François and Françoise are quitessentially French names. Their resemblance to the country name France is not a coincidence; They originate from the same Latin root as the country name.
François and Françoise are not the only lovely French names that begin with the letter ‘F’. There are plenty more. These include male names like Fabrice and Florent, and female names like Floriane and Francine. And many more are listed below.
🎧 Click on a name to hear its pronunciation
🎧 Click on a name to hear its pronunciation
Françoise is a classic and elegant French name. It is the feminine form of the masculine name François.
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 is the female version of the male name Fabien which originates from Latin.
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.
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 is a name derived from the name “France”.
The female name Frédérique is pronounced the same as its male counterpart (Frédéric). They differ only in their spelling.
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.
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.
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 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 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 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.
Francette is a diminutive, affectionate version of the name France.
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 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.
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, 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.
Several French female names that begin with the letter ‘F’ have a floral theme. Names such as Florence, Floriane, and Florine are related to the Latin word “florens” which means “blooming” or “flowering”.
There is also 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 a female name.
Another group of French girl names that begin with the letter ‘F’ are related to the country name France. Françoise, for instance, is an elegant and popular name related to the Latin word “Francus” which refers to the French (and the Franks).
France is a female name directly borrowed from the country’s name. It is not widely used, probably because of the potential for confusion —but it is the origin of more frequently used names like Francine.
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 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.
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).