French names that start with 'N'

French names that start with the letter ‘N’ include options for girls such as Nadège, Noémie, and Nolwenn, and options for boys like Nicolas, Noël, and Noé. 

French girl names that start with ‘N’

Among French girl names beginning with the letter ‘N’, we can identify a first group consisting of those originating from “natalis”, a Latin word refering to birth and birthdays.

• Nathalie: Nathalie is a common name in France, and its alternative form, Natalie, is frequently used in the United States. Both originate from the Latin word “natalis” which refers to birth and birthdays.
• Noëlle: Noëlle is the feminine form of the male name Noël, which means “Christmas” in French. It originates from the Latin word “natalis” which means “birthday”.
• Noëlie: (also spelled as Noélie) is a rare French name that likely arose as a variation of Noëlle.
• Noëline: (also spelled as Noéline) Another uncommon French name, which is possibly a variation of Noëlle.

A second group of French names starting with the letter ‘N’ are those related to Nadejda, a Slavic name meaning “hope”:

• Nadège: Nadège is a beautiful French female name that rhymes with “neige”, the French word for snow. It is derived from the Slavic name Nadejda meaning “hope”.
• Nadine: Derived from Nadia, this French name features the common “-ine” ending seen in names like Pauline, Martine, and Francine.
• Nadia: Although not exclusively French, Nadia is a frequently-used name in France. It entered the French language through two different routes. One of these origins is as a diminutive of the Slavic name Nadejda meaning “hope”. It also entered the French language as a variant of an Arabic name.

More French girl names that start with ‘N’:

• Nicole: Nicole is a popular name in the United States, making it easy to forget that this name entered the English language from French. It is the feminine counterpart of the French name Nicolas —the equivalent of the English name Nicholas. It originates from an Ancient Greek name meaning “victory of the people”.
• Noémie: Noémie is a French name related to Naomi, a biblical Hebrew name found in English. It comes from a Hebrew word that means “pleasantness” which is quite fitting because Noémie is a pleasant sounding name.
• Nolwenn: Nolwenn is a French name from Brittany, the westernmost region of France. Nolwenn Leroy is a famous French singer with this name. She was born in Brittany, and her album “Bretonne” pays homage to her Breton roots.
• Ninon: Ninon is a French name that arose as a diminutive of Anne.
• Nicolette: A rather rare name, Nicolette is a diminutive form of Nicole.

French boy’s names that start with ‘N’

Nicolas is a popular French boy’s name that corresponds to the English name Nicholas. Both originate from Ancient Greek.

In French culture, this name is prominently featured in the classic children’s book series titled “le Petit Nicolas” written by René Goscinny (the co-creator of the famous Asterix comics) and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé. The series, first published in the 1950s, narrates the adventures and misadventures of a young boy named Nicolas.

Nathan is a popular boy's name in France —but it is not specifically French, as it appears with the same spelling in many different languages. It originates from Hebrew, and it is a shortened form of the name Jonathan.

Noël is derived from the French word for Christmas, which is spelled exactly the same. It is not uncommon for individuals named Noël to have been born around the Christmas period, and sometimes even on the 25th of December.

Noé is a French name of Hebrew origin that corresponds to the name Noah found in English. It is one of those short French names like Zoé and Chloé.

Rare and intriguing French male names starting with 'n'

We end this section with a few exceedingly rare, yet historically intriguing, French male names starting with the letter 'n'. Although these names could be difficult to carry, they are interesting from a historical and cultural perspective.

In France nowadays, Napoléon is rarely used as a name, yet occasional instances of its use appear in official statistics. This name is deeply associated with a prominent figure in French history, Napoléon Bonaparte, who was the emperor of France in the early 19th century.

Here's an interesting piece of trivia: Napoléon's birth name was Napoleone, the Italian version. He was born on the island of Corsica to a family of Italian ancestry. Surprisingly, it was only in 1768 (a year before Napoléon Bonaparte was born) that France acquired the Island of Corsica. At the time, the main language spoken on the island was Italian.

In contemporary times, Narcisse is a rarely-used French name. But it was surprisingly popular in France during the first half of the 19th century.

In Greek mythology, Narcisse (known as Narcissus in English) was a man of exceptional beauty who became infatuated with his own reflection in a pool of water. In some versions of the story, he drowned while attempting to reach his reflection. In other versions, he remained fixated until a compassionate god intervened and transformed him into a flower.

From this famous Greek myth, Narcisse refers to a family of flowers that includes the daffodil. But it is also etymologically related to the word “narcissism” which refers to an excessive love of oneself.