It all started (or ended?) in 1539. Then the royal ordinance assigned to every Frenchman his family name, nickname, nickname, and under this name (and under no other) he and his descendants from now on and forever had to be registered in the church. parish books. It was forbidden to change it at will.

6 Fructidor of the 2nd year of the Republic (in a non-revolutionary way - August 23, 1794) The Convention, having barely dealt with the Jacobin dictatorship, changed the royal ordinance in a civil manner and commanded that “no citizen can bear a name or surname other than that indicated in his birth certificate." Those who, under the guise of revolutionary events, changed them were obliged to return, so to speak, to their primitive state.

As in many other cases, the dictatorship of Napoleon saved us from the excesses of the revolution. The First Consul introduced relaxations and compromises with an iron hand, and on the 11th of Germinal of the 11th year of the Republic (April 1 (!) 1803), the happy French were allowed to change their surnames in exceptional cases (and personal names were officially allowed to change only in the mid-80s of our centuries, and even then, as we will see, with great difficulty). But they were forbidden to give children any names, except those that appear in the Republican and Catholic calendars (the First Consul knew how to reconcile opposites!), and even the names of historical characters. But here, as it should be in a well-organized state, much was left to the discretion of the authorities. For example, once parents were denied the right to name their daughter Kasandra: historical (or quasi-historical) characters had to choose the right ones...

Maybe our numerous Electrons, May Days and Vanguards, as well as not so numerous Dazdraperms (from “Long live the First of May”) and Lagshmivars (“Schmidt’s Camp in the Arctic”) would welcome the wise conservatism of the First Consul, who moderated the arbitrariness of his parents: after all, neither one young Frenchwoman was not named Murata or Talleyrand, and there was not a single newborn Austerlitz in 1806. True, once in Guadeloupe a baby, in full accordance with Napoleonic decree, was named something like State. etc. - exactly from the calendar, where this note - “public holiday” - is accompanied by many dates (in French, of course, it sounds different, but no more ridiculous). But, as you know, you cannot foresee everything, even if you are Napoleon Bonaparte.

With certain relaxations, all this Bonapartism is still in effect. In any case, they are allowed to change surnames if there are sufficient reasons, but whether the reasons are sufficient is for officials to decide (oh, freedom, equality and fraternity!) or the court (after all, democracy!). And the procedure for such a decision is to the Soviet man You won't see it in a nightmare. The State Chancellery, the Ministry of Justice and such a high body as the State Council are involved, which, until abolition death penalty often interfered even in matters of life and death. The case may reach the highest court.

There are basically three valid reasons for changing a surname among citizens. The first two are recognized by the state almost unconditionally: these are the cacophonous, funny, offensive nature of the surname and its “foreignness”. The third common motive is the desire to ennoble one’s quite decent, but rustic surname. Belle France also treats this with understanding, although not so unconditionally.

Considering (of course, not in the sense of “deciding” - where are we, but in the sense of “looking at”) statements on the first of the motives, you are amazed at how many at the end of our century have survived not only funny or absurd - frankly obscene, humiliating, offensive surnames (former peasant nicknames). Experts believe that 500 years ago, when the royal order “froze” surnames, many of them had a different, more decent meaning, and that over the past 500 years it has changed, not for the better. For example, the notorious surname Cauchon (“Pig”) in France - it was worn by the church prosecutor at the trial of Joan of Arc - apparently then meant something like a swineherd (also, however, not very respectable in comparison with a shepherd - a job considered much more complex and qualified). Some surnames reflected village gossip or assessments of character and moral character (“witch”, “bitch”). There are “Sausage with blood”, “Cow dung”, “Unfinished”, “Mule”, “Pig”. "... And their happy owners are changing them only now, and some are still in no hurry. Still, traditions, including family ones, are apparently an almost irresistible force in France: “This surname was good enough for mine. father, that means she’s good for me too...”

In general, a selective list of surnames that their bearers finally decided to part with could become the most interesting part of the article. But the author asks to be excused: from his professional youth, the habit has become ingrained of distinguishing the printed word from other, non-printing words of the native language and, if possible, not mixing them up. We can only say that those same Pig, Bitch and Cow Dung would be perhaps the most innocent on this list. A relatively modest example is something like "Log in the anus" (the famous elegance of the French language allows it to be said in one word). What follows is silence...

When justifying a request to change such a surname, citizens often refer to the difficulties and misunderstandings that arise when they have to introduce themselves over the phone, calling an ambulance, the police or fire brigade. Apparently, there are no stronger arguments for changing such surnames.

Sometimes, however, bearers of such surnames are even forced to change their surname against their wishes. For example, when a family wants to adopt a child. The trial lasted for several years due to the fact that a family with a relatively innocent, by French standards, surname (something like “Kocheryzhka”) was not allowed to adopt a child, explaining that it was impossible to condemn an ​​innocent child to lifelong ridicule because of such funny last name. The newspapers were especially indignant at such hypocrisy: many prominent judges have surnames like “Rag”, “Brat”, “Cuckold” - and are in no hurry to change them.

This may be the strangest (or most interesting) thing. In total, the French submit no more than 500 applications to change their surname per year. For comparison, only in the city of Seattle (USA), where such surnames, in general, are not found, 5,000 people change their surnames per year. Here they are, cultural differences!

But even out of these five hundred, only a third of surnames are changed due to cacophony. Much more often (in almost half of all cases) it is changed because of the “non-French” sound (these are mainly Jewish surnames, today Arabic ones are increasingly being added to them). Apparently, the foreign spirit is more offensive than obscenity. But, on the other hand, if in Russia changing a surname for such a reason will attract ridicule at best, and sometimes even contempt, in France this is perceived as an act of sincere patriotism and is the most respectful motive in the eyes of the state. The French, indeed, value very much the external signs of cultural identity and unity - they are in many ways what make the amazingly diverse France a mononational country.

Many people simply want to take a “more noble”, “more famous” surname, like “Chanel” or “Rothschild” (in France, apparently, it has already ceased to sound like a foreign one). This vanity in the eyes of the court and the State Council looks quite innocent, although it is not always indulged. Someone wants to take the name of one of their relatives who distinguished himself in the Resistance and, in general, under some circumstances, died for France. Quite respectfully and, if possible, satisfied.

Sometimes something completely incomprehensible happens. For example, Jean Blanc (“White”) suddenly decides to become Jean Naur (“Black”). But usually such whims, as well as aesthetic preferences, are treated with the utmost severity. As a rule, the authorities consider them to be a completely disrespectful reason for changing a surname. As it was quite officially explained, aesthetic tastes change with each generation, or even faster. If you follow their lead, what will be left of the traditions and the same “national identity”?!

And absolutely Right way to fail is to complain that your last name sounds bad in another language, especially in English. The full weight of French patriotism falls on such a rootless cosmopolitan.

But this is with surnames. Control over personal names is much stricter. And no wonder: after all, both the owners themselves and their parents have much wider opportunities for arrogant tyranny. The Napoleonic decree regulating the possible choice of names is still in force. And all for the sake of preserving that same cultural identity! Families are denied the right to give their children traditional provincial names. One Breton family sued the state for 20 years for the right to give their child a Breton name. Meanwhile, the unnamed children remain deprived of all civil rights, including the right to inherit property or marry. IN Lately However, there has been a relaxation here too: it is allowed to give traditional local names “as an exception.” The procedure for exclusion is determined by the same authorities. During the surveys, 25% of the French believed that children from Muslim families, if they want to be French citizens, should not be allowed to bear Muslim names (not surnames) - let them, like other good Frenchmen, draw from the same two calendars and Plutarch and Homer .

But these are, so to speak, ideological conflicts. And there are also purely bureaucratic ones - a legacy of the same Napoleonic decree. For example, a girl can be named Cerise (“Cherry”) without any problems - such a name is written down in the revolutionary calendar. And they call it. But you can’t use Vanilla (Vanilla). And this despite the fact that vanilla is much more respected among the French than simple cherries - there is even a special league of gourmets fighting for the inviolability of this product and the prohibition of any surrogates like vanillin. But a product is a product, and a list is a list. Native cherries are listed in the revolutionary calendar, but vanilla, an exotic, colonial product extracted by slave labor, is not. Nothing will prevent you from giving your child the most bizarre name from the two calendars (and the same revolutionary calendar is not short of bizarre and, to ordinary tastes, simply ridiculous names). But in order to name the girl the Anglo-Saxon name Vanessa, one family had to go to court for a year and a half. So the cause of the Convention (as well as that of its enemy, the Roman Catholic Church) lives and triumphs.

But if the French somehow manage to protect the “gene pool” of first and last names from foreign invasions, they cannot protect it from impoverishment. This, apparently, is the genetic fate of all artificially or naturally isolated populations. And today, French patriots are worried about the unfortunate, not to say menacing, prospect: in two centuries, out of the current 250 thousand French surnames, 150 thousand may disappear forever. And the French want not only unification, but also diversity: the famous “unity in plurality” is the golden dream of enlightened patriotism. So, perhaps it’s also apropos that so many French people feel sorry to part with their “Log in...”. At the very least, this is evidence of at least five hundred years of antiquity of the surname, which not every count can boast of... And you can put up with misunderstandings over the phone: after all, an ambulance or fire brigade is not called every day...

But in France, the natural impulses of parents to name their offspring are severely restrained by the law and just as harshly by the law in a democratic country. public opinion. How do they behave where there is no such pressure?

Belgian researchers decided to find out what motives guide parents when giving names to their children.

In the maternity ward of one of the hospitals in Flanders (and not French-speaking Wallonia), they asked mothers in detail about everything that had to do with choosing a name for a newborn: where did they come up with this name, whether they personally knew people with names like their own and do they know why they got these names, what their parents’ names are, why they chose this particular name, what names they would not want for their children, etc. By the way, there were few repeating names: for 69 boys and 66 girls there were as many as 111 names. There are no similar statistics for Russia, but everyone intuitively understands that we would have much more matching names.

Where does diversity come from?

The pressure of the Christian calendar on the choice of names is weakening in the West everywhere, except, perhaps, in France, where the only alternative to the calendar is the educational fantasies of the Convention. And unlike conservative France, the Belgians, like many others in the West, want “new”, original names for their children (it’s not for us to laugh at them: we suffered from this disease more severely than anyone else, just a little earlier). The parents “gained” most of the names in the usual way: from personal contacts. More than a third of the names were chosen from special “name books” - books with lists of all kinds of personal names. 14% - from television, 5% - from books, 3% each - from magazines, newspapers and films. Only a few names were given in honor of their parents and a few were “invented themselves.” But in fact, the influence of television on the names of Ulenspiegel’s young descendants may be much greater than it seems to parents, and the influence of personal contacts may be somewhat less. In any case, when asked who else they know with similar names, almost half of the mothers could only name TV characters.

But these are the sources. What about motives?

44% - a beautiful name (let us remember how this motif is condemned in France, which prides itself on its aestheticism)

22% - short, simple (see above);

17% - consistent with the names of our other children (can you imagine such a motive in a French court?);

15% - original (again, see above)

14% - goes well with the surname;

11% - because of its meaning;

8% - easy and convenient to pronounce;

7% - sounds Flemish;

7% - you can’t change it;

6% - this is the name of one of the family members;

6% - creates a favorable image;

5% - we like French names;

4% - not very modern.

It is obvious that aesthetic motives not only predominate, but almost suppress all others when choosing a name for a child. In total they occupy 80% percent.

And here a very curious gap between generations emerged. Among young mothers, less than half knew about the reasons that guided their parents in choosing a name for them, and less than a third knew the reasons for choosing the name of their husbands. But those who knew, most often had it family traditions, then the influence of the media - that same favorable image. And now it’s all “make me beautiful.” We deign to live in decadent times...

No less curious are the reasons why names are rejected.

Anglo-American names - 21%

Old-fashioned - 19%

Negative image in the media - 18%

Too common - 16% Foreign names in general - 14 (and somewhere else they are worried about our anti-Americanism! Loyal member of NATO, the European Community, Atlantic civilization and whatnot - and a full third more people dislike American names than just foreign ones!)

Long names - 14%

Flemish names- 12% (preferred names that “sounded Flemish”, as we remember, only 7%)

French names - 9% (with all the contradictions between the Walloons and Flemings, French names are rejected not only less often than foreign names in general, but also less often than typically Flemish! We would like their national conflicts!)

Difficult to pronounce names - 9%

Traditional names - 8%

Names ending in “y” - 8% (essentially the same Anglo-American names).

It is curious that purely aesthetic motives play a much smaller role in the rejection of names than in their preference. Another confirmation of the fact known to psychologists and sociologists that positive and negative choices are regulated by different psychosocial mechanisms.

It is curious that, as the survey showed, Anglo-American names, despite their general unpopularity, are very popular among the least educated parents. Here we can draw an analogy with our numerous Arnolds, Arthurs, and Alberts in the past. True, these names were popular mainly not among uneducated parents, but rather among those who were commonly called “first-generation intellectuals.” There was no television then, few foreign films were watched, and poorly educated people simply had nowhere to get these names. To people who had just begun to become involved in world culture, these names seemed prestigious, aesthetic, and “unhackneyed.” Some time ago the tilt was given in the other direction. The author of these lines, his foreign acquaintances, who traveled a lot around Russia, assured that in few places in the world today the repertoire of names, especially women’s, is so small, and in few places you can meet so many people with the same names in one room or one institution. Today, it seems, this trend is being reversed again, but no longer due to foreign names, but mainly due to names that have long been considered “outdated” or “common.” But, as far as one can judge, very few old names have been returned to circulation, and even those are still mostly male. They are afraid to “forgive” girls. And this difference is also a very interesting characteristic of the current features of our culture.

One of my favorites French actresses– Virginie Efira

First a few general notes:

• In France, double names (prénom) are popular, such as Jean-Pierre, Paul-Henri, Anne-Laure, Marie-Louise. As a rule, these are two names of the same gender, written with a dash. But it also happens that one name is feminine and the other is masculine. For a boy, the first place will be a male name (Jean-Marie), for a girl - a female name (Anne-Vincent). It is worth considering that if a person has double name, then it should be called exactly that, that is, Jean-Pierre is exactly Jean-Pierre, and not just Jean or Pierre.
• Many female names formed by adding a suffix to a male name -e,-ette, or -ine. Sometimes these suffixes affect pronunciation (Armand m. (Arman) -Armande zh. (Armand), sometimes not (Daniel m. - Danielle zh.)
• Diminutives male names are obtained by adding the suffix -et, -ot, and for women - ette, -otte.
• Do you know how surnames appeared? In a nutshell: in the 16th century, the king ordered all families to acquire surnames (le nom de famille - literally the name of the family). The surname could be the name of the head of the family (Martin, Bernard, Thomas, Robert, Richard, Michel, David, François, Henri etc.) or some of his distinctive characteristics (Legrand (big), Petit (small), Roux (red)) or place of residence (Dubois (lit. from the forest or one who lives near the forest), Dupont (lit. one who (lives) next to the bridge or in the town of Le Pont), Dumont (mont - mountain)), his main occupation or instrument (Fournier (stove maker); Mercier (seller), Beaudelaires – carpenter’s cleaver, Hachette – carpenter’s adze or mason’s pick, Bonnet – hat, cap (lawyer, judge) etc.). The names of plants were also used (Castan (from chataîgne - chestnut), Lavigne (vigne - grapes). As in French, there are surnames formed using the suffixes “a”, “de” or “d'” originally denoting “the son of such a then” (Degeorges, Dejean, Dustin, Ageorges, Alamartine, etc.), but in modern France they are already considered rare.

By the way, there were cases, albeit rare, when a surname became a personal name (Chantal, Chanel, Xavier, Gonzague, Vianney, etc.)

To find out the names of modern French people, let's look at which names were most popular in each decade of the last century since the 30s.

Jean, Michel, André, Pierre, Claude, Jacques, René, Roger, Robert, Bernard

Marie, Monique, Jacqueline ( female version named Jacques), Jeannine, Yvette, Denise, Jeanne*, Paulette, Simone, Cristiane

Jean, Michel, Daniel, Bernard, Gérard, Alain, Jacques, Claude, André, Pierre,

Marie, Monique, Nicole, Françoise, Jacqueline, Cristiane, Danielle, Annie, Michèle

Jean, Michel, Alain, Patrick, Cristian, Philippe, Bernard, Daniel, Gérard, Dominique

Marie, Martine, Françoise, Chantal, Catherine, Brigitte, Monique, Dominique, Annie, Nicole

Philippe, Eric, Pascal, Thierry, Jean, Patrick, Christophe, Laurent, Alain, Bruno

Sylvie, Nathalie, Isabelle, Catherine, Christine, Veronique, Valérie, Marie, Corinne, Patricia

Christophe, David, Stéphane, Sébastien, Frédérick, Laurent, Olivier, Jérome, Nicolas, Eric

Sandrine, Nathalie, Stéphanie, Isabelle, Céline*, Valérie, Cristelle, Sophie, Karine (derived from Catherine)

*Céline Dion (she's Canadian, by the way)

Nicolas, Julien, Sebastien, Guillaume (by the way, this is the French version of William!), Alexandre, David, Romain*, Thomas, Anthony, Cédric

Aurélie, Emilie, Elodie, Céline, Julie, Marie, Stephany, Audrey**, Laetitia (meaning “joy”), (meaning “virgin”)

** Audrey Tautou

Thomas, Kevin (from Irish kaomhin - “noble birth”), Alexandre, Nicolas, Maxime, Julien, Quentin (from Latin quintus - fifth, number 5 in esotericism - a symbol of harmony and balance), Romain (literally “Roman” , in Russian Roman), Anthony, Florien

Marie, Laura, Camille, Marine (lit. “sea”), Manon, Julie, Pauline, Léa, Anais, Marion

2000 –

Théo, Lucas, Hugo, Maxime, Clément, Antoine, Alexandre, Mathis, Alexis, Romain

Manon, Léa, Emma, ​​Cloé, Camille, Clara, Pauline, Mathilde, Eva, Laura

Now in fashion short names both for girls and boys: Léa, Léo, Théo, Jade, Enzo, Tom, Emma, ​​etc.

There is also a particular tendency to call girls names starting with l: Lola, Luise, Lilou, Lylou, Lisa, Lou, etc.

Biblical names do not remain in oblivion: Nathan, Gabriel, Raphaël, Noah and Adam.

The “simple” names are again becoming the most fashionable: Pierre, Jean or Jacques, as well as Louise, Joséphine and Victoria.

Features of French surnames.

History of French surnames differs little from the process of formation of hereditary generic names in Western Europe. As elsewhere, surnames first appeared among large landowners and nobility. The surnames of aristocrats, as a rule, were formed from the names of the lands or castles that they owned. These names were preceded by the particle “de”, for example, de Clermont, de Foix. True, Napoleon Bonaparte wished that ancient noble families, many of them have disappeared forever. Until the 16th century, only a few families in France had surnames, but in 1539 the king obliged all residents to acquire hereditary nicknames (surnames). The family name was entered into church records and changing the surname was not allowed. However, later it was allowed to change the surname if it was obscene or belittled the dignity of its owner in the eyes of others. French surnames have no ancestral affiliation and are transmitted through the paternal line. Only if the child does not have a father, he is given the mother's surname.

It must be remembered that French surnames have stress on the last syllable. In russian language Declension of French surnames contrary to the rules. The exception is male surnames ending in a consonant.

Classification of surnames by meaning.

Dictionary of French surnames conveys their diversity and sophistication of sound. Interpretation of French surnames allows you to divide them into several groups according to origin. Some surnames were formed from personal male names (Robert, Andre). Less common are surnames that originate from the names of mothers (Mariette, Colette). Some surnames come from personal nicknames that indicate an individual characteristic of a person (Legrand - big, Leblond - fair-haired, Talon - big heel). Meaning many French surnames correlate with geographical names, often they pointed to the place where the founder of the clan lived. For example, Besançon (from Besançon), Laborde (living on the edge of something), Lafayette (living where the beech grows). If you look list of French surnames alphabetically, then you can find quite a lot of them that are derived from the profession of the first bearer of the surname - Fournier (baker), Lenoble (nobleman), Belli (court official). Few surnames indicate kinship - Cadet (junior), Deloncle (uncle).

Top French surnames allows you to find out which surnames are the most popular in France.

Popular French surnames and their meanings:

Andre—Andre

Bernard— Bernard

Bertrand— Bertrand

Bonnet— Bonnet

Vincent— Vincent

Dubois— DuBois

Dupont— DuPont

Durand— Durand

Girard— Girard

Lambert— Lambert

Leroy— Leroy

Laurent— Laurent

Lefebvre— Lefebvre

Martin— Marten

Martinez— Martinez

Mercier— Mercier

Michel— Michelle

Morel—Morel

Moreau— Moreau

Petit— Petit

Robert— Robert

Richard— Richard

Roux- RU

Simon— Simon

Thomas— Tom

Francois— Francois

Fournier— Fournier

By naming a boy with a name of French origin, you take on great responsibility. The name for a person is the most important word in life, it shapes personality and can influence contacts with peers. We invite you to find out which French male names are considered the most popular.

History of the origin of French names

French names in particular, double (triple) names are difficult to pronounce or remember. Sometimes it is impossible to understand who it belongs to - a woman or a man. This discrepancy occurs because in France, names are given in the same form for both girls and boys. To understand their meaning, you need to know their origins and look into history. French names for boys attract with their elegance of pronunciation and special charm. They differ from traditional names by their unusual sound.

In ancient times, representatives of the Russian nobility called their heirs with a “French accent.” Thus, they tried to improve the name. A striking proof of this phenomenon is the hero of Leo Tolstoy’s book - Peter (Pierre) Kirillovich Bezukhov. Orthodox name George took on a French meaning, like Georges. The same thing seems to be happening today, which is why parents don't want to give their sons traditional names. They are attracted to something especially original.

As for the origin of purely French names, they were formed under the influence significant events who left their mark on history. For example, the male name Alan means beautiful, and Dion, Isaac, was dedicated to holy deities. The names Mark, Alphonse and Gilbert appeared during the German invasion of French lands. After the adoption of the law, according to which all newborns, without exception, had to be called by names from the church (Catholic) calendar.

It was then that they predominantly began to give Catholic names that were modern at that time. It was believed that in this way newborns “gained” the protection of their patron saints. Over time, borrowing stopped. Children began to be called with double and triple names in honor of their ancestors. Today the French are free to give the baby any name. Only some Catholic families still adhere to these traditions.

List of beautiful French names for boys

There are many immigrants from France creative people, famous poets, actors and artists. Apparently this fact left an imprint on their names; they came up with many beautiful-sounding options with a refined accent.

The proposed list of the most beautiful names for boys will make it easy to see this:

• Adrian
• Bastian
• Valerie
• Gilbert
• Didier
• Jerome
• Kamil
• Modest
• Noel
• Pascal
• Silestine
• Stephen
• Theodore
• Forest
• Florentine
• Emil

Looking for beautiful name baby, parents begin to study their origins. It is difficult to choose a consonant name with a fateful meaning. However, in the case of French names this problem does not arise; they are all beautiful and predetermine a happy destiny.

Rare male names of French origin

The determining criteria when choosing a male name for boys is consonance with the surname and patronymic. However, in modern society, the demand for rare, as opposed to ordinary, variations of names has increased.

Rare, undeservedly forgotten popular French names:

• Amedi
• Easter
• North
• Perrin
• Ermenegild
• Philibert
• Amadiou
• Modger

When choosing rare options for boys, think about the meaning of the name and pay attention to their sound. No matter how rare it is, a child will live with this name all his life.

The most common male names in France and their meaning

Surely, many parents are interested in knowing which male names are popular today, directly in France itself. Judging by modern children, the vast majority of modern parents continue to call boys Daniel. It is still relevant, but not for France, where the fashion for names is completely different.

The most beautiful names for boys today look like this:

• Hugo - fidget
• Alain - handsome
• Patrick - noble
• Pierre (Peter) - chief
• Mathis - God's gift
• Jean (Ivan) - merciful
• Michelle (Mikhail) - looks like God
• Augustine - venerable
• Christophe - bearer of Christ
• Christian - Christian
• Bernard - strong
• Arthur (Arthur) - bear man
• Eric - leader
• Frederic - defender
• Dionne - dedicated to Zeus
• Laurent - arrived from Laurentum
• Dominic - belonging to a lord
• Olivier - olive
• Thierry - King of Nations
• Francois - Frenchman

Lately, many people want to name a boy with a French name. Unfortunately, we cannot give a newborn two or three names, like the French. However, if parents have a desire to give the boy a French name, this is not prohibited.

Ancient and forgotten names

Recently there has been a tendency to name boys in an original way, bringing out old ones and many forgotten names with French roots.

• Barthelamew - son of the plowed earth, son of the fields
• Cola - winner of nations
• Pascal - Easter child
• Silestin - heavenly
• Eugene – beautiful, noble
• Raul - the wise wolf

The names presented in the lists are not always of purely French origin, but they sound very beautiful.

Male names common in France often have Roman, Latin, Greek and Anglo-Saxon roots.

How to choose a name for a boy depending on his date of birth

The Catholic, as well as the Orthodox, tradition is often based on the names of saints, in calendars based on date of birth. It is worth noting that Catholic and Orthodox calendars practically do not coincide. This is due to the split of churches that occurred in the 11th century. Therefore, French names include those mentioned in the Bible, as well as Germanic, Latin and English origin. When choosing a name, you can be content with the Catholic calendar of saints. The date is chosen on the day or close to the birth of the baby.

True Catholics do not allow their name to be distorted or shortened. However, depending on the country, the ease of pronunciation of a French name may vary. For example, Maximilian will be called Max more often, and Charlemagne - Charles.

Oleg and Valentina Svetovid are mystics, specialists in esotericism and occultism, authors of 15 books.

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French names

French male names and their meanings

French names, that is, the names common in France mainly combined Roman (Latin), Greek and Anglo-Saxon names.

IN currently before use French names and surnames The following titles are given:

Mademoiselle (mademoiselle) - an appeal to unmarried woman, girl.

Madame (madam) - an appeal to a married, divorced or widowed woman. Plural– Mesdames (“medam”).

Monsieur (monsieur) - an address to a man.

French male names

Adrian– from Adria

Alain- Beautiful

Gigolo– noble and ready

Anatole– eastern

Andre– courageous

Henri– courageous

Apollinaire– destroyer

Arman- brave, resilient person

Armel– stone prince

Arno– the power of the eagle

Astor– vulture hawk

Basil- king

Bartem (Barthelamew)- son of the plowed land, son of the fields

Bastian

Bernard- bear

Boniface- good fate

Valerie- healthy

Vivien- alive, vital

Gaitan– from Kaita

Guy- forest

Gascon– from Gascony

Gaston– from Gascony

Gautier- head of the army

Gregoire- careful, vigilant

Dion– dedicated to Zeus

Damian- to tame, to subdue

Desiree- desired

Denny– dedicated to Dionysus, Bacchus, god of wine and winemaking

Jeremiah- appointed by God

Joe- pigeon

Joseph– multiplying

Joss– God is salvation

Didier- desired

Dominic- belonging to a lord

Donat- given by God

Jacques– displacer

Jean- God is good

Germaine- dear, half-blooded, brother

Jerome- saint

Gilles- child, kid

Girald- ruler of the spear

Girard- brave spear

Joseph- increase, profit

Georges– farmer

Geoffroy– the world of God

Joel– Yahweh – God

Julian– softly bearded, young

Jules– sheaf

Julien- from the Yuli family

Just- fair

Kamil– duty officer (in the temple)

Cyprian– from Cyprus

Claude- lame

Cola– winner of nations

Christophe- from the word Christ

Lance- Earth

Leon- a lion

Leonard- strong lion

Leopold- brave

Lawrence, Lorenzo- crowned with laurels

Laurent- crowned with laurels

Laurentin- crowned with laurels

Louis- glorious warrior

Luke- light, glowing

Luke- light, glowing

Lucian- light, light

Maximilian- descendant of the greatest

Marin- from the sea

Mark- hammer

Markellin– warlike

Martin- belonging to or dedicated to god wars on Mars

Mathis– a gift from God

Matthew (Matthew)– a gift from God

Michelle- godlike, divine, who is like God

Maurice- dark-skinned, Moor

Morris- dark-skinned, Moor

Napoleon– Lion of Naples

Narsis– insensitive, sleep

Nicolas– winner of nations

Nihel– champion

Noel- God's birthday

Oberon- bear

Augustine- venerable

Auguste- majestic, sacred

Odilon- rich

Audric– ruler

Olivie– elf army

Otes (Otis)- rich

Papillion- butterfly

Pascal– Easter child

Patrice- nobleman

Percival- the valley into which they penetrate

Pons– sailor

Rainer– wise warrior

Raymund- wise protector

Raoul– wise wolf

Raphael- God has healed

Remy– rower

Renard- wise and strong

Robert- bright, shiny

Roger– famous spear

Romain– Roman

Sebastian– from Sebeist (a city in Asia Minor)

Severin- strict

Serafin- flame, combustion

Serge– Roman family name of the 5th-1st centuries. BC.

Sylvester- from the forest

Silestine– heavenly

Cyril– lord

Stephen- crown

Theo– a gift from God

Theodore– a gift from God

Theophilus– friend of God

Thibault- brave

Timothy- worshiper of God

Tom– twin

Toussaint- saint

Thierry- king of nations

Urban- city dweller

Fabrice– master

Fernand– ready to go

Ferrand– ready to go

Ferrant– ready to go

Philbert– very bright, famous

Florentine– blooming

Forest- living in the forest

Franc- free

Francois- free

Charles- courageous, courageous

Evrard- strong as a hog

Edgard- rich spear

Edmond- defender of prosperity

Edouard (Eduard)- guardian of possessions, property

Eugene- beautiful, noble

Eimerai- household ruler

Amery- household ruler

Aymeric- household ruler

Alison- noble birth

Eloi– chooser

Emelien (Emilian)- affectionate, friendly, cheerful

Emery- power

Emerick- household ruler

Emil– competitor

Hercule- glory to the goddess Hera

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French names. French male names and their meanings