French female names: ancient and modern. Beautiful French words and phrases with translation French names translated into Russian

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France, 2014–2015

SELECT YEAR 2014–2015 2009–2011

State in Western Europe. The capital is Paris. It borders Spain, Andorra, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Population (at the end of 2014) – about 66 million people (all of France) / 64.2 million people (European France). At the beginning of 2011, there were 5.5 million immigrants in France. France also includes four overseas regions (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Reunion). Religious composition (2004 survey): Catholics - 64.3%, Protestants - 1.9%, Jews - 0.6%, Muslims - 4.3%, those who do not profess any religion - 27%. However, these data are approximate. According to other surveys, the distribution by denomination is different.

The most well-known site with data on name statistics in France is MeilleursPrenoms.com, which positions itself as the very first French site about names. Indeed, it has been around since 2000. In addition to data on the origin of names, there are lists of popular baby names by year, going back to 1900. For 2014, the twenty most common names. Data for 2013 are not provided. For the remaining years - the 200 most popular names.

The creator of this site is Stephanie Rapoport. She is the author of books on names, published regularly based on data from the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Research (l"INSEE). Therefore, this site can be completely trusted. I will give the twenty most common names of 2014. Probably, the names on this site are arranged in descending order frequency

Top 20 names. France, 2014

Position number	Male names	Female names
1	Nathan	Emma
2	Lucas	Lola
3	Leo	Chloe
4	Gabriel	Inès
5	Timeo	Lea
6	Enzo	Manon
7	Louis	Jade
8	Raphael	Louise
9	Arthur	Lena
10	Hugo	Lina
11	Jules	Zoe
12	Ethan	Lilou
13	Adam	Camille
14	Nolan	Sarah
15	Tom	Eva
16	Noah	Alice
17	Théo	Maëlys
18	Sacha	Louna
19	Mael	Romane
20	Mathis	Juliette

Another interesting resource with name data is opendata.paris.fr, maintained by the Paris City Hall. This site contains official data on the personal names that newborns receive in the French capital. They are grouped by year, starting from 2004. The most current data now is for 2015. Names are given whose frequency is higher than 4. In 2015, there were 646 male and 659 female such names. For each name, the frequency is given in absolute numbers. These materials, although limited to one city, are of undoubted interest for researchers of names.

Top 20 male names. Paris, 2015

Position number	Name	Frequency
1	Adam Gabriel	355 355
2	Raphael	320
3	Paul	260
4	Louis	256
5	Arthur	245
6	Alexandre	226
7	Victor	208
8	Jules	205
9	Mohamed	185
10	Lucas	177
11	Joseph	170
12	Antoine	167
13	Gaspard	165
14	Maxime	152
15	Augustin	146
16	Oscar	133
17	Ethan	131
18	Leo	127
19	Leon	123
20	Martin	122

Top 20 female names. Paris, 2015

Position number	Name	Frequency
1	Louise	293
2	Alice	244
3	Chloe	206
4	Emma	178
5	Inès	175
6	Sarah	174
7	Jeanne	173
8	Anna	160
9	Adele	155
10	Juliette Camille	149 149
11	Lea	143
12	Lina	142
13	Eva	140
14	Sofia	137
15	Charlotte Victoria Rose	134 134 134
16	Mila	132
17	Josephine	127
18	Manon	126
19	Zoe	118
20	Nina	115

In France, there are many completely unique cultural traditions, which may well include the formation of names and the procedure for naming children in the family. This especially applies to male names, which will be discussed in this article. Modern parents, of course, are deviating from family routines that have been mandatory for several centuries in a row. Many male French names are increasingly being replaced by biblical ones or those with English roots, which do not sound at all French.

However, French names for boys are often used in other countries. But not every parent knows what they mean and whether they are really so popular in France itself. To understand how popular the male name that you suddenly want to give to your baby is, it’s worth learning more about it.

What are they?

Like women's, men's French names have a unique melody and softness of sound. Perhaps, in no other country in the world will you hear such a charming pronunciation of the sound “r”. It is he who carries that special French charm. Despite the fact that the French are considered incredibly passionate, their names often sound soothing: Henri, Louis, Charles. Names in French are pronounced softly, especially if sounds such as “r”, “t”, “k” and others are at the end of the word or follow one another. For example, the traditional French “Godfried” most often sounds like “Godefroy”. And there are many such examples.

Another feature of the use of the name for the French of past centuries is its versatility. This means that both boys and girls were often called the same. An example of this is the names Corentin, Michel and some others.

Origin of French names

Most male French names are derived from biblical ones. Most often, they were modified in accordance with the ideas of ordinary people about the beauty of sound. An example of this is the names Pierre (Peter), Benjamin (Benjamin) and Michel (Michael). As can be seen from the above examples, the sounds in them are always softer than in the original version. Often French names in Russian, for example, acquire a harsher and rougher sound, losing their unique charm.

Also in France, borrowing proper names from neighboring cultures has been practiced since ancient times. During the wars of conquest with the participation of this state, new unusual names were “brought” to the country, which were used to call newborn boys.

What were sons called in France: family traditions

The French traditions when naming children are very interesting, and they differ little from the rules adopted by other nations. As a rule, male French names, the list and meaning of which will be given below, were given according to the following principle:

• the first-born was given the name of his paternal grandfather, and the names of his maternal grandfather and the saint under whose protection the boy was born were added;
• the second son in the family was given the name of his paternal great-grandfather, and the name of his mother's grandmother and the name of the saint were added to it.

These traditions were mandatory until 1966, when parents were legally allowed to choose the last name (saint) for their child. And only in 1993 in France it was officially allowed to choose a child’s first name from among those that parents liked.

Perhaps the reader will have a question about how several names could form a single whole. It's simple - in France, almost all male names were compound. What were they, which of them were used in everyday life, and what did the writing of such names look like? Let's figure this out right now.

Compound names in France

The tradition of giving boys double or triple names developed in France with the advent of Catholicism. Initially, this was done so that the child would be protected by several patron saints at once. Double names became most widespread in past centuries, but even now parents often give their babies traditional male French names consisting of several. Examples of this include Jean-Paul, Jean-Claude and Pierre-Marie.

By the way, many modern celebrities (film actors, musicians and artists) have double and triple names. Among them are Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jean-Paul Gaultier and many others.

Writing and pronunciation of compound names

Double names, which are written with a hyphen, are pronounced in full in everyday life, that is, as written in documents. It is a completely different matter when a boy is called Antoine Michel Louis or Leonce Maurice Noel. In this case, in everyday life they use one of the names and simply call the children - Antoine (Titi) or Maurice, for example.

Often double or triple names, which are written without a hyphen, allow their owners to change them without paperwork at the registration authorities. For example, a man named Jean Battisto Robert, who was known as Jean from childhood, may tomorrow ask to be called Robert and will henceforth introduce himself only as such.

Meaning of French names

The lion's share of male names in France have Latin or Greek roots and came to the country through the adoption of Christianity. In fact, there are very few native French names. These include only Laurens and Laurentin (who arrived/originally came from Laurentum), Lope (like a wolf) and Remy (sitting on oars, a rower).

Many modern French names, as stated at the very beginning of this article, are derived from foreign ones. At the same time, the similarity of their sound is quite clearly visible. Other than that, they have the same meaning. So that readers can verify this, we present several values:

• Constantin (French) - Constantine (Roman) - constant, constancy, stable.
• Christophe (French) - Cristiano (Port.) - Christian (English) - presented by Christ.
• Leon (French) - Leonardo (Italian) - Leo (Russian) - like a lion.
• Markel (French) - Marcus (Italian) - Martin (German) - warlike.
• Nicolas (French) - Nikolaus (German) - Nikolai (Russian) - victory of humanity.

This list can be continued indefinitely. However, we will not do this, but will try to decide which male names the French themselves consider the most beautiful today.

The most beautiful French names

According to research, the French name Thierry, Christophe, Pierre and Jean among the most beautiful male names. In their opinion, such beautiful French names for boys as Michel (Michel), Alain (Alain) and Philippe (Philip) have no less charm.

In other countries, the following names with French roots are considered beautiful: Sebastian, Jacques, Claude, Vincent, Francois and Dominique. As a rule, film actors or other famous personalities ensure the high popularity of names. It is this indicator that is the main point in classifying them as the most beautiful or simply euphonious names.

What male names are popular in France?

Currently, the process of forming new proper names in France has not been completed. In recent years, it has become fashionable to name children by shortening and slightly modifying foreign names. They are also used unchanged. Which ones are the most popular? French names that have been in the top 10 in the last 5 years are most often of British (Kevin, Axel, Jed and Tom), Italian (Enzo and Theo) origin. Very often, young parents call their sons Lucas, Arthur and Hugo. But the most popular name for 4-5 years now has been Nathan.

Researchers also note that modern French people rarely give their babies double and triple names, and also practically do not observe traditions in terms of the order of naming babies in the family. Moreover, some men in France legally change the name chosen for them by their parents to a more euphonious and modern one.

Be that as it may, many parents in France still prefer traditional names to modern ones and continue to name their sons in honor of grandparents and other relatives.

French names are beautiful and original; they have their own complex but interesting history. Among them there are especially popular ones, containing options that are fashionable today, as well as the names of saints. The latter are not only attractive, but are also talismans that protect their owner throughout his life.

4.09.2016 / 09:18 | Varvara Pokrovskaya

French names for girls and men are especially popular in many countries around the world. Therefore, you can often meet people with beautiful names originally from France, regardless of what country or city you are in. These names sound harmonious and melodic, giving their owner a touch of exoticism, romance and elegance.

Features of French names

Names appeared in France a very long time ago - the period is calculated in tens of centuries. Over time, names changed, influenced by both historical events and fashion trends. In France during the times of Gaul, among the nicknames there were a large number of Greek and Celtic ones; later Jewish names also appeared on the territory of the state.

In the Middle Ages, when German conquerors came to the country, German nicknames appeared, and already in the 18th century a law was created requiring parents to name their children after people who were in one way or another related to the church. Soon, foreign nicknames lost their relevance, as citizens preferred to give them Catholic or truly French ones. Today, such laws have lost force, and the French give their babies any names.

When choosing a name today, parents adhere to European rules: a person can have one or two names and a single surname. Many citizens continue to observe traditions and give preference to the names of saints. Often a child receives two personal names. This is done with the aim of granting the baby the protection of two saints at once. However, in life a person uses only one name, which he likes the most. This approach is considered practical - this is exactly what the French say. If a citizen, after reaching adulthood, decides to change his frequently used nickname, he can use any of his names. In this way, he can avoid paperwork and the lengthy process of replacing documents.

Another interesting feature of French names is polite address. A title is often used for this purpose. If your interlocutor is a man, you should say “Monsignor”, ​​but if the address is directed to an unmarried lady, you can tactfully say “Mademoiselle”; if we are talking about a divorced or married woman - “Madame”. However, today everything is much simpler, and a young girl is always addressed as “Mademoiselle”, and scary ladies as “Madame”. By the way, addressing a person only by name in France is a sign of ignorance and illiteracy. This is only allowed among family or friends.

State law also states that every citizen can have two names. The first is used personally, for use at school, work and in other areas of life. The second fits into the documents.

But according to the traditions of the country, children are given three names:

1. The first-born male will be named in honor of the paternal grandfather, then a second name is given in honor of the maternal grandfather, then the name of the saint is used (chosen and given on the day of baptism).
2. The first-born females are called by the name belonging to the female grandmother, then by the second male grandmother, the third nickname is chosen from the names of saints.
3. The second boy in the family is named in honor of his paternal great-grandfather, then his maternal great-grandfather, and the third invariably is named in honor of the saint.
4. The youngest girl is given the name of her maternal great-grandmother, the second is her paternal great-grandmother, and the third is the name of a saint.

French female names

The names of French women are distinguished by their beauty and melody. In Catholic families, a woman must have three names, the last of which refers to the saint commemorated on the day of baptism. Parents believe that the third nickname gives their daughter a protector who will accompany her throughout her life and help her avoid difficulties and problems.

If a woman has three names, this does not mean that she will be called differently. It will be called the main one, recorded in the identity document. When a girl becomes an adult, she can change her primary name to whatever her parents gave her.

In modern France, Russian names are again in fashion. The most popular ones include: Adele, Elvira, Camilla, Violeta. In turn, the French offer everyone their beautiful names, which are used to call babies all over the world:

• Amelie;
• Veronica;
• Irene;
• Carolina;
• Claire;
• Katherine;
• Monica;
• Morion;
• Celine;
• Sylvia;
• Jeannette;
• Emma.

The above list does not only contain French names. So, the name Jeannette has Jewish roots, Veronica - Greek. There are a lot of borrowed names, all of them are used by many modern parents.

French male names

Men, just like women, receive three names at birth: the main name, the second name and the nickname of the saint. Boys are named after their fathers and grandfathers - traditions are rarely observed, and not all parents want to give European, American and other names to their sons.

The most popular names of representatives of the stronger half include:

• Gin;
• Michelle;
• Philip;
• Allen;
• Patrick;
• Pierre;
• Nicolas;
• Christophe;
• Christian;
• Daniel.

Also popular are Bernard, Eric, Frederic Laurent, Stefan, Pascal, David, Gerard, Julien, Olivier, Jacques.

In the country, many people use double names, for example, Jean-Pierre, Paul-Henry, Anna-Laura, Marie-Louise. Both words are written with a hyphen and belong to the same gender. But there are times when two words are used, masculine and feminine. For a man, the first name is masculine, for example, Jean-Marie, for a girl, it is feminine - Anna-Vincent. It is worth knowing that if the name of your interlocutor consists of two parts, this is how you should address him: Jean-Pierre, Anna-Laura, etc.

Many names for the weaker sex are derived from male ones, to which the suffixes “ette”, “ine” and others are added. Often such additions affect the pronunciation: Arman - Armand, Daniel - Danielle.

A little about surnames. They first appeared in the 16th century. Then the king ordered all citizens to choose their surnames. She could have become the name of the father of the family (Bernard, Robert, Henry and others). A second word was added to the name, denoting a character trait, appearance features, locality (large, low, dark, dark).

French boy names

French is considered one of the most melodic and beautiful of all existing languages. Names for young male citizens are also distinguished by their euphony. This is due, first of all, to the origin of names, which was influenced by historical events, the Catholic faith and other factors.

Popular boy names today include:

French girl names

The French are devout Catholics, giving their children several names, one of which has church overtones. This applies to both boys and girls. The chosen patron is especially important for the latter, because women are considered weak and tender, so more men need the strength of a protector.

Traditionally, girls are named in a way: the first name is from their grandmothers on both the female and male lines. The second is dictated by the day the baby was baptized.

The second girl in the family receives the names of her great-grandmothers plus the name of the saint. Despite the fact that this tradition is many years old, modern youth happily adheres to it. However, among parents there are also followers of fashion who are ready to reward their daughter with any name they like. Both Russian and European unusual names are popular, for example, Dylan, Kilian, Ocean, Ains.

Beautiful French names and their meanings

France is the owner of hundreds of beautiful, euphonious names. Every year the list is updated with new options.

Beautiful female names:

• Emma is one of the rating names that has not left the first place for ten years. In France, every 7th newborn girl is called this.
• Lolita or Lola - derived from Luisa. A beautiful, playful name, not suitable for little girls, but just right for adults and business women.
• Chloe - became fashionable during the popularization of black culture.
• Lea is an inexpressive name at first glance, but despite this, it is in demand among the French.
• Mano - derived from Mari. A noble name by French standards.
• Louise is a “retro” name, sending us back half a century.
• Zoya - used not only in Russia, but also in France. Translated as “life”.
• Lilu or Lilia is an interesting name that evokes associations with a fairyland.
• Lena is a familiar name that the French today call their babies.
• Sarah is a Jewish name that has remained in fashion for decades.
• Kamiya is a name for all times, winning in all situations.
• Lina - derived from Angelina.
• Eve is the name of Adam's girlfriend, and therefore remains in demand always.
• Alice - has a number of other options: Alicia, Alice, etc.
• Rimma is the mistress of Rome.

Beautiful male names:

• Nathan is a leader in the chart of male names. More than ten children are in first place. If your name is Artem and you are going to France, know that they will call you Nathan there!
• Enzo is a nickname that owes its popularity to the famous film masterpiece from Luc Besson - the film “Abyss Blue”.
• Louis - brevity and royal charm in one nickname.
• Gabrielle is a new fashion trend that many couples who have become parents use today.
• Jules is a proper name that belonged to Julius Caesar. But today this nickname evokes associations with France.
• Arthur is the name of a great king and a popular name for boys these days.
• Timeo - names ending with "o" are all the rage.
• Raphael is a beautiful name for a little boy; adult men with this name are called Rafa.
• Mael - the nickname means something like “chief”, “royal person”.
• Adam - especially for Eve.

Popular French names

In recent years, Russians have not chosen native Russian names, but prefer foreign ones, including French ones. They can increasingly be heard in educational institutions, kindergartens, and medical institutions. Among the popular ones are Daniel, Adele, Anabelle, Anais, Ismina, Marcel, Margot, Marietta, Mathieu, Thomas, Emile.

When choosing a name for your baby, don’t be lazy to familiarize yourself with its meaning, because both the French and we believe that a popular name will bring good luck to the baby, and a nickname that denotes a bright character trait, a magical symbol, natural forces, will give happiness, health and well-being!

The French language is deservedly considered the most sensual language in the world - in its everyday life there are several hundred verbs denoting emotions and feelings of various kinds. The lyrical melody of the throat sound “r” and the exquisite precision of “le” give a special charm to the language.

Gallicisms

The French words used in the Russian language are called Gallicisms; they have firmly entered Russian-language conversation with a large number of words and derivatives from them, similar in meaning or, conversely, only in sound.

The pronunciation of French words differs from Slavic ones in the presence of throat and nasal sounds, for example, “an” and “on” are pronounced by passing the sound through the nasal cavity, and the sound “en” through the lower part of the front wall of the throat. This language is also characterized by an emphasis on the last syllable of a word and soft sibilant sounds, as in the words “brochure” and “jelly”. Another indicator of Gallicism is the presence in the word of the suffixes -azh, -ar, -ism (plume, massage, boudoir, monarchism). These subtleties alone make it clear how unique and diverse the state language of France is.

Abundance of French words in Slavic languages

Few people realize that “metro”, “baggage”, “balance” and “politics” are native French words borrowed from other languages, the beautiful “veil” and “nuance” too. According to some data, about two thousand Gallicisms are used every day in the post-Soviet space. Items of clothing (knickers, cuffs, vest, pleated, overalls), military themes (dugout, patrol, trench), trading (advance, credit, kiosk and regime) and, of course. words associated with beauty (manicure, cologne, boa, pince-nez) are all Gallicisms.

Moreover, some words are similar to the ear, but have a distant or different meaning. For example:

• A frock coat is an item of men's wardrobe, and literally means “on top of everything.”
• A buffet table is a festive table for us, but for the French it’s just a fork.
• A dude is a dapper young man, and a dude in France is a pigeon.
• Solitaire means “patience” in French, but in our country it’s a card game.
• Meringue (a type of fluffy cake) is a beautiful French word meaning kiss.
• Vinaigrette (vegetable salad), vinaigrette is just vinegar among the French.
• Dessert - initially this word in France meant clearing the table, and much later - the last dish after which they clean up.

Language of love

Tete-a-tete (one-on-one meeting), rendezvous (date), vis-a-vis (opposite) - these are also words that originate from France. Amor (love) is a beautiful French word that has excited the minds of lovers so many times. A stunning language of romance, tenderness and adoration, the melodic murmur of which will not leave any woman indifferent.

The classic “zhe tem” is used to denote strong, all-consuming love, and if you add “bian” to these words, the meaning will change: it will mean “I like you.”

Peak of popularity

French words first began to appear in the Russian language during the time of Peter the Great, and since the end of the eighteenth century they have significantly moved their native speech aside. French became the leading language of high society. All correspondence (especially love) was conducted exclusively in French, beautiful long tirades filled banquet halls and meeting rooms. At the court of Emperor Alexander III, it was considered shameful (bad manners) not to know the Frankish language; a person was immediately labeled as an ignoramus, so French teachers were in great demand.

The situation changed thanks to the novel in verse “Eugene Onegin”, in which the author Alexander Sergeevich acted very subtly by writing a monologue-letter from Tatiana to Onegin in Russian (although he thought in French, being Russian, as historians say.) With this he returned the former glory of the native language.

Popular phrases in French right now

Come il faut translated from French means “as it should”, that is, something made comme il faut - made according to all the rules and wishes.

• C'est la vie! is a very famous phrase meaning “such is life.”
• Je tem - singer Lara Fabian brought worldwide fame to these words in the song of the same name “Je t’aime!” - I love you.
• Cherche la femme - also the well-known “look for a woman”
• ger, com a la ger - “in war, as in war.” Words from the song that Boyarsky sang in the popular film of all time, “The Three Musketeers.”
• Bon mo is a sharp word.
• Faison de parle is a way of speaking.
• Ki famm ve - die le ve - “what a woman wants, God wants.”
• Antr well sau di - it’s said between us.

The history of several words

The well-known word “marmalade” is a distorted version of “Marie est malade” - Marie is sick.

In the Middle Ages, Stewart suffered from seasickness during her travels and refused to eat. Her personal doctor prescribed her slices of oranges with peel, thickly sprinkled with sugar, and the French cook prepared quince decoctions to stimulate her appetite. If these two dishes were ordered in the kitchen, the courtiers would immediately whisper: “Marie is sick!” (mari e malad).

Shantrapa - a word meaning idle people, homeless children, also came from France. Children who did not have an ear for music and good vocal abilities were not accepted into the church choir as singers (“chantra pas” - does not sing), so they wandered around the streets, mischievous and having fun. They were asked: “Why are you idle?” In response: "Shatrapa."

Podsofe - (chauffe - heating, heater) with the prefix under-, that is, heated, under the influence of heat, taken for “warming”. A beautiful French word, but the meaning is exactly the opposite.

By the way, everyone knows why it was called that? But this is a French name, and her handbag is also from there - a reticule. Shapo is translated as “hat”, and “klyak” is akin to a slap. The slap-folding hat is a folding top hat, just like the mischievous old lady wore.

Silhouette is the surname of the controller of finances at the court of Louis the Fifteenth, who was famous for his craving for luxury and various expenses. The treasury was empty too quickly and, in order to rectify the situation, the king appointed the young incorruptible Etienne Silhouette to the post, who immediately banned all festivities, balls and feasts. Everything became gray and dull, and the fashion that arose at the same time for depicting the outline of an object of a dark color on a white background was in honor of the miser minister.

Beautiful French words will diversify your speech

Recently, word tattoos have ceased to be only English and Japanese (as fashion dictated), but have increasingly begun to appear in French, some of them with interesting meanings.

The French language is considered quite complex, with many nuances and details. To know it well, you need to painstakingly study for more than one year, but this is not necessary to use several popular and beautiful phrases. Two or three words inserted at the right time into a conversation will diversify your vocabulary and make speaking French emotional and lively.

The most common surnames

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