French names that start with 'L'
In phonetics, the letter “L” is called a liquid consonant, and it does have a smooth and flowing sound. It's no wonder that many beautiful French names start with this letter.
French girl names that start with L
Many of the French girl names that begin with “L” have elegance, sophistication, and beauty. Whether it's the classic and timeless “Louise,” the charming and contemporary “Léa,” or the unique and enchanting “Ludivine”, each of these names reflects the beauty of the French language.
- Laurence: In English, Laurence is a male name and it is usually spelled as Lawrence in the US. But in France, Laurence is a female name which is the feminine form of the male name Laurent.
- Léa: Among French parents who prefer shorter names, Léa is a popular choice for girls, just as Léo is a popular boy’s name.
- Laëtitia: The name Laëtitia, (also spelled as Laetitia), is derived from the Latin word “laetitia” which means “joy” and “happiness”. In Roman mythology, Laetitia is the Goddess of gaiety.
- Louise: Louise is a classic French girl’s name that is popular due to its simplicity and elegance. It is the feminine form of the male name Louis. The name Louise has many cute nicknames such as Lou and Loulou.
- Lucienne: Lucienne is a girl’s name derived from the French male name Lucien. These likely derive from the Latin name Lucius, which in turn comes from the word “lux” meaning “light”
- Liliane: Lilian is an elegant French girl’s name that comes from the Latin word “Lilium” which refers to a flower known in English as a “lily”.
- Lucie: Lucie is the French form of the Latin name Lucia. Their origin can be traced back to the Latin word “lux” (declined as “lucis”) which means “light”. This etymology makes Lucie a radiant and luminous French girl’s name.
- Lilou: This is a cute and relatively new French name that has gained popularity after the release of the film “The Fifth Element” by French director Luc Besson. In that movie, one of the main characters had this name (with a slightly different spelling).
- Lucette: Lucette is a name derived by adding the endearing diminutive suffix “-ette” to the name Lucie.
- Laure: Laure is a French girl’s name that originates from the Latin male name Laurus, which translates to “laurel”—a symbol of glory in antiquity.
- Lou: Originally, Lou was a diminutive for Louise (or Louis), but it has grown into a popular girl's name in France.
- Louane: Louane is the feminine form of the Breton male name Elouan. The name Louane can also be interpreted as a fusion of the names Lou (short for Louise) and Anne.
- Ludivine: Ludivine is a melodic-sounding French name. Although it contains the word “divine”, its etymology is different as it originates from the Germanic name Lidwina.
- Laurine: The name Laurine has the same origin as the names Laure and Lauriane.
- Léonie: Léonie is the female form of the French male name Léon. Both originate from the Latin word “leo” which means “lion”.
- Léane: The name Léane can be interpreted as a fusion of the names Léa and Anne.
- Lucile
- Léontine: The name Léontine has the same origin as the name Léonie. Both can be traced back to the Latin word “leo” (meaning “lion”)
- Lise: Lise is a charmingly concise French female name that is derived from Élisabeth (or Louise).
- Loane: In France, Loane is a name of Breton origin that means “the light”.
- Léone
- Lylou
- Lou-Anne
- Louisette: a diminutive form of the name Louise.
- Lauriane: This name can also be spelled as Laurianne.
Many French girl names starting with 'L' can be traced back to three Latin roots: “lucis”, “laurus” and “leo”.
The first root is “lucis”, a declined form of the Latin word “lux” which means “light”. This root is present in French names like Lucie, Lucile, Lucienne, and Lucette. It gives these names a radiant and luminous charm.
The second root is “laurus”, a Latin word that refers to the bay laurel. This plant is enjoyed as an aromatic herb, but in ancient Greece and Rome, it also symbolized victory and achievement. Winners were often crowned with laurel wreaths. This root can be found in girl names like Laure, Laurine and Lauriane.
The third root, “leo” —a Latin word that means “lion”— appears in names like Léonie, Léontine, and Léone, and gives them a majestic and powerful aura.
French boy’s names that start with L
- Laurent
- Louis
- Lucas
- Ludovic
- Lucien
- Léo
- Lionel
- Léon
- Loïc
- Luc
- Léandre
- Léonard
French last names that start with L
There are many French surnames that start with the letter ‘L’ because these often begin with the French masculine definite article “le”. For example, Lemaire is a French last name that can be interpreted as meaning “the mayor” (“maire” being the French word for “mayor”).
Below is a list of many of the most common French last names that start with “L”:
- Lefebvre
- Laurent
- Leroy
- Lambert
- Lefevre
- Legrand
- Lemaire
- Lucas
- Leroux
- Lemoine
- Leclercq
- Leclerc
- Lecomte
- Louis
- Lacroix
- Léger
- Langlois
- Lebrun
- Le gall
- Leblanc
- Leveque
- Lemaitre
- Le roux
- Lebon
- Le goff
- Lejeune
- Lesage
- Legros
- Launay
- Lebreton
- Leduc
- Lelievre
- Lamy
- Lenoir
- Laine
- Lefort
- Laporte
- Legendre
- Leconte
- Lombard
- Laroche
- Loiseau
- Lacombe
- Lemonnier
- Lagarde
- Labbe
- Lecoq
- Ledoux
- Leblond
- Leleu
- Letellier