French Name Generator
French names carry centuries of Frankish, Norman, and Latin influence - Henri, Pierre, Antoine, Helene, Camille, Genevieve. Our generator covers three eras (Modern, Belle Epoque, Medieval) with 100+ hand-curated etymologies. Surnames lean occupational (Lefevre "the smith", Charpentier "carpenter") or descriptive (Roux "red-haired", Moreau "dark, Moorish").
Example output: Henri Lefevre · Adele Beaumont · Pierre Charpentier · Genevieve Devereux
Featured names from this generator
A sample drawn from the french pool. Each name carries its documented etymology. Click Generate above for a fresh batch.
Frequently asked questions
›What is the Belle Epoque era?
1871-1914, the period between the Franco-Prussian War and World War I. Belle Epoque names favor longer, more romantic forms - Jacquelinette, Marguerite, Octave, Theophile. Useful for Belle Epoque historical fiction.
›How does French differ from English Norman names?
French names retained their Romance phonology (Pierre, Henri, Marie). Norman-imported names in English shifted phonetically (Pierre to Peter, Henri to Henry, Guillaume to William). Our generator preserves the French forms; the English generator gives the Anglicized versions.
›Are accents preserved in surnames?
Yes - Lefevre, Devereux, Frangois, Helene all keep their accents. Strip them only for English-publication contexts where typographically simpler names are preferred.