French Names 2021: What’s Chic en France? 🇫🇷
Fashionable names in France right now are not what you might expect!
What is it about French baby names that makes them so irresistibly chic? 🤩
Nameberry’s most viewed names are always bursting with sophisticated French picks, especially for girls. Just look at Elodie, which ranks all the way up at #15 for the first three weeks of 2021, or Delphine, which was one of our hottest names of the past year.
But what sounds chic to English ears doesn’t always correspond to current French fashions. Berry favorites Elodie and Delphine peaked in 1988 and 1977 respectively, and sweet rising star Sylvie was a huge sixties hit in France – given to 6% of girls born at its peak in 1964.
We’ve been looking at French name trends in real-time on the blog this week. Here are some of the most intriguing names à la mode in France right now 🇫🇷
Alix: Looks like a modern twist on Alex, but don’t be fooled! This medieval variant of Alice is a French royal name and cracked the Top 50 there last year.
Bleuenn: A beautiful Breton name related to the Welsh Blodwen, meaning “flower”.
Léonce: The French form of both Leontius and Leontia, this fierce vintage name is starting to rise again for both sexes.
Malo: The ancient walled city of Saint-Malo is famous for its pirates and explorers – making the likely meaning of the name, “shining hostage”, feel especially apt!
Quitterie: A super quirky saint’s name pronounced with two syllables in French: “kit-ree”.
Name of the Week: Khai
Celebrity name news of the week: Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik finally revealed the name of their daughter, born in September. Welcome, Khai! 🥳
As we predicted, they chose a powerful Arabic name with family ties – but they surprised us with its androgynous style.
List of the Week: Aquarius Names
Due in the next month and still stuck for a name? Look no further than our newly updated master list of names for Aquarius babies!
And just for fun: tell us what you’d name an Aquarius baby from this list. I’m going with Cato January for a boy and Zella Pavati for a girl 😍 Share yours in the comments below!