France has a huge influence on culture be it movies, literature, fashion, gastronomy, and of course, names. As a matter of fact, you may know someone with a French name and not know it. For example, did you know the name Chloe is of French origin? The French name is actually written Chloé, but since accent marks are not common in English, the spelling and pronunciation were modified at some point.
Some people say French names sound classy and sophisticated, and that’s why they opt for those names. That is something subjective, but if you would like to learn more, read on to find the list of the most popular French names for girls in 2020. Learn their origins, their meanings, their famous namesakes, and which countries they’re popular in.
Just like our previous post, the results were drawn from a poll among BabyNames-App users from France this year. By the way, if you haven’t read our post about the most popular French names for boys in 2020, you can do so here. Alors, c’est parti!
1. Eléa
Origin: English.
Meaning: “foreign”, “strange”, “compassion”, or “God is my light”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Elea, Eleah, Elléa, Élea, Éléa, Elëa.
Famous namesakes: French actress Eléa Clair, German actress Eléa Geissler, French athlete Elea-Mariama Diarra.
Popular in: France, Switzerland.
2. Lya
Origin: Hebrew.
Meaning: “weary”, “mistress” or “lioness”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Lia, Lïa, Liia.
Famous namesakes: German actress Lya Lis, Hungarian actress Lya De Putti.
Popular in: France.
3. Malya
Origin: Hawaiian.
Meaning: “sea of bitterness”, “rebelliousness”, “wished for child”, or “beloved”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Malia, Maliyah, Malía.
Famous namesakes: Malawian singer Malia, French athlete Malia Metella, Malia Ann Obama (daughter of American ex-President Barack Obama), American surfer Malia Jones.
Popular in: France, Switzerland, Kenya, Indonesia, Singapore, Germany, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
4. Elyna
Origin: Greek.
Meaning: “torch”, “beautiful”, “light”, “bright”, or “shining”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Élina, Élyna.
Famous namesakes: Latvian athlete Elina Babkina, Latvian opera singer Elina Garanca, French actress Élina Labourdette, Finnish photographer Elina Brotherus.
Popular in: France, Switzerland, Kenya, Australia, Pakistan, Singapore, Canada, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
5. Éléanor
Origin: French, English.
Meaning: “bright”, “shining one”, or “the other Aenor”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Eleanore, Elinor, Eleanora.
Famous namesakes: American First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Swiss actress Eléonore Hirt, French actress Eléonore Pourriat, Swiss athlete Eléonore Evéquoz.
Popular in: France, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
6. Anna
Origin: Hebrew.
Meaning: “gracious” or “merciful”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Ann, Anne, Aska, Annah, Annina, Anah, Anita, Ahnna, Annora, Anona, Anica, Anyu, Hannah.
Famous namesakes: Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova, American actress Anna Chlumsky, Canadian actress Anna Paquin, French actress and singer Anna Karina.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
7. Lili
Origin: Hebrew, Latin.
Meaning: “God is my oath” or “lily”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Lilli, Lillie, Lilly, Lily, Lyli.
Famous namesakes: English singer Lily Allen, German physician Lily Ehrenfried, French opera singer Lily Pons, French singer Lily Fayol, Belgian singer Lily Vincent.
Popular in: France, Hungary, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.
8. Sophia
Origin: Greek.
Meaning; “wisdom”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Sofia, Sofiya, Sofea, Sophie.
Famous namesakes: Colombian actress Sofia Vergara, American actress Sophia Bush, Italian actress Sophia Lauren, French comedian Sophia Aram.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
9. Noémie
Origin: French, Hebrew.
Meaning: “good”, “pleasant”, “lovely”, or “winsome”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Noemi, Noemie, Noemy, Noémi, Noëmie, Noëmi.
Famous namesakes: French opera singer Noémie Rime, French director Noémie Lvovsky, French model and actress Noémie Lenoir, Belgian singer Noémie Wolfs, Canadian actress Noémie Godin-Vigneau.
Popular in: France, Belgium, Switzerland, and the U.S.
10. Éléna
Origin: Greek.
Meaning: “light” or “torch”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Elena, Eléna, Alena, Alenka, Alyona, Elene, Helen, Hélène, Helena, Eliana, Eline, Ileana, Ilona, Olena, Yelena,
Famous namesakes: Russian tennis player Elena Dementieva, Russian swimmer Elena Azarova, Dutch volleyball player Elena Neve, Italian actress Elena Sofia Ricci, Spanish actress Elena Anaya.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Spain, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
11. Charlotte
Origin: French.
Meaning: “free man” or “petite”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Sharlotte, Sharlette.
Famous namesakes: French actress Charlotte de Turckheim, English actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, English actress Charlotte Rampling, American actress and model Charlotte McKinney.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
12. Ella
Origin: Greek, Hebrew, Norman.
Meaning: “young girl”, “beautiful”, “fairy maiden”, or “goddess”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Ellie, Alia, Ellah, Ellia, Elly, Elley, Ela, Ellina, Elli, Ellamae, Elletta, Ellette, Elladine.
Famous namesakes: American singer Ella Fitzgerald, Swiss writer Ella Maillart, American painter Ella Guru, American actress Ella Raines.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
13. Julia
Origin: Latin.
Meaning: “of the Julius family” or “dedicated to Jupiter”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Julie, Yulie, Juliette, Jewelia, Giulia, Juli, Yulia.
Famous namesakes: American actress Julia Roberts, Australian novelist Julia Leigh, Australian singer Julia Stone, French actress Julia Bartet.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
14. Louise
Origin: Germanic.
Meaning: “famous warrior”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Aloisia, Aloisie, Heloisa, Loes, Lou, Louiza, Louize, Lu, Luann, Luisa,
Famous namesakes: American actress Louise Fletcher, American actress Louis Sorel, American writer Louise Erdrich.
Popular in: France, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
15. Mia
Origin: Italian, Scandinavian.
Meaning: “Ocean Goddess”, “Queen”, or “guardian of justice”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Miah, Mea, Meya, Maria.
Famous namesakes: American actress Mia Farrow, Canadian actress Mia Kirshner, Argentine actress Mia Maestro, French director Mia Hansen-Løve.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Spain, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
16. Louna
Origin: Latin.
Meaning: “the moon”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Luna, Lounah, Luneth, Lunetta, Lunette, Lunneta, Lunara.
Famous namesakes: Canadian wrestler Luna Vachon, Bulgarian singer Luna Yordanov.
Popular in: France.
17. Thalia
Origin: Greek.
Meaning: “to blossom”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Talia, Talya, Taliah, Taaliah, Tahlia, Taliya, Taliea, Taylia, Talie.
Famous namesakes: Mexican singer and actress Thalía, American water polo player Thalia Munro.
Popular in: France, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
18. Emma
Origin: Germanic.
Meaning: “whole” or “universal”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Emmalynne, Emmie, Emmye, Emmette, Emmett, Emmet, Emmelyne, Emmelyn, Emmeline, Emmeleia, Emme, Emmalynn, Emmalyn, Emmaline, Emmah, Emelyne.
Famous namesakes: English actress Emma Watson, American actress Emma Roberts, American actress Emma Stone.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Spain, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
19. Maya
Origin: English, Indian, Greek.
Meaning: “good mother”, “illusion”, or “water”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Maia, Mya, Myah, Maiya, Maaja, Moja, Maiah, May, Mayja, Mayi, Moia, Maie, Moya.
Famous namesakes: Japanese tennis player Maya Kidowaki, Japanese singer Maya Sakamoto, American writer Maya Angelou, Italian actress Maya Sansa.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
20. Callie
Origin: Greek.
Meaning: “beautiful”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Kallie, Cali, Calli, Kalli, Calee, Cally, Calley, Kallee, Callee, Kaleigh, Calie, Kalley, Caleigh, Caly, Kally, Cal.
Famous namesakes: American model Callie Mahoney, American athlete Callie Rivers.
Popular in: France, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
Conclusion
There you have it: the most popular French names for girls in 2020. As you can see, most of them come from Greek or Latin and have beautiful meanings. This is something people sometimes overlook. They just choose a name because they like how it sounds without knowing what’s behind it.
Some names were short versions or nicknames of other names but eventually became new names. Such is the case of Eléa (short for Eleanor) and Lili (short for Elizabeth), among many others.
I hope you liked some names on the list above. Were there any new names you had never heard before? Would you choose one of them for your baby girl? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Au revoir, les amis!
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Hey,
Such beautiful names here:)
From your list, one of the most popular in my country is Sophia, Emma, and Elena.
I have a question: but why they are considered French names if they have different origins (Hebrew, Latin, Greek, etc.)?
Hi, Natalie,
Very interesting. Where do you live if you don’t mind my asking?
In answer to your question, it has to do with usage. In other words, the name may have a Hebrew or Greek origin, but its usage is so widespread that it’s now considered a French name due to its popularity.
Thanks for commenting!
Those names are good names! Meaning everybody can pronounce them and the girls that get one of those names don’t have to be embarrased later in life. 🙂
When it wasn’t common anymore to name newborns after their grandparents or parents, people chose all kinds of names. I remember being in the classroom where my sister was a kindergarten teacher. The Dutch have a celebration called Sinterklaas, a little bit similar to Santa Claus. Sinterklaas had to read the name of the child that had to come forward for a present. And at times he just couldn’t pronounce it! That were some very awkward moments. Poor kids.
Hi, Hannie,
Oh no! I can see that. Those poor kids. I’m all for cool names no matter if they’re foreign or not as long as they’re easy to pronounce and won’t give room for others to make fun of your kids. Kids can be cruel at times.
Thanks for commenting.