Many French names that begin with ‘G’ have Germanic origins. These include female names such as Geneviève and Géraldine, as well as male names such as Gérard, Guillaume, and Gilbert.
In general, however, many French names originate from Latin because French is a language that evolved from Latin.
🎧 Click on a name to hear its pronunciation
🎧 Click on a name to hear its pronunciation
The French name Geneviève has a special connection to Paris because Sainte Geneviève is the patron saint of Paris. She is credited for helping divert the Huns, led by the dreaded Attila, who threatened Paris in 451. By convincing the Parisians not to abandon their city, she saved it from destruction. In the Latin Quarter of Paris, there is a hill named “Montagne Sainte-Geneviève” on top of which are the Panthéon and the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève.
Géraldine is a French name of Germanic origin. It is the feminine form of the name Gérald.
A famous person with this name is Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, known as “Coco” Chanel, the French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand. Gabrielle is a French girl’s name derived from the Hebrew male name Gabriel.
Germaine (the feminine form of the male name Germain) originates from the Latin adjective “germanus” which means “relating to brothers and sisters”.
Ginette is a diminutive form of the name Geneviève.
Georgette is derived from the name Georges, by adding the diminutive suffix “-ette”.
Gisèle is a name that has been in use for a long time: in the 8th century, Charlemagne the king of the Franks named one of his daughters Gisèle. (this name has an alternate spelling: Giselle)
variants: Gislaine, Ghyslaine, Gislhaine
This is the feminine form of the name Gilbert.
In France, many regional languages have coexisted alongside French. Breton —a Celtic language from Brittany— is one of these languages. And it has many names that start with the letter ‘G’ because the Breton word “gwenn” (which means “white” or “pure”) is often used in the formation of Breton names.
Many of these Breton names have entered the French language, resulting in several additional French names that begin with the letter ‘G’:
From the Breton word “gwenn” which means “white” or “pure”.
Gwenola is a name of Celtic origin
alternate spellings include Gwenaëlle, Gwennaelle, Guenaelle, and Gwénaëlle
Gaëlle is a Celtic name and the feminine form of the name Gaël. (Alternate spelling Gaelle)
Here are some rare French female names that begin with the letter ‘G’:
Garance, aside from being a girl's name, is also the name of a plant used to make a vibrant red dye. This name has a connection to French cinema as well, for instance, in the classic film “Les Enfants du Paradis,” directed by Marcel Carné, where it belongs to a central character in the story.
Gaétane, sometimes spelled as Gaëtane, is the female counterpart to the French male name Gaétan. These names have Italian origins, as they can be traced back to the name of the Italian city of Gaeta, which is located between Rome and Naples.
A feminine form of the name Guillaume, which is the French counterpart of the English name William.
Gilles is a fairly common male in France, but its female equivalent, Gillette, is not in common use anymore. It's worth noting that Gillette is also a well-known brand specializing in razors and shaving gear.
Gervaise is a French name that you are more likely to encounter in literature than in real life. It is the name of the protagonist in Émile Zola’s novel “L’ Assommoir”.
Gérard is a French name of Germanic origin. Quite a few French actors have this name: Gérard Depardieu, Gérard Jugnot, and Gérard Lanvin among others.
Georges (spelled with an ‘s’) is the French equivalent of the English name George. Both forms originate from Ancient Greek.
A well-known person with this name is the 19th-century French writer Guy de Maupassant.
Guillaume is a French name that corresponds to the English name William.
Gilles is a fairly common French male name. The letter ‘s’ at the end is silent.
Gabriel is a name that comes from Hebrew. In France, a famous person with this name is Gabriel Fauré, a French pianist and classical music composer from the late 19th and early 20th century.
Gilbert is a French name of Germanic origin. A famous historical figure with this name was Gilbert du Motier, better known as the Marquis de Lafayette. He was a French general who fought in the American Revolutionary War. As a tribute to his contributions, several cities in the United States were named Lafayette.
In Francophone popular culture, Gaston Lagaffe is a fictional comic book character created by Belgian artist André Franquin. This character’s last name (Lagaffe) comes from the French word “gaffe” which means “blunder”. And indeed Gaston Lagaffe is the quintessential anti-hero and the king of mishaps and blunders.
Gaétan is a relatively modern French name; it is borrowed from the Italian name Gaetano, which has a much longer history of use. An example of someone with the Italian form of this name is Gaetano Donizetti, the opera composer from the early 19th century.
Gaspard is a sophisticated French name that has a touch of vintage charm. This name starts with a ‘G’ whereas its equivalents in other languages (Jasper, Casper, and Kasper) begin with different letters.
A famous person with this name is Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer whose company built the Eiffel Tower.
The names Grégoire and Grégory have the same Latin origin; they both trace back to the Latin name Gregorius. The former came to French directly from Latin, while the latter entered the French language via English.
In France, you might not meet anyone named German —the name is not very frequently given— but you’ll hear it a lot because many things are named “Saint Germain”. This includes the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG), named after the stadium located in the nearby town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. And of course, there is also the trendy neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris.
(also spelled Gautier)
Gwendal is a French name from Breton, the Cetlic language native to Brittany (the westernmost region of France).
(alternate forms: Guénaël and Gwenaël) This French name comes from Breton.
Géraud is both a male name and a last name.
The letter ‘w’ is rarely used in French (for instance, none of the thousand most common French words contain a ‘w’). As a result, English names that start with a ‘W’, often have French equivalents that begin with the letter ‘G’ instead; some examples are Guillaume (William) and Gauthier (Walter).
A famous namesake can provide a name with additional appeal. In the case of French names that begin with ‘G’, there are many famous people with such names. Examples are listed in the table below:
| Name | Occupation |
|---|---|
| Sainte Geneviève | Patron saint of Paris |
| Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (Coco Chanel) | French fashion designer and founder of Chanel |
| Gustave Eiffel | French engineer whose company built the Eiffel Tower |
| Gérard Depardieu | French actor |
| Gérard Jugnot | French actor |
| Gérard Lanvin | French actor |
| Georges Pompidou | former French president and lover of modern art |
| Georges Brassens | French songwriter and singer |
| Georges Bizet | French composer |
| Guy de Maupassant | 19th-century French writer |
| Gabriel Fauré | French pianist and classical music composer |
| Gilbert du Motier (Marquis de Lafayette) | French general who fought in the American Revolutionary War |
| Gaston Lagaffe | Fictional comic book character |
| Gaspard Monge | French mathematician born in the mid-18th century who participated in Napoleon's campaign in Egypt |
| Guillaume Apollinaire | Early 20th century French poet |