Not too long ago, we talked about popular French names for boys and girls. We found some interesting stuff, huh? Well, this time, we will talk about the most popular French unisex names in 2020.
For those of you who do not know what unisex means, the term basically refers to things that are not sex-specific. In other words, it refers to gender neutrality.
As with the other two posts, we will show the list of names along with their origin, their meaning, their variations, their famous namesakes, and which parts of the world they’re popular in.
If you’re expecting, you might be interested in finding a suitable name for your baby. By the end of this post, you will have selected at least a couple of names. What’s even better, they suit both boys and girls, so you won’t have to worry about gender. Let’s get started!
1. Charly
Origin: German.
Meaning: “woman”, “free woman/man”, or “warrior”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Charli, Charlie, Charle, Charley, Sharly.
Famous namesakes: French TV presenter Charly Nestor, Argentine composer Charly Garcia, English actor Charlie Chaplin.
Popular in: France, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
2. Sacha
Origin: Russian, Slavic.
Meaning: “defending men”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Sascha, Sasha.
Famous namesakes: French actor Sacha Briquet, English actor Sacha Baron Cohen, Russian top model Sasha Pivovarova, German dancer Sasha Waltz.
Popular in: France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
3. Léo
Origin: Latin.
Meaning: “lion”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Leo, Lee.
Famous namesakes: French composer Léo Delibes, French poet Léo Ferré, Russian writer Leo Tolstoy.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
4. Arya
Origin: Persian.
Meaning: “friend” or “faithful”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Aarya, Aria.
Famous namesakes: Game of Thrones fictional character Arya Stark.
Popular in: France, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
5. Elya
Origin: Slavic.
Meaning: “The Lord is my God”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Elia, Eliya.
Famous namesakes: Albanian actress Elia Zaharia, Greek director Elia Kazan, Palestinian director Elia Suleiman.
Popular in: France, Belgium, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
6. Jayden
Origin: American, Hebrew?
Meaning: “jaybird”, “heather”, “jewel”, or “thankful”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Jaiden, Jaden.
Famous namesakes: American actor Jaden Smith, English footballer Jayden Stockley, Australian swimmer Jayden Hadler, American singer Jaden Michaels.
Popular in: France, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
7. Andrea
Origin: Greek, German, English.
Meaning: “brave”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Andi.
Famous namesakes: Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, American actress Andrea Barber, Monacan royal Andrea Casiraghi.
Popular in: France, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Spain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
8. Louca
Origin: Latin, Greek.
Meaning: “from Lucania”, “light”, “bringer of light”, or “born at daylight/dawn”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Luca, Luka.
Famous namesakes: French actor Louca Meliava, Italian rugby player Luca Morisi.
Popular in: France, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
9. Noé
Origin: Hebrew.
Meaning: “rest” or “repose”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Noë.
Famous namesakes: Argentine writer Noé Jitrik, Mexican athlete Noé Hernández, Swiss cyclist Noé Gianetti.
Popular in: France, Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the U.S.
10. Robin
Origin: Old German.
Meaning: “bright fame” or “robin”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Robbin, Robyn, Robynn.
Famous namesakes: American actor Robin Williams, Dutch footballer Robin van Persie, French director Robin Davis, American actress Robin Wright, American actress Robin Tunney.
Popular in: France, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
11. Nicky
Origin: Greek.
Meaning: “victory of the people”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Nici, Nicki, Niki, Nikki.
Famous namesakes: English pianist Nicky Hopkins, American socialite Nicky Hilton, Italian-Mexican actress Nicky Mondellini, Dutch DJ Nicky Romero, Irish singer Nicky Byrne.
Popular in: France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
12. Casey
Origin: Irish.
Meaning: “descendant of Cathasach” or “vigilant”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Kacey, Kasey.
Famous namesakes: American actor Casey Affleck, Australian tennis player Casey Dellacqua, American baseball player Casey Weathers, American DJ Casey Kasem.
Popular in: France, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
13. Kai
Origin: Frisian or Celtic?
Meaning: “warrior”, “victory of the people”, “brave spearman”, “spear bearer/thrower”, “willow tree”, “pioneer”, “triumph”, “ocean”, “from the town Gaeta”, or “pure”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Cai, Cay, Kaj, Kay.
Famous namesakes: Swedish TV presenter Kaj Kindvall, Swiss director Kay Pollack, Swedish physicist Kai Siegbahn, Finnish ice hockey player Kai Suikkanen.
Popular in: France, Australia, Canada, Spain, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
14. Lin
Origin: Chinese.
Meaning: “forest”, “sun goddess”, “gemstone”, or “flax”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Linn, Lyn.
Famous namesakes: American actress Lin Shay, Chinese archer Jiang Lin, Chinese swimmer Zhang Lin.
Popular in: France, China, and the U.S.
15. Lou
Origin: German.
Meaning: “famed warrior”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Lu.
Famous namesakes: French singer Lou Doillon, French actress Lou de Laâge, American musician Lou Reed, German singer Lou Bega.
Popular in: France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the U.S.
16. Maé
Origin: Hebrew.
Meaning: “gift of Yahweh”, “prince”, “sea of bitterness”, “star of the sea”, or “wished-for child”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Mahé.
Famous namesakes: Australian actress Mae Bush, American actress Mae Clarke, American actress Mae West, New Zealand athlete Mahé Drysdale.
Popular in: France, Australia, and the U.S.
17. Lois
Origin: Greek.
Meaning: “more desirable” or “better”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Loïs.
Famous namesakes: French athlete Loïs Habert, French singer Loïs Andréa, American writer Lois Lowry, American actress Lois Chiles.
Popular in: France, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.
18. Céleste
Origin: Latin.
Meaning: “heavenly” or “celestial”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Celeste.
Famous namesakes: Portuguese fadista Celeste Rodrigues, American actress Celeste Holm, Italian archaeologist Celeste Rinaldi.
Popular in: France, Belgium, Italy, Chile, the Netherlands, and the U.S.
19. Sammy
Origin: Hebrew.
Meaning: “listens well”, “name of God”, or “God has heard”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Samie, Sammi, Sammie, Samy.
Famous namesakes: French actor Samy Naceri, German rapper Samy Deluxe, Australian YouTube star Sammy Robinson, English actress Sammy Winward.
Popular in: France and the U.S.
20. Loan
Origin: French, Vietnamese.
Meaning: “light”.
Alternative spellings or variations: Loann.
Famous namesakes: French actress Loan Chabanol, French athlete Loan His.
Popular in: France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada.
Conclusion
There you have it: the most popular French unisex names in 2020. Some of them were originally male or female and then made their way to the other gender. Several names are relatively new and may sound strange in our countries, but they’re popular in France nonetheless.
If you’d like an original name for your baby, why don’t you pick one from the list above? Just saying.
What do you think? Did you know these names? Are they popular in your country? Let me know in the comments below. Au revoir, les amis!
Hi Enrique,
Most of these names are also popular in the US, although many of them are not considered unisex names. Andrea, Mae, Celeste, Lin (spelled Lynne), Sacha (Sasha), and Lois are considered feminine names here, and Leo and Luca are considered masculine.
The names Arya and Elya aren’t popular here to my knowledge, but the rest are also unisex names in the US.
This was really interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Jade,
Yes, I agree with you. These names are unisex in France but not necessarily in other countries. It’s always interesting to learn about cultural differences, isn’t it?
Thanks for commenting.
I’m sure this post will be a great help for expecting parents who are looking for names but don’t want to find out whether it’s going to be a boy or a girl. I was surprised with ‘Leo’ as I always thought this was a male name. I can’t speak french but I am very good at eating their food. Keep up the good work
Hey, Dan,
It’s incredible how names can vary from country to country. Take Andrea as an example. It’s a female name in the U.S. and Latin America, but it’s a male name in Italy. Weird, isn’t it?
Thanks for commenting.