Since ancient times, French culture, traditions and language have been popular in many countries of the world. This is not surprising, because the French know how to enjoy the beautiful: culinary and unique wines, exquisite etiquette and new fashion trends.
This language, melodious and melodic, has always attracted with its exoticism and romance. Therefore, it is not surprising that beautiful French female names are in demand all over the world. However, the French have traditions associated with this choice, which they have been following for many centuries.
The patronage of several saints
Most of the inhabitants of France are zealous Catholics who sincerely believe in the intercession of the patron saints. That is why double or even triple female names in French are so popular. For example, Anna-Maria or Bridget-Sophie-Christine. Moreover, in France, such combinations are officially considered the same name.
Names are chosen for a reason, there is an old tradition that reflects the continuity of generations and respect for elders:
- The name of the first son in the family will consist of the name of the paternal grandfather, then the name of the maternal grandfather, and then the name of the saint on whose day the child was born.
- The name of the first daughter will be made up of the name of grandmother for mother, then grandmother for father, and then - a saint who will patronize the baby.
- The second son should be called, even more delving into the history of the clan: in the beginning - in honor of the great-grandfather on the male line, then - the name of the great-grandfather on the line of the mother, and then - on the name of the patron saint.
- The second daughter, respectively, will be named after her great-grandmother by her mother, then - by her great-grandmother by her father, and the third name will become the name of the patron saint.
This custom allows older children to choose a name that they like more, rather than come up with a nickname.
Origin
Most of the male and female French names and surnames appeared long before our era. The sound of some has changed slightly since the time of the Celts, and the inhabitants of ancient Gaul liked to borrow Greek versions. After the conquest of Gaul by the Roman Empire, a lot of Latin names appeared, which are in use today.
In the Middle Ages, with the advent of the German conquerors, in France children began to be called German names. The invaders were long gone, and many names already adapted to the language remained.
Towards the end of the 18th century, a law was passed requiring the French to name children in honor of Catholic saints. In many ways, this tradition has survived to the present day.
Abbreviated forms
In recent decades, in France, as in many other countries, there has been a tendency to give children diminutive forms. For example, Margot, Manon instead of Marguerite or Marion instead of traditional Marie can be found in the list of French female names.
Historically, most options for beautiful women in France have the ending -e (for example, Angelique or Pauline). However, now you can give the girls names ending in -a (Eva instead of Eve or Celia instead of Celie). This trend is more visible in large cities, while provincials still prefer to give babies traditional options.
Fashionable foreign
If earlier the list of French female names has not changed for many decades, now the situation is completely different. Whether this is due to a wave of emigrants from other states or the blurring of borders in our dynamic world, but more and more often the French call children unusual foreign options. Since 2013, Oceane, Ines, Maeva and Jade, common in Latin American countries, have been leaders in the lists of the most popular names for girls.
Also, the French willingly borrow Russian names, changing them a little in their own way and often using diminutive forms. For example, in France you can easily meet a baby named Nadia, Sonia, Natacha or Sacha.
Most Popular
On a French site, each year a list of the most popular male and female names among French parents is published. This information comes from the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Research (l'INSEE). That is why it is completely worthy of trust. Among popular French female names, derivative forms and diminutive variants are not taken into account.
These statistics have been kept since 1900. In total, the list mentions 259 female and 646 male names. Here are ten of the most popular options for girls:
- Louise Derived from the male Louis, a true French name for "bright, radiant."
- Alice. Initially, the name was entered by the Normans and, due to sonority, quickly became popular. There is also a version that this name is an abbreviation of Adelais, which in the ancient Germanic dialect meant "noble".
- Chloe One of the names of French origin. However, some philologists attribute it to the epithet of the goddess of agriculture and fertility Dimeters. Also in Greek mythology there was Chloride, whose name translates as "foliage color." And the generally accepted interpretation is “flowering” or “greening”.
- Emma This name has Latin roots and translates as "precious", "sincere". However, some experts attribute this name to Arabic culture and translate it as "faithful, reliable." There is also a version of the abbreviated masculine name Emmanuel, meaning "God is with us."
- Inez. This name refers to the Greek epic and means "pure, immaculate."
- Sarah. Feminine name, which is common not only among Christians, but also among Muslims. His story begins with the writing of the Old Testament. The name has many meanings, one of the popular means "noble woman", "mistress."
- Anne. A name that has Jewish roots and is very common in countries where Christianity is professed. The ancient meaning of the name is “mercy, joy, grace”, but in recent times it is customary to interpret it as “God's mercy”.
- Adele. Natively French feminine name derived from masculine Adele. It means "noble, equanimous, honest" and is well suited to both men and ladies.
- Juliette. This name dates back to the Roman noble family name Julia. Still consider the adaptation of the Italian name Giulietta, which became very popular after the tragedy of William Shakespeare.
- Camille A name also derived from the name of a Roman noble family. In ancient times, the name meant "woman of impeccable origin" or "servant of the temple."
- Sofia. This is a name of Greek origin meaning "wisdom, reason."
Name Meaning
When deciding to call a baby a sonorous option, it is worthwhile to carefully study its history and meaning. Let's try to figure out which French female names and their meanings may appeal to modern parents. To do this, we examine the list:
- Anastasia means restoring;
- Beatrice is an active traveler;
- Vivienne - lively, mobile;
- Josephine - exaggerating;
- Irene, Ireni - peaceful;
- Claire is bright;
- Marian is a beloved;
- Orianna is golden;
- Celeste, Celestine - heavenly;
- Florence - blooming;
- Charlotte is humane.
Of course, this is not a complete list of French female names in Russian that will suit a newborn girl. Some sonorous options go out of fashion and are gradually forgotten. Although there is always hope that they will become popular again.
Options Popular In The Last Century
The French are a fairly conservative people, so for a long time the fashion for female names has remained unchanged. According to tradition, the girls were given names in honor of grandmothers and Catholic saints, the changes were simply nowhere to come from.
Everything changed at the end of the 20th century, when the French began to call newborns those options that they liked more, and were not tied to Christmas time. And gradually, Isabelle, Christine, Sylvie, Martine and Catherine began to disappear from the list of French female names. Back in 2006, the list of popular options was led by Marie and Anne, and already in 2015, Lea, Oceane and Lilou became much more popular.
Double names
Few people know that in addition to the tradition of giving your child two or three names, in France there are legalized double names that are considered an integral construction. If the child receives this option, then sharing it will not work: Natalie-Isabelle will not be able to call herself only Natalie or Isabel. Surprisingly, the French themselves somehow distinguish between these designs.
Here is a short list of the most popular double female names:
- Madeleine-Angelique;
- Juliette-Simone;
- Francoise Arian;
- Marie Amelie;
- Linda-Georgette.
