Looking for a baby name ? It’s difficult to choose a name for someone else, since there are so many choices. You can go classic, weird, short, long, international… If you’re wondering what are the most popular baby names for 2020 in France, here is a list.
French Baby Names for Girls in 2020
Let’s find the perfect name amongst these popular baby names for 2020. Obviously, you might see some names that were already in the baby names list for 2019.
Emma
This first name comes from the Germanic language: “heim”, that means house, or “ermin”, that means big, powerful. It was also popular in the Middle Ages and was used by several queens of France and England. It’s been popular for years, so we’re sure it will be another hit in baby names for 2020.
Jade
You might not know that, but the name Jade comes from the Spanish word “piedra de la ijada”, which means “stone of the sides”. It was the name given by Spanish people in the 15th century to a very fine and very hard green stone, supposed to have medicinal virtues.
Louise
This beautiful name is the feminine form of Louis, a famous French name given to kings… Louise was popular in the 1900s but declined after the 70s. Since 2012, it has always been in the top 3 of the most given names in France.
Alice
It might be difficult to find the origin of this name. Alice is supposed to come from the Old French name Aalis, which is a short form of Adelais, itself a short form of the Germanic name Adalheidis (Adélaïde).
Chloé
Nature lover ? Chloé is a name that means “the young plant” in Greek. It was the nickname of the Greek goddess of the Earth, Demeter.
Léa
In Hebrew, Léa is the French form of Leah, which means “lioness of wisdom”. Sure, Léa is a short name, but it’s still a strong name. It will be very popular amongst baby names for 2020.
Anna
What a beautiful name. Anna is derived from Hannah, from the Hebrew name חַנָּה (Channah) meaning “favour, grace”. You might know the classic name Anne, which was very popular before. But around the end of the 90s, the name Anne was overthrown by Anna!
Inès
Inès is the Hispanic form of Agnes, that comes from the Greek “agnê”: pure. Ines is also an Arabic first name which means “kind” and “sociable”. The popularity of this nam confirms that nowadays, French parents like short names.
Ambre
Ambre is the French translation of “amber”, a fossilized yellow or orange resin that can be used for jewelry. But ultimately, the word comes from Arabic عنبر (‘anbar).
Lou
Lou is a mixed first name! It’s the diminutive of Louis or Louise, and its etymology comes from the old German “hlod” (illustrious) and “wig” (fighter).
Juliette
The name Juliette has always been very popular in France. In fact, it might be the last name in -ette used in France nowadays, with Claudette and Suzette (which are more “old” names). Nowadays, with the rise in names that end with -a, the name Julia is a good competitor.
Agathe
From the latinized form of the Greek name Αγαθη (Agathe) or derived from Greek αγαθος (agathos), which means “good”.
Louane
They might be two ways of explaining the origin of this name. First, it might come from the first name Elouan, which comes from the Celtic terms “el” and “lou” (“wealth” and “light”). But Louane is also the combination of two other popular names : Lou and Anne. In France, Louane is a famous young singer and actress.
Léna
Léna is the kind of name that was formed using variants and abbreviations of other names. Léna is the French version of Lena, which is the abbreviation of several names ending in -ena : Helena, Magdalena. And obviously, Helena is the variant of Helen… And in Greek mythology, Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda. She was kidnapped by Paris, which caused the Trojan War.
Iris
Iris is inspired by the Greek word “iridos”, which can be translated by “rainbow”. It’s also the name of a flower and part of the eye!
Jeanne
Jeanne is the feminine form of Jean, from the Hebrew first name Yehohanan, which consists of the terms “yeho” and “hanan”, which can be translated as “God forgives”.
Iwa
Iwa is a Japanese first name. In Japanese, Iwa means “solid as a rock”. We predict a rise of this beautiful name amongst the baby names for 2020.
Gaya
Gaya might be a variation of Gaia (also spelled Gaea), who is a primordial deity and the personification of the Earth in Greek mythology.
Maegan
Obviously, Maegan is a variation of the name Megan (and Meghan), which is a Welsh diminutive of the English name Margaret. Margaret itself comes from the Greek “μαργαριτης” (margarites) meaning “pearl”.
Séraphine
This name is the French form of Seraphina, which itself is the feminine form of the Late Latin name Seraphinus. It is derived from the biblical word seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant “fiery ones”. And if you didn’t know, the seraphim were an order of angels described in the Bible.
Naëlle
Naëlle might be the feminine form of the diminutive Naël, which comes from Nathanaël. This name comes from the Hebrew name נְתַנְאֵל (Netan’el) meaning “God has given”.
Livia
For some people, Livia is the diminutive of Olivia, another very popular baby name. But it also comes from the Latin name Livius, a Roman family name that may be related to either Latin “liveo”, “to envy” or “lividus” which means “blue, envious”.
French Baby Names for Boys in 2020
Gabriel
Gabriel is a religious name. It comes from the Hebrew words “gabor” and “el”, meaning “God’s strength”. In Hebrew tradition, Gabriel is an archangel, often appearing as a messenger of God. And in the Old Testament, he’s sent to interpret the visions of the prophet Daniel. He serves as the announcer of the birth of Jesus to Mary in the New Testament.
Raphaël
Do we need one more Raphaël in this world? Yes! This name comes from the Hebrew word “rephael”, meaning “God has healed”.
Louis
Louis is a French first name derived from the Germanic name Hlodowig, composed of the elements “Hlod” and “wig” which means “glory” and “fight”.
Arthur
The exact origin of the name Arthur remains unknown. But the name is widely known thanks to the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. It will be strong amongst the popular baby names for 2020.
Hugo
This name became popular in the 1980s thanks to the “o” ending and also because it’s a short first name. Nowadays, it stays in the top 20 of the most given names. It comes from the Germanic element hug, meaning “heart, mind, spirit”.
Jules
From the Latin Iulius, the name of the son of Aeneas, legendary founder of the Roman Empire. It means “descendant of Jupiter”. And we all know the famous Julius Caesar… So it’s no surprise that the name Jules was often given in aristocratic families during Renaissance.
Maël
Looking for a French name? You can’t do more French than a Breton name, right? It was derived from a Celtic word meaning “chief” or “prince”.
Ethan
Ethan comes from the Hebrew name אֵיתָן (‘Eitan) meaning “solid, enduring, firm”. It was mostly an American name before the 2000s. But thanks to Hollywood and American pop culture, it became very trendy in France.
Paul
Paul comes from the Roman family name Paulus, which means “small” or “humble” in Latin. It’s a classic name that works well around the world, even if it has a different pronunciation in French and English.
Gabin
Do you know any Gabin? Surely, they are either old, or younger than 30. This name almost disappeared between the 1960s and the 1990s. Now, it’s a very popular name for boys. Remember, vintage names will become trendy again.
Nathan
It comes from the Hebrew name נָתָן (Natan), which means “he gave”. In the Hebrew Bible, Nathan was a prophet who lived in the time of King David.
Lucas
Obviously, we had to write these two names together: in One Tree Hill (a TV show that aired on The CW), the two half brothers are called Lucas and Nathan. Otherwise, Lucas comes from the name Luc, which in Latin, comes from the word “lux” (“light”).
Sacha
We love it when names have multiple origins. For example, the name Sacha comes from “Sasha”, the Russian diminutive of the name “Aleksandr”. And the name Alexandre comes from the Greek words “alexein” and “andros” (‘defend” and “man, enemy”).
Noah
Noah is a well-known biblical name that comes from the Hebrew name נֹחַ (Noach), which means “rest”, “repose”. It’s derived from the root נוּחַ (nuach).
Mohamed
This is an alternate transcription of Arabic محمّد , Muhammad, which means “praised, commendable” in Arabic. It became really popular in France around the 1950s and remains in the list of popular baby names for 2020.
Aaron
In Hebrew, Aaron comes from the word “aharôn” which means “he who comes after”. The word can also be divided into “har” and “hon”, which means “mountain” and “song” respectively. It gained popularity at the beginning of the 2000s.
Bixente
Bixente is one of the Basque forms of Vincent, which comes from the Roman name Vincentius, which was from Latin vincere “to conquer”. Bixente Lizarazu is a famous French footballer who played from 1988 to 2006 and is now a sport consultant.
Léon
Léon, which is the French form for Leon, comes from the Latin “leo”: lion. It almost disappeared between the 1970s and the 1990s, maybe when the name Leo became more popular. But today, it’s trendy again.
Enzo
The meaning of the name Enzo is uncertain. It might be an old Italian form of Heinz or a variant of the Germanic name Anzo (derived from the Germanic element ant meaning “giant”). In France, it gained popularity in the 1990s and is still in the list of popular baby names for 2020.
Marius
Roman patronymic derived from the name of the god of war, Mars, this name also comes from the Latin root “mas, maris” meaning “male”. You might know the variant Mario.
Tiago
Do you like this name? It’s a popular name from Portugal, where it is used as a translation for Jacques or James. It’s also the name of a former Portuguese footballer who played as a midfielder. But be careful, Tiago is also the name of a car.
Ilyan
You’ve never heard of this name? Well, it will only gain popularity. In 2000, only 6 babies were named Ilyan in France. In 2017, they were 343. In the Arabic language, the first name Ilyan means “great”, “nobility” or “superiority”.
These are some of the most popular baby names for 2020, in France. Did you find the perfect name for your baby yet? Or maybe you were thinking about something more classic? Feel free to go see what the trendiest baby names in the United States are.
