fontaine fountain + ville town
- Renmunde Fontainemarais
Ren advice + munde protection
Fontaine fountain + marais marsh
- Gerric Vieuxverger
Ger spear + ric powerful
Vieux old + verger orchard
- Cunéarte Valpierre
Cuné kin + arte hardy
Val valley + pierre stone
- Gilger Bonroche
Gil pledge + ger spear
Bon good + roche rock
- Sophrique Jardingrange
Soph wisdom + rique powerful
Jardin garden + grange barn
- Cloelet Croixmarais
Clo fame + elet little
Croix cross + marais marsh
- Brunvige Petitjardin
Brun brown + vige battle
Petit small + jardin garden
- Fredichon Noirbourg
Fred peace + ichon little
Noir black + bourg town
- Victotte Hautmont
Vict victor + otte little
Haut high + mont mount
- Adelin Montporte
Ad noble + elin little
Mont mount + porte gate
- Odtrude Croixtour
Od wealth + trude strength
Croix cross + tour tower
- Rodart Préville
Rod glory + art hardy
Pré meadow + ville town
- Fleureline Clairlande
Fleur flower + eline little
Clair bright + lande moor
- Hildon Noirlac
Hild battle + on little
Noir black + lac lake
- Silouine Chêneroche
Sil forest + ouine friend
Chêne oak + roche rock
- Sigbault Petittour
Sig victory + bault bold
Petit small + tour tower
- Ermrade Tourpré
Erm great + rade counsel
Tour tower + pré meadow
- Herolf Desboulanger
Her army + olf wolf
Des of the + boulanger baker
- Gisette Delnoir
Gis hostage + ette little
Del of the + noir black
- Giselme Champpré
Gis hostage + elme helmet
Champ field + pré meadow
- Fleursinde Lefort
Fleur flower + sinde journey
Le the + fort stronghold
- Yvouin Clairforge
Yv yew + ouin friend
Clair bright + forge smith's workshop
- Ansonne Blancboulanger
Ans god + onne little
Blanc white + boulanger baker
Need a name that means something in particular? Build one from its meaning.
How French names are built
¶Most French first names are Frankish compounds worn down by a thousand years of French pronunciation. Ber is bear and ard is hardy, so Bernard is bear-hardy. Ger is spear, giving Gérard. Ray is counsel and mond is protection, so Raymond is the wise protector. Thib is people and aud is rule, giving Thibaud. Robert, Guillaume, Arnaud, Bertrand and Édouard are all two Germanic words that stopped being words and became a name.
The Latin and Christian layer came in beside it, and French then did something the Franks never did: it shrank everything. The diminutive endings in, on, et, ot and el attach to any stem and can stack, which is how Pierre yields Perrin, Perrot and Perrichon, and Jeanne yields Jeannette, Jeannin and Jeanneton. Feminine names take the matching ette, elle, ine, otte and onne, so Charlotte is simply little Charles.
Surnames sort into three layers you can read off the name. Occupational names say what a man did: Boulanger is the baker, Lefèvre the smith, Leclerc the clerk, Meunier the miller. Toponymic names say where he lived, usually with a particle welded on, so Dupont is of the bridge, Dubois of the wood, Delacroix of the cross, Beaumont the fair hill. Patronymic names such as Martin, Bernard and Robert are simply a father's first name left standing.
More french names
Male french names
- Godgard Fortpré deity enclosure
- Aimelet Rochecroix home little
- Guillram Dutour will raven
- Thierold Chênepré tribe rule
- Richmund Hautnoir ruler protection
- Sigouard Valbourg victory guard
- Silbald Bonmont forest bold
- Gisold Vertcroix hostage rule
- Hereau Champbourg army little
- Rodouin Bonmoulin glory friend
- Ludmund Clairmaison renowned protection
- Berot Boispré bear little
- Thibbault Bonroy people bold
- Guillault Grandfontaine will rule
- Marcrade Demaire of Mars counsel
- Romichon Debois of Rome little
- Alouin Vigneclair noble friend
- Adelmer Pontnoir noble renowned
Female french names
- Richvige Valcomte ruler battle
- Rosearde Petitpierre thorned flower hardy
- Justette Hautgrange righteous little
- Conmunde Lejardin daring protection
- Gerflède Villeclair spear beauty
- Bathine Jardinchêne battle little
- Aubsinde Maraisgrange elf journey
- Théodrade Lecroix people counsel
- Bertelotte Grandchêne bright little
- Gontette Jardinmaire war little
- Richsinde Courfort ruler journey
- Blancharde Blancchêne white hardy
- Sigaude Croixroy victory rule
- Théodine Chênefèvre people little
- Valgarde Dufort strong enclosure
- Aubmonde Fontaineporte elf protection
- Blanchburge Dufour white fortress
- Fréburge Noirpont peace fortress
Questions
What are common French surnames?
Martin, Bernard, Thomas, Petit, Robert, Richard, Durand, Dubois, Moreau and Leroy top the national list, and the generator draws surnames at random from that stock. Martin, Bernard, Robert and Richard are old given names used as patronymics; Petit and Moreau are nicknames meaning small and dark-skinned; Dubois means of the wood and Leroy the king, usually from a pageant role rather than any royal descent.
What does de mean in a French name?
It means of, and in surnames it marks a place: de la Croix is of the cross, and it contracts to du before a masculine noun and des before a plural, giving Dupont, Dubois and Deschamps. It is often read as a mark of nobility, but most de names are simply village names, and plenty of noble families have no particle at all.
What do French first names mean?
Nearly all the older ones are two Germanic words. Guillaume is will helmet, Arnaud is eagle rule, Baudouin is bold friend, Gérard is spear hardy, Raoul is counsel wolf. The Latin ones are single words: Clair is bright, Laurent is from the laurel, Léon is lion, Paul is small, Vincent is conquering.
How do French male and female names differ?
By the ending. Masculine names close on a consonant or a Germanic element such as ard, aud, bert or mond; feminine names close on a vowel or one of the feminine endings ette, elle, ine, otte and onne, or on a Frankish feminine element like ilde, garde, gonde and trude. Many names exist in both forms, as with Michel and Michèle.
Are these real French names?
The parts are. Every fragment is an attested Frankish or Latin name element, or a genuine French diminutive ending, given with its real meaning. Many pairings are established names such as Bernard, Mathilde, Renaud and Charlotte; others are new but legal combinations built from the same stock the language has always used.