101 French Last Names that Make Good First Names

Are you looking for French last names to use as a first name or middle name for your baby? These versatile monikers make for excellent given names and many have already made the leap from traditionally only appearing at the end to being front and center. Surnames as given names is a huge trend right now and we see these French last names as perfect candidates to keep the trend alive.

Baby names can be a challenge to decide on but it’s not impossible. If you have French heritage or just consider yourself a Francophile, French last names will make for the perfect choice. These storied names have satisfying meanings that you will also be fond of, we’re certain. Check out these French last names that make great first names!

French Last Names with Animal Meanings

• Arnaud – Meaning “eagle power”
• Bélanger – Meaning “bear”
• Chevrolet – Meaning “goat”

Animal Meanings Continued

• Gagnon – Meaning “guard dog”
• Léandre – Meaning “lion-man”
• Porcher – Meaning “swineherd”

French Last Names with Nature Meanings

• Beauchêne – Meaning “beautiful oak”
• Beaumont – Meaning “beautiful mountain”
• Bellerose – Meaning “beautiful rose”
• Boisseau – Meaning “bushel of grain”
• Brisbois – Meaning “forest”

Nature Meanings Continued

• Chalamet – Meaning “reed”
• Charbonneau – Meaning “charcoal”
• Chastain – Meaning “chestnut”
• Deschamps – Meaning “fields”
• Desrosiers – Meaning “rose bushes”

Nature Meanings Continued

• Dubois – Meaning “from the forest”
• Fabian – Meaning “bean”
• Janvier – Meaning “January”
• LaFramboise – Meaning “Raspberry”

Nature Meanings Continued

• Laurent – Meaning “laurel”
• Montagne – Meaning “mountain”
• Noyer – Meaning “walnut”
• Perreault – Meaning “stone”

Nature Meanings Continued

• Roche – Meaning “rock”
• Sauvageon – Meaning “wild” and “untamed”
• Sauveterre – Meaning “land” and “safe”
• Tremblay – Meaning “aspen”

French Last Names with Place Meanings

• Allair – Meaning “place name”
• Babin – Meaning “gate of the gods”
• Babineaux – Meaning “gate of the gods”
• Barre – Meaning “a barrier”

Place Meanings Continued

• Beaufort – Meaning “beautiful fortress”
• Beaulieu – Meaning “from Beaulieu”
• Castillon – Meaning “Castle”
• Comtois – Meaning “from Franche-Comté”

Place Meanings Continued

• De La Fontaine – Meaning “from the fountain”
• D’aramitz – Meaning “From Amarits, France”
• Granger – Meaning “granary”
• Lachapelle – Meaning “chapel”

Place Meanings Continued

• Lambert – Meaning “bright land”
• Moulin – Meaning “mill”
• Périgord – Meaning “from the Périgord region of France”
• Richelieu – Meaning “wealthy place”
• Theroux – Meaning “by the well”

French Last Names with Color Meanings

• Blanc – Meaning “white”
• Blanchet – Meaning “white”
• Dior – Meaning “golden”
• Rousseau – Meaning “red”

French Last Names That Mean Occupations

• Archambault – Meaning “bold master”
• Barbeau – Meaning “fisherman”
• Barbier – Meaning “barber”
• Charpentier – Meaning “carpenter”

Occupational Names Continued

• Couture – Meaning “tailor”
• Favreau – Meaning “blacksmith”
• Fournier – Meaning “baker”
• Fèvre – Meaning “blacksmith”

Occupational Names Continued

• Gauthier – Meaning “army general”
• Lemaire – Meaning “mayor”
• Lévesque – Meaning “bishop”
• Maçon – Meaning “mason”
• Meunier – Meaning “miller”

French Last Names with Conceptual Meanings

• André – Meaning “masculine”
• Arquette – Meaning “little bow” and “little arch”
• Aubert – Meaning “noble”
• Augustin – Meaning “to increase”

Conceptual Meanings Continued

• Baudin – Meaning “brave”
• Blaise – Meaning “stammer”
• Bohen – Meaning “victorious”
• Bonfils – Meaning “good son”

Conceptual Meanings Continued

• Bonheur – Meaning “lucky”
• Bureau – Meaning “clothing”
• Chaput – Meaning “cloak” and “hood”
• Cloutier – Meaning “nail”

Conceptual Meanings Continued

• Clément – Meaning “merciful”
• Colbert – Meaning “bright” and “helmet”
• Courtemanche – Meaning “short sleeve”
• Cousineau – Meaning “cousin”

Conceptual Meanings Continued

• Durand – Meaning “enduring”
• Émile – Meaning “rival”
• Faucher – Meaning “sickle”
• François – Meaning “Frenchman”

French Last Names with Conceptual Meanings Continued

• Gagneaux – Meaning “cultivate”
• Garçon – Meaning “boy”
• Guillaume – Meaning “helmet of will”
• Hubert – Meaning “bright heart”

French Last Names with Conceptual Meanings Continued

• Jacques – Meaning “James” and “follower”
• Jean-Baptiste – Meaning “John the Baptist”
• Joubert – Meaning “bright Goth”
• Lacroix – Meaning “the cross”
• Langlais – Meaning “Englishman”

French Last Names with Conceptual Meanings Continued

• Lapointe- Meaning “the point of a lance”
• Lemieux – Meaning “best”
• Moreau – Meaning “Moorish”
• Paquet – Meaning “bundle”

French Last Names with Conceptual Meanings Continued

• Parent – Meaning “notable” and “parent”
• Patenaude – Meaning “our father”
• Severin – Meaning “stern”
• Trudeau – Meaning “Thor’s ruler”

French Last Names with Conceptual Meanings Continued

• Vidal – Meaning “vital”
• Vincent – Meaning “conquer”
• Voclain – Meaning “foreign”

As you can probably tell there is no shortage of French last names for you to choose from! These charming and timeless surnames make for the most excellent first names and we hope you will consider them when picking a name for your baby on the way. Most of these names are gender-neutral and will work for any baby but other sound particularly femme or masculine, so experiment to see what will serve your child best. Further, each one of these established names can be used as middle names to give your baby’s full name a swanky boost. Happy baby name hunting! Merci!