🇫🇷 Most Popular Baby Names in France (2025)
INSEE, the French statistics office, publishes the first names given to children born in France since 1900, taken from the civil register. Until 1993 parents were limited to a repertoire of accepted names, largely saints and figures from ancient history. Since then the choice is free, and a name the registrar has doubts about goes to the public prosecutor rather than being refused on the spot. The list shows the top 50 per sex.
Data source: INSEE · Year: 2025 · 50 girl names, 50 boy names
Before you settle on a name, it helps to know what the register will accept. Baby naming rules in France: the legal basis, the deadline and what a registrar may refuse.
Names Used Only in France
France has 38 names in its 2025 ranking that appear in none of the other twelve countries on this site. Accents are ignored in that comparison, so Léo and Leo count as one name, but different spellings such as Sofia and Sophia count as two.
Girls: 17 names
LouiseJadeAmbreLouAgatheNourVictoireJeanneEsméeAlyaAlixRomaneLucieAlbaneLyanaGabrielleEmy
Boys: 21 names
SachaMarceauEdenGabinMohamedMaloAydenIbrahimMariusEliottImranAylanEzioCômeGaspardLéandreBasileAugustinMathisLyamIsmaël
2024 to 2025: What Moved
Compared with 2024, in the girls' ranking, 40 of the 50 names changed position, 4 are new and 6 kept exactly the same place; in the boys' ranking, 37 of the 50 names changed position, 4 are new and 9 kept exactly the same place.
Girls
Biggest climbers: Esmée (#41 → #27, +14), Nour (#25 → #16, +9), Adèle (#15 → #9, +6), Iris (#17 → #11, +6), Agathe (#18 → #13, +5)
Biggest drops: Mia (#13 → #21, -8), Léna (#24 → #31, -7), Anna (#10 → #15, -5), Giulia (#19 → #24, -5), Eva (#21 → #26, -5)
New in the ranking: Lyana, Emy, Aya, Livia
Dropped out: Lola, Lya, Mila, Lyna
Boys
Biggest climbers: Aylan (#44 → #32, +12), Zayn (#50 → #38, +12), Ezio (#46 → #35, +11), Elio (#25 → #17, +8), Noah (#5 → #2, +3)
Biggest drops: Nathan (#29 → #39, -10), Mathis (#38 → #46, -8), Théo (#35 → #42, -7), Lyam (#42 → #47, -5), Ethan (#26 → #30, -4)
New in the ranking: Basile, Oscar, Ismaël, Simon
Dropped out: Tom, Amir, Antoine, Robin
Steady Through 2021–2025
Louise tops the girls' ranking in France, and has done so 4 years running.
38 girls' names appear in every year from 2021–2025 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
LouiseJadeAmbreAlbaRoseEmmaRomyAdèleAliceIrisLouAgatheInayaAnnaNourLinaCharlieOliviaJuliaMiaVictoireJeanneGiuliaLéonieEvaJulietteSofiaZoéLénaLuna
Gabriel tops the boys' ranking in France, and has done so 5 years running.
38 boys' names appear in every year from 2021–2025 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
GabrielNoahLéoRaphaëlLouisJulesArthurLéonAdamMaëlIsaacSachaMarceauLiamEdenNoéGabinLucasAaronMohamedMaloPaulAydenHugoMariusVictorEliottEthanNaëlMartin
Five Years at the Top
How today's ten most common names ranked in each year since 2021. A blank cell means the name was not in that year's list.
Girls
Eight of today's top ten girls' names were already in the top ten in 2021. Alma was not in the 2021 list at all.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louise | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jade | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Ambre | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Alma | 16 | 7 | 6 | 4 | |
| Alba | 8 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Rose | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| Emma | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Romy | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Adèle | 29 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 9 |
| Alice | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Boys
Nine of today's top ten boys' names were already in the top ten in 2021.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Noah | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Léo | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Raphaël | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Louis | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Jules | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| Arthur | 5 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 |
| Léon | 16 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 8 |
| Adam | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Maël | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 10 |
France Among the Thirteen Countries
Where the most common names of France stand in the other twelve countries on this site, each in its most recent year. Accents are ignored; different spellings count as different names.
Girls
One of the top ten girls' names ranks in at least six other countries; three rank in no other country at all.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louise | 1 | 0 | |
| Jade | 2 | 0 | |
| Ambre | 3 | 0 | |
| Alma | 4 | 5 | #1 in Denmark |
| Alba | 5 | 2 | #12 in Sweden |
| Rose | 6 | 1 | #26 in Canada |
| Emma | 7 | 10 | #1 in Austria |
| Romy | 8 | 1 | #41 in Canada |
| Adèle | 9 | 1 | #26 in Italy |
| Alice | 10 | 4 | #3 in Sweden |
Boys
Four of the top ten boys' names rank in at least six other countries.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel | 1 | 8 | #3 in Switzerland |
| Noah | 2 | 12 | #1 in Austria |
| Léo | 3 | 9 | #3 in Canada |
| Raphaël | 4 | 2 | #27 in Austria |
| Louis | 5 | 3 | #8 in Switzerland |
| Jules | 6 | 1 | #39 in Canada |
| Arthur | 7 | 4 | #5 in England and Wales |
| Léon | 8 | 5 | #6 in Germany |
| Adam | 9 | 8 | #8 in Canada |
| Maël | 10 | 1 | #15 in Switzerland |
Which countries name most alike
Of its 100 names, France shares the most with Switzerland (37), Canada (35) and Austria (22), and the fewest with Norway (16). Germany is left out of this comparison, because its list has only ten names per sex.
Where the Names of France Come From
The most frequent origin among the 100 names of 2025 is Latin, with 27. The largest change since 2021 is in Arabic names: 7 then, 12 now. A name with two origins, such as Lucas with Greek and Latin, counts for both. More on the groups in the guide to name origins.
| Origin | Names in 2021 | Names in 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Latin | 26 | 27 |
| Hebrew | 25 | 23 |
| Greek | 17 | 18 |
| Germanic | 15 | 15 |
| Arabic | 7 | 12 |
| French | 6 | 5 |
| Irish | 3 | 3 |
| Celtic | 3 | 3 |
| Italian | 3 | 2 |
| Spanish | 4 | 2 |
👧 Most Popular Girl Names in France (2025)
#1LouiseGermanicFrench
Meaning: Renowned warrior
#2JadeSpanish
Meaning: Jade stone
Jade comes from the Spanish piedra de la ijada, the stone of the flank, so called because the mineral was believed to cure kidney complaints.
#3AmbreArabic
Meaning: Amber
Ambre is the French word for amber, from the Arabic anbar. It has been among the most given French girls' names for two decades.
#4AlmaLatinArabic
Meaning: Nourishing, soul
Alma is linked to the Latin almus, meaning nourishing or kind, and is also the Spanish word for soul. In Britain it came into use after the Battle of the Alma in 1854.
#5AlbaLatin
Meaning: Dawn, white
Alba comes from the Latin albus meaning white, and in Spanish and Italian it means dawn. It is also the Gaelic name for Scotland, a separate root.
#6RoseLatin
Meaning: Rose
Rose is the flower name, from the Latin rosa. In the Middle Ages it also absorbed Germanic names built on hros, meaning horse.
#7EmmaGermanic
Meaning: Whole, universal
Emma began as a short form of Germanic names built on ermen or irmin, meaning whole or universal. Emma of Normandy was queen of England twice in the eleventh century, married first to Æthelred and then to Cnut.
#8RomyLatin
Meaning: Rosemary, or from Rome
Romy began as a German pet form of Rosemarie and is also read as a feminine of Roman. The actress Romy Schneider carried it into wide use.
#9AdèleGermanic
Meaning: Noble
Adèle is the French form of Adela, from the Germanic adal meaning noble. A daughter of William the Conqueror carried it.
#10AliceGermanicFrench
Meaning: Noble kind
Alice comes from the Old French Aalis, a short form of the Germanic Adalheidis, meaning noble kind. Lewis Carroll published Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865.
#11IrisGreek
Meaning: Rainbow
Iris is the Greek goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the gods. The flower and the coloured part of the eye take their names from the same word.
#12LouGermanic
Meaning: Famous warrior
Lou is used in France as a name in its own right and as a short form of Louise, from the Germanic hlud meaning famous and wig meaning war.
#13AgatheGreek
Meaning: Good
Agathe is the French and Scandinavian form of Agatha, from the Greek agathos meaning good. Saint Agatha of Sicily was martyred in the third century.
#14InayaArabic
Meaning: Care, concern
Inaya comes from the Arabic inaya, meaning care, solicitude or protection.
#15AnnaHebrew
Meaning: Grace, favour
Anna is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Hannah, meaning grace or favour. In Christian tradition it is the name of the mother of Mary.
#16NourArabic
Meaning: Light
Nour is the French transliteration of the Arabic nur, meaning light.
#17LinaGreekArabic
Meaning: Bright, shining; tender
#18CharlieGermanic
Meaning: Free woman
Charlie is used for girls as a short form of Charlotte, which descends through French from the Germanic karl meaning a free person.
#19OliviaLatin
Meaning: Olive tree
Olivia is linked to the Latin oliva, olive. Shakespeare gave it to the countess in Twelfth Night, and the play made it familiar in English.
#20JuliaLatin
Meaning: Youthful
Julia is the feminine form of Julius, the Roman family name of Julius Caesar. Paul greets a Christian woman named Julia in his letter to the Romans.
#21MiaHebrewScandinavian
Meaning: Mine; wished-for child
Mia began as a short form of Maria in Scandinavian and German usage. In Italian and Spanish the same word means mine.
#22VictoireLatin
Meaning: Victory
Victoire is the French word for victory and the French form of Victoria, from the Latin victoria.
#23JeanneHebrew
Meaning: God is gracious
Jeanne is the French feminine form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan meaning God is gracious. Jeanne d'Arc is its best-known bearer.
#24GiuliaLatinItalian
Meaning: Youthful
Giulia is the Italian form of Julia, the feminine of the Roman family name Julius.
#25LéonieLatin
Meaning: Lion
Léonie is the French feminine form of Leon, from the Latin leo meaning lion.
#26EvaHebrew
Meaning: Life
Eva is the Latin form of Eve, from the Hebrew chavah meaning to live or to breathe. In Genesis she is named as the mother of all living.
#27EsméeFrench
Meaning: Esteemed, loved
Esmée is the French feminine spelling of Esmé, from the Old French esmé meaning esteemed or loved.
#28JulietteLatin
Meaning: From the Julius family
Juliette is a French diminutive of Julie, from the Roman family name Julius. Shakespeare's Juliet fixed it in the European imagination.
#29SofiaGreek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sofia is the spelling of Sophia used in Italian, Spanish, the Scandinavian languages and the Slavic languages. It goes back to the Greek sophia, wisdom.
#30ZoéGreek
Meaning: Life
Zoé is the French form of Zoe, the Greek word for life. Greek-speaking Jews used it to translate the name Eve.
#31LénaGreek
Meaning: Torch, bright
Léna is a French short form of Helena and Magdalena. Through Helena it connects to the Greek word for torch or brightness.
#32AlyaArabic
Meaning: Exalted, sky
Alya comes from the Arabic root for height, meaning exalted or the heavens. The same spelling is used for a Turkish and a Russian name of separate origin.
#33LunaLatin
Meaning: Moon
Luna is the Latin word for moon and the name of the Roman goddess of the moon.
#34ChloéGreek
Meaning: Green shoot
Chloé comes from the Greek chloe, meaning the young green growth of a plant. It was an epithet of Demeter, goddess of the harvest.
#35NinaHebrewSpanish
Meaning: Grace; little girl
#36VictoriaLatin
Meaning: Victory
Victoria is the Latin word for victory and the name of the Roman goddess of victory. Queen Victoria reigned over Britain from 1837 to 1901.
#37AlixGermanic
Meaning: Noble kind
Alix is a medieval French form of Adelaide, from the Germanic adal meaning noble and heid meaning kind or sort. In France it is now used mainly for girls.
#38LéaHebrew
Meaning: Weary
Léa is the French form of Leah, the elder daughter of Laban and first wife of Jacob in Genesis. The Hebrew is usually read as weary.
#39RomaneLatin
Meaning: From Rome
Romane is the French feminine form of Roman, from the Latin Romanus meaning a Roman.
#40AvaGermanicHebrew
Meaning: Life, bird-like
#41CharlotteGermanicFrench
Meaning: Free woman
Charlotte is the French feminine form of Charles, from the Germanic karl, meaning free man. Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, and the novelist Charlotte Brontë bore it.
#42ElenaGreek
Meaning: Bright, shining
#43LucieLatin
Meaning: Light
Lucie is the French and Czech form of Lucia, from the Latin lux meaning light.
#44AlbaneLatin
Meaning: From Alba
Albane is the French feminine form of Alban, from the Latin Albanus meaning a man from Alba. Saint Alban was the first British martyr.
#45Lyana
#46MargotGreek
Meaning: Pearl
Margot is a French pet form of Marguerite, from the Greek margarites meaning pearl.
#47GabrielleHebrew
Meaning: God is my strength
Gabrielle is the French feminine form of Gabriel, from the Hebrew gever meaning strong man and el meaning God.
#48EmyLatinGermanic
Meaning: Rival, or industrious
Emy is a French short form used for Emilie and for Emma. Through Emilie it goes back to the Roman Aemilius; through Emma to a Germanic root meaning whole or universal.
#49AyaArabic
Meaning: Sign, verse
Aya comes from the Arabic aya, meaning a sign or a verse of the Quran. An unrelated Japanese name is written the same way in the Latin alphabet.
#50LiviaLatin
Meaning: From the Livius family
Livia is the feminine of the Roman family name Livius. Livia Drusilla was the wife of Augustus and one of the most powerful women of the early empire.
👦 Most Popular Boy Names in France (2025)
#1GabrielHebrew
Meaning: God is my strength
Gabriel is a Hebrew name meaning God is my strength. In the Bible the archangel Gabriel announces the births of John the Baptist and of Jesus.
#2NoahHebrew
Meaning: Rest, comfort
Noah is the Hebrew Noach, meaning rest or comfort. In Genesis he builds the ark and survives the flood with his family.
#3LéoLatin
Meaning: Lion
Léo is the French form of Leo, from the Latin word for lion. Thirteen popes have carried the name.
#4RaphaëlHebrew
Meaning: God has healed
Raphaël is the French form of Raphael, from the Hebrew rapha el meaning God has healed.
#5LouisGermanicFrench
Meaning: Renowned warrior
#6JulesLatin
Meaning: From the Julius family
Jules is the French form of Julius, an old Roman family name. It is used in France and French-speaking Canada as a name in its own right.
#7ArthurCeltic
Meaning: Bear
Arthur is the legendary king of the Britons at the centre of the Arthurian romances. Its origin is uncertain; a Celtic word for bear and the Roman family name Artorius have both been proposed.
#8LéonGreek
Meaning: Lion
Léon is the French form of Leon, from the Greek leon meaning lion, the source of the Latin word as well.
#9AdamHebrew
Meaning: Earth, man
#10MaëlCeltic
Meaning: Prince, chief
Maël comes from the Breton mael, meaning prince or chief. Saint Maël was a Breton hermit, and the name is closely tied to Brittany.
#11IsaacHebrew
Meaning: He will laugh
#12SachaGreek
Meaning: Defender of men
Sacha is the French spelling of Sasha, the Russian pet form of Alexander, from the Greek alexein meaning to defend and aner meaning man.
#13MarceauLatin
Meaning: Of Mars
Marceau is a French surname derived from Marcel, itself from the Roman Marcellus, a diminutive of Marcus and so linked to the god Mars.
#14LiamIrishGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
Liam began as the Irish short form of Uilliam, the Irish form of William, which comes from the Germanic wil, will, and helm, protection.
#15EdenHebrew
Meaning: Delight, pleasure
Eden is the garden of Genesis, and the Hebrew root carries the sense of delight or pleasure. It is given to both boys and girls in France and Israel.
#16NoéHebrew
Meaning: Rest, comfort
Noé is the French form of Noah, from the Hebrew noach meaning rest. In Genesis the name is linked to relief from the labour of the ground.
#17ElioGreek
Meaning: Sun
Elio is the Italian form of Helios, the Greek word for the sun and the name of its god. It is also read as a form of the Roman family name Aelius.
#18GabinLatin
Meaning: From Gabium
Gabin is the French form of Gabinus, a Roman name taken from Gabium, an ancient town in Latium near Rome.
#19LucasLatinGreek
Meaning: Bringer of light
Lucas is the Latin form of Loukas, Luke, the name of the author of the third gospel. The Greek name probably meant man from Lucania, though it is popularly linked to the Latin lux, light.
#20AaronHebrew
Meaning: Mountain of strength
Aaron is the name of Moses' elder brother in the Hebrew Bible, the first high priest of Israel. The Hebrew root is uncertain, and the traditional reading is mountain or exalted.
#21MohamedArabic
Meaning: Praiseworthy
Mohamed is a transliteration of the Arabic Muhammad, from the root hamida meaning to praise. It is one of several spellings of the name of the prophet of Islam.
#22MaloCeltic
Meaning: Bright pledge
Malo comes from Saint Maclou, a sixth-century Welsh monk who founded the Breton city that carries his name. The elements are generally read as pledge and bright.
#23PaulLatin
Meaning: Small, humble
Paul comes from the Roman family name Paulus, meaning small or humble. It is the name of the apostle whose letters make up much of the New Testament.
#24AydenIrish
Meaning: Little fire
Ayden is a modern spelling of Aidan, from the Irish Aodhan, a diminutive of Aodh, the name of a Celtic sun god meaning fire.
#25HugoGermanic
Meaning: Mind, intellect
Hugo is the Latin form of the Germanic Hugo, from hug, meaning mind or spirit, and is used in German, French, Spanish and the Scandinavian languages.
#26IbrahimArabicHebrew
Meaning: Father of many
Ibrahim is the Arabic form of Abraham, from the Hebrew av hamon meaning father of a multitude. He is one of the principal prophets of Islam.
#27MariusLatin
Meaning: From the Marius family
Marius is an old Roman family name, probably connected with Mars. Gaius Marius reorganised the Roman army in the second century before Christ.
#28VictorLatin
Meaning: Conqueror
#29EliottHebrew
Meaning: My God is the Lord
Eliott is a French spelling of Elliot, which descends through medieval French and English forms of Elijah, from the Hebrew meaning my God is Yahweh.
#30EthanHebrew
Meaning: Firm, enduring
Ethan appears in the Hebrew Bible as a name for wise men, and the root means firm, solid or enduring. Its modern currency began in the United States.
#31ImranArabic
Meaning: Prosperity, long life
Imran is the name given in the Quran to the father of Mary, and a chapter of the Quran is named for his family. The Arabic root carries the sense of prosperity or habitation.
#32Aylan
#33NaëlArabic
Meaning: One who achieves
Naël is the French spelling of Nael, from the Arabic Nail meaning one who attains or achieves.
#34MartinLatin
Meaning: Of Mars; warlike
Martin comes from the Roman name Martinus, derived from Mars, the god of war. Saint Martin of Tours, a fourth-century bishop, is the saint most associated with it.
#35EzioGreek
Meaning: Eagle
Ezio is the Italian form of Aetius, the name of the Roman general who stopped Attila in Gaul. It is generally traced to the Greek aetos, meaning eagle.
#36CômeGreek
Meaning: Order, beauty
Côme is the French form of Cosmas, from the Greek kosmos meaning order or beauty. Saint Cosmas, a physician martyred with his brother Damian, carried it into the calendar.
#37GaspardPersian
Meaning: Treasurer
Gaspard is the French form of Caspar, traditionally one of the three magi. The name is usually traced to an Old Persian word for a treasurer or keeper of the treasure.
#38ZaynArabic
Meaning: Beauty, grace
Zayn comes from the Arabic zayn, meaning beauty or grace. It appears in compound names such as Zayn al-Abidin.
#39NathanHebrew
Meaning: He gave
#40LéandreGreek
Meaning: Lion man
Léandre is the French form of Leander, from the Greek leon meaning lion and aner meaning man. In myth, Leander swims the Hellespont nightly to reach Hero.
#41BasileGreek
Meaning: Kingly
Basile is the French form of Basil, from the Greek basileus meaning king. Saint Basil the Great of Caesarea made it a standard name in the Eastern church.
#42ThéoGreek
Meaning: Gift of God
Théo is the French form of Theo, a short form of Théodore, from the Greek theos meaning god and doron meaning gift.
#43AugustinLatin
Meaning: Venerable
Augustin is the French form of Augustinus, a Roman name derived from augustus meaning venerable. Saint Augustine of Hippo made it one of the enduring names of Western Christianity.
#44NinoItalian
Meaning: Short form of several names
Nino is an Italian pet form used for names ending in nino, among them Giovannino and Antonino. It is given as a name in its own right in Italy and France.
#45MiloGermanicSlavic
Meaning: Uncertain, possibly merciful
Milo came to England with the Normans and its origin is disputed. It is generally linked either to a Germanic root meaning mild or to the Slavic mil meaning gracious.
#46MathisHebrew
Meaning: Gift of God
Mathis is a French and German form of Matthias, from the Hebrew Mattityahu meaning gift of Yahweh.
#47LyamGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
Lyam is a French spelling of Liam, the Irish short form of William, from the Germanic wil meaning will and helm meaning protection.
#48OscarNorseIrish
Meaning: God's spear; divine strength
Oscar is the son of Oisín in Irish legend, and James Macpherson's Ossian poems spread the name in the eighteenth century. Napoleon, an admirer of the poems, was godfather to the boy who became King Oscar I of Sweden. Its meaning is disputed.
#49IsmaëlHebrew
Meaning: God will hear
Ismaël is the French form of Ishmael, from the Hebrew yishma el meaning God will hear. He is the son of Abraham and Hagar in Genesis and a prophet in Islam.
#50SimonHebrew
Meaning: He has heard
Simon is the Greek form of the Hebrew Shim'on, usually explained as he has heard. It is the original name of the apostle Peter.
Data: INSEE. Figures for 2025. Retrieved automatically four times a year. Browse all countries →