30 Old & Classic French Boy Names With Meanings

The French language is the official language of 29 countries, and roughly 50.000 English words come from French. French grammar has been greatly simplified from that of Latin. As such, I have hand-picked 30 old and classic French boy names.

Jacques

Jacques can be traced back to the northwest Brittany region of France. It comes from the Hebrew name Jacob that means ”to overreach” or ”to follow.” Jacob is a Hebrew patriarch and the younger twin brother of Esau. Jacques de Molay was the last grand master of the Knights Templar and was sentenced to death in 1314

Adrien

Adrien originated from Latin and it means “from Hadria.”

Emile

Émile is symbolizing ”to excel” or ”to strive” and is from the Latin Aemilius.

Alphonse

Alphonse means “ready for battle.”

READ MORE: 30 Unique Russian Boy Names

Maxime

Maxime is from the Latin word maximus and is meaning ”greatest” or ”the great one.”

Anatole

Anatole originates from the Greek name Anatolius (sunrise). Variants include Anatolio and Anatoly. A celebrity that bears this name is art critic Anatole Jakovsky who established a museum in Nice.

Léopold

Léopold has origins in the Germanic name Luitbald (liut means people and bald means brave). Léopold Louis-Dreyfus was a French businessman and the recipient of the title Commander of the Legion of Honour.

Antoine

Antoine comes from the Latin Antonius and means ”highly praiseworthy.” Feminine forms include Antionette and Antonia. Antoine variations are Antwuan, Antwoine, Antwain, Antoin, Antoan, and Antaine.

Théodore

Théodore (gift of God) is from the Greek theós (that means ”god”) and dôron (gift).

Armand

Armand is the French form of Herman that is an ancient Germanic name meaning “army man.” Armand Peugeot was a French industrialist and the founder of the Peugeot automotive adventure.

Sébastien

Worthy of respect or venerable.

Facts about the French language

French is officially spoken on every continent in the world. It is the 5th most spoken language in the world.

The Académie Française is the guardian of the language. It was founded in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu.

The French language is famous for its love of punctuation.

The word “salut” means both “goodbye” and “hello.”

Auguste

Auguste comes from the Latin word augustus which means “great” or “venerable.” Augustus was the main title of the Roman emperors during antiquity.

Raoul

Raoul has its origins in the Germanic elements rad (that is meaning ”counsel”) and wald (wolf). Raüll, Raül, Raúl, and Raul are other variants.

Balthasar

Balthasar is from Akkadian Bel-shar-uzur and means ”Bel protects the King.” Balthazar is one of the three biblical Magi who visited Jesus after he was born. It is also spelled Baltazar, Balthassar, or Balthazar.

Philippe

Philippe is from the Greek name Phílippos (that means lover of horses). Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848. He was overthrown by a revolution in February 1848.

Baptiste

Baptiste has roots in the Greek baptistēs and has a meaning that I like, one who washes or one who administers the rite of baptism. It is also a short form of the French name Jean-Baptiste which is connected with Saint John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus.

Narcisse

Narcisse is linked with the mythological figure of Narcissus who was the son of Cephissus and Liriope. Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism.

Barnabé

Barnabé has its roots in the Hebrew name “Bar-Nabba” and is symbolizing “son of encouragement” or ”son of consolation.”

Marcel

Marcel means belonging to Mars. Marcel comes from the Roman name Marcellus, the Roman god of war Mars. The feminine variant is Marcelle.

Basile

Basile means ”regal” or ”kingly” and comes from the Greek name Basileios.

How to pick a classic French name for your baby boy

Start brainstorming names with your family.

You can also revisit the names of long-lost relatives. Check for possible nicknames and see if you are okay with them.

Beauregard

Beauregard is a masculine name and is meaning ”beautiful to look at” or ”a beautiful outlook.”

Lucien

Lucien means light. It comes from the Latin Lucius or the Etruscan Lauchum. Variations: Luken in Basque and Lucio in Spanish.

Benoit

Benoit is from the Latin word benedictus and means ”blessed.” Feminine derivatives are Benoîte and Bénédicte.

Léon

Léon is meaning lion and has roots in the Greek language. Léon was a leonine Gigante slain by Herakles and they fought during the war of the Giants and Gods.

Blaise

Blaise means “lisping” or “stuttering.”

Laurent

Laurent has origins in the Laurentius in Latin and means “from Laurentum,” a city near Rome.

Boniface

Fortunate or auspicious.

Editor’s Pick: Rare One Syllable Boy Names

Julien

Downy-bearded or youthful. Julien has its roots in the Latin name Julius.

Cédric

Cédric means war leader or kindly. Cedric Diggory is a wizard who attended the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Gustave

Support of the Goths.