French name generator

French first names, last names and full names for characters, stories, games and baby name research. Describe the person, the era and the region, and get names spelled the French way, accents included.

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90+ French name ideas

  • Antoine
  • Benoît
  • Étienne
  • François
  • Gérard

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French names that sound like they belong

A French name carries a lot of quiet information. Gérard and Monique suggest someone born in the mid-20th century, while Jade and Léo point to a child born recently. A hyphenated name like Jean-Baptiste or Anne-Sophie is a single first name, not a first and middle name. Surnames often come from a trade, a place or a nickname: Lefebvre traces back to a smith, Dubois means "of the woods" and Petit began as a description. Accents matter too, because Hélène and Helene are not spelled the same in French. This generator is built around those details.

Tell it who you need: a grandmother from Lyon born in the 1940s, a teenage boy in present-day Paris, a family name for a winemaker in Burgundy, a full name for a detective in a novel set in Marseille. The AI turns that description into French first names, surnames or full names that fit the age, gender and setting. Once you have a shortlist, run the checks below to make sure the name reads as French to French speakers, not just to everyone else.

  • First, last and full names

    Ask for given names, surnames or complete names. Mention hyphenated names, feminine or masculine forms, or a specific letter, and the results follow your request.

  • Matched to the era

    French name fashions change by generation. Describe the decade a character was born in, and the names shift to match: classic and saintly for older characters, short and modern for younger ones.

  • Correct spelling

    The generator returns names with their French diacritics, such as é, è, ê, ë, ç and ï, so you can copy them straight into your story, game or notes without fixing them later.

5 tips for choosing a French name

  1. Match the name to the birth year

    A 20-year-old named Ginette or a grandfather named Timéo will sound off to anyone familiar with France. Names like Gérard, Monique and Sylvie read as older generations, while Léo, Jade and Inès read as younger ones. Decide when your character was born, then pick a name from that period.

  2. Keep the accents

    Diacritics are part of the spelling in French, not decoration. Étienne, Benoît and Joséphine lose their correct form without them, and René and Renée are different names. If your format cannot show accents, at least keep them in your notes so the spelling stays consistent.

  3. Check whether the name is masculine, feminine or both

    Many French names come in pairs: Louis and Louise, Daniel and Danielle, Michel and Michèle. Some, like Camille, Dominique and Claude, are used for both boys and girls. A quick check keeps you from giving a male character a name French readers would expect on a woman, or the other way around.

  4. Say the full name out loud

    French pronunciation often drops final consonants, so names can run together in ways the spelling hides. Try the first and last name together and listen for awkward repeats, such as a first name ending in the same sound the surname begins with. A short first name usually pairs well with a longer surname, and the reverse works too.

  5. Use regional names for a specific setting

    France has strong regional naming traditions. Breton names such as Yann, Erwan and Gwenaëlle place a character in Brittany, and many surnames in Alsace have German roots. If your story happens outside Paris, describe the region in the generator and the names will lean toward it.

Want names made for yours? Describe what you're naming and Nomi finds names that fit.

Frequently asked questions

A French name is made up of one or more given names followed by a family name. Birth records often list several given names, such as Pierre Henri Jacques, but the person usually goes by the first one in daily life. Hyphenated names like Jean-Luc count as a single given name. On official forms the surname is often written first and in capital letters, for example MARTIN Pierre.

Compound names joined by a hyphen, such as Jean-Pierre, Marie-Claire and Anne-Sophie, have long been popular in France and are treated as one first name. They often combine a common name like Jean or Marie with a second name, sometimes honoring a saint, a godparent or a relative. Many were especially common among people born in the mid-20th century, so they can also help signal a character's age.

Martin is widely recognized as the most common surname in France. Other very common ones include Bernard, Thomas, Petit, Robert, Richard, Durand, Dubois and Moreau. Many French surnames began as first names, such as Martin and Thomas, while others describe a place, like Dupont, "of the bridge," a trade, like Boulanger, "baker," or a trait, like Leblanc or Petit.

Yes. Accents are part of the correct spelling, and sometimes they change the name itself. René is a masculine name and Renée is feminine, and the accent on Élise or Hélène tells a French reader how to pronounce it. If you are writing for a French audience or want the name to look authentic, keep the diacritics.

Mostly, yes. A 1993 law gave parents in France broad freedom to choose first names, replacing older rules that limited choices largely to names from saints' calendars and history. If a registrar believes a name goes against the child's interest, they can inform the public prosecutor, who may refer the case to a family court judge. That judge can order a different name.

Yes. Since a law that took effect in 2005, parents in France can give a child the father's surname, the mother's surname or both surnames in the order they choose. Before that, children generally received the father's name. If you are naming a modern French family in a story, a double surname is a realistic option.

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