‘A’ is the 1st letter of the alphabet, of the French word “amour” (love), and of many beautiful French names such as Amélie, Adeline, and Apolline.
The letter ‘a’ represents a simple and easy sound to make. That's why it's often the first vowel sound that babies pronounce. Perhaps the essential nature of this sound explains why so many names start with the letter ‘A’.
Adèle, Adeline, and Aline are three related French names that begin with the letter ‘A’.
Adèle is a lovely name with a linguistic connection to the edelweiss, a beautiful small white mountain flower from the Alps. The word “edelweiss” is a combination of the German terms “edel” (meaning “noble”) and “weiß” (meaning “white”). The first of these terms comes from the old Germanic word “adal” which is also the origin of the name Adèle.
The name Adeline is derived from Adèle by adding the suffix “-ine”. Aline is a name derived as a contraction of the name Adeline.
Angélique, Angèle, and Angeline are three French names that start with ‘A’ and share a connection by their resemblance to “ange”, the French word for “angel”.
The name Angélique is spelled just like “angélique” —the French equivalent to the English adjective “angelic”— but with a capital ‘A’.
Apolline and Ariane are two French names that have an elegant charm from antiquity and a connection to Greek mythology.
Apolline is a beautiful-sounding French female name. It resembles the name of the handsome god Apollo in Greek and Roman mythology.
Ariane is a French form of the name Ariadne. In Greek mythology, Ariadne was a princess who helped Theseus navigate the Labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur, by providing him a thread (known as Ariadne's thread) to guide his way. In France, “Ariane” is also the name of rockets, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) that launch satellites into space.
Most French female names end with the letter ‘e’. Among French names beginning in ‘A’, there are just a few exceptions to this pattern: Anaïs, Agnès, Annick, and Aliénor.
The name Anaïs has two dots placed over the vowel ‘i’. This indicates that the two adjacent vowels are pronounced separately, rather than being merged together as a diphthong.
Aliénor is a French name that comes from Provençal, a language spoken historically in the region of Provence in southeastern France. It is the equivalent of the English name Eleanor. In the 12th century, a French queen had this name: Aliénor d'Aquitaine.
Annick is a French name that comes from Breton, a Celtic language from Brittany (the western region of France).
In French, the letter combination ‘au’ is pronounced as an ‘o’ sound. As a result, some French girl names that start with 'A' actually begin with an 'o' sound. Here are some examples:
Listed in the table below are some examples of famous historical individuals who have French names that begin with the letter ‘A’.
| Name | Occupation |
|---|---|
| Alexandre Dumas | French writer and author of “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.” |
| Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | French writer and aviator, author of the novella “The Little Prince.” |
| Albert Camus | French philosopher and writer, explored existential philosophy in novels such as “The Stranger” and “The Myth of Sisyphus.” |
| Alexis de Tocqueville | 19th-century French political thinker, author of "Democracy in America," a work on the nature of democracy and its challenges. |
| Auguste Rodin | French sculptor, known worldwide for his masterpiece “The Thinker.” |
| Alfred de Musset | 19th-century French poet and novelist. |
| Arsène Lupin | Fictional gentleman thief created by French writer Maurice Leblanc. |