French names that start with 'F'

‘F’ is the first letter of the word “France” — and ‘F’ is also the initial of many elegant French names.

French girl names that start with f

A floral theme appears in several French names that begin with the letter ‘F’.

Florence, Floriane, and Florine are girl names related to “florens”, a Latin term meaning “blooming” or “flowering”. Next, comes Flore, a name derived from “floris” (a form of the Latin word for “flower”). And, of course, Fleur, the French word for “flower” is also used as a name.

The theme of France itself is apparent in several other French girl names that begin with the letter ‘F’.

For instance, Françoise is an elegant name that can be traced back to “Francus”, a Latin word that refers to the French (and the Franks). France —a female name directly borrowed from the country’s name— isn't widely used, possibly due to its potential for confusion; but it is the origin of more frequently-used names like Francine.

• Françoise: Françoise is a classic and elegant French name. It is the feminine form of the masculine name François.
• Florence: This French name is related to the Latin word “florens” which means “blooming” and “flowering”. It being both a girl’s name and that of a famous Tuscan city adds to its allure.
• Fabienne
• Fanny: In France, Fanny is a name that arose as a diminutive of either Stéphanie or Françoise. In French, this word does not have slang meanings like it does in the U.K. and U.S.
• Fernande: This is the feminine form of the name Fernand, a variant of the name Ferdinand. While most French girl names have Latin origins, this one has Germanic origins.
• Francine: Francine is a name derived from the name “France”.
• Frédérique: The female name Frédérique is pronounced the same as its male counterpart (Frédéric). They differ only in their spelling.
• Flavie: Flavie is a graceful and charming French name that comes from the Latin name Flavia. These can be traced back to the Latin adjective “flavus” which refers to a color that is blond, golden, or yellow.
• France: The name France is —unsurprisingly— directly derived from the name of the country itself. It is not among the most common French names, likely due to the confusion which could arise. It is more frequently encountered in diminutive form (Francine) or in the compound name Marie-France.
• Faustine: Literature enthusiasts will notice the resemblance between the French female name Faustine and the title of the literary masterpiece “Faust” by the German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Both these names come from the Latin adjective “faustus” which means “favorable” and “fortunate”.
• Floriane: Floriane is a charming female name that evokes a sense of floral beauty. Like the corresponding male Florian, it comes from the Latin term “florens” which means “blossoming”.
• Florine: Florine is a variant of the name Floriane. It appears in literature, as Florine is a character in “La Comédie humaine”, a series of novels by the 19th-century French author Honoré de Balzac.
• Félicie: Félicie is a French girl’s name that radiates joy and happiness because it originates from the Latin word “felix” which means “happy”. This name’s resemblance to the English word “felicity”, is not a coincidence —both originate from the same Latin root.
• Florie
• Francette: Francette is a diminutive, affectionate version of the name France.
• Flore: Flore is a French name that corresponds to the English name Flora. In Roman mythology, the goddess of flowers and plants is named Flora (she is called Flore in French). The name can be traced back to the Latin word “floris”, a declined form of the term “flos” which means “flower”.
• Fantine: Fatine is the name of one of the characters in “Les Misérables”, a novel by Victor Hugo, the renowned 19th-century French author. In the novel, Fantine endures hardships for her daughter, Cosette, amidst poverty and social injustice.
• Fleur: The French language has several girl names that are also flower names, like Marguerite, Capucine, and Rose. And then there is “Fleur” which is both a name and the French word for “flower”.
• Florentine: Florentine, a refined French name that evokes the Renaissance era, comes from the Latin word “Florentinus” which means “from Florence”. Florence is a charming Tuscan city that is famous for its contributions to the Italian Renaissance.

French boy’s names that start with f

• François: François is a quintessentially French name. Not only does this name contain a cedilla below the ‘c’, a diacritical mark used in French, but in addition this name comes from the Latin word “Francus”, which refers to the French (and the Franks).
• Frédéric: Frédéric is the French version of the name Frederick. This name has Germanic origins but it has variants in many different languages. For example, the famous composer and pianist Frédéric Chopin was born in Poland with the Polish version of this name (Fryderyk). In his early twenties, he moved to Paris and later obtained French citizenship. In France, he used the French version of his name.
• Franck
• Fabrice
• Florian
• Fabien
• Francis: Francis is a name that was borrowed from English, but it can be traced back to the same origin as François. Both names originate from the Latin word “Francus”, which refers to the French (and the Franks).
• Florent
• Fernand
• Félix
• Flavien
• Ferdinand
• Florentin
• François-Xavier
• Félicien

French last names that start with f

Among French last names that start with ‘f’, “Ferry” is widely recognized in France as the name of a 19th-century statesman, Jules Ferry who is famous for implementing the education reforms that established free, secular, and mandatory primary education in France. Many French cities have named streets and schools after him.

Another common French surname starting with this letter is “Faure”, which many in France recognize as the last name of Félix Faure who was president of France at the end of the 19th century. In Paris, an avenue and a metro station are named after him.

The surname Faure also exists in a different variation, spelled as “Fauré” with an accent on the 'e'. This form of the name is also well-known in France due to Gabriel Fauré, a late 19th and early 20th-century composer.

• Fontaine
• Fournier
• François
• Faure
• Fabre
• Fleury
• Ferrand
• Fouquet
• Faivre
• Foucher
• Felix
• Favre
• Ferre
• Forestier
• Favier
• Flament
• Fortin
• Foulon
• Ferry
• Ferrer
• Fort
• Faucher