HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

French names typically consist of one or multiple
given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
s, and a
surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
. One given name, usually the first, and the surname are used in a person's daily life, with the other given names used mainly in official documents. Middle names, in the English sense, do not exist. Initials are not used to represent second or further given names. Traditionally, most French people were given names from the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
calendar of saints The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...
. However, given names for French citizens from immigrant communities are often from their own culture, and in modern France it has become increasingly common to use first names of (international) English or other foreign origin. Almost all traditional given names are gender-specific, but a few are not. Many female given names are feminine forms of traditional masculine French names. The prevalence of given names follows trends, with some names being popular in some years, and some considered out-of-fashion. Compound given names are not uncommon. (The second part may be one normally used by the opposite sex; the gender of the compound is determined by the first part.) First names are chosen by the child's parents. Nowadays, there are no legal ''a priori'' constraints on the choice of names, though this was not always the case as recently as a few decades ago. To change a given name, a request can be made before a court, but except in a few specific cases, one must prove a legitimate interest for the change. Children in France were until 2005 required by law to take the surname of their father, unless the father was unknown and the child was given the family name of the mother. Since 2005, parents can give their children either of their names, or a hyphenation of both, subject to a limit of at most two hyphenated names. In case the two parents cannot come to an agreement, both of their family names are used and hyphenated in
alphabetical order Alphabetical order is a system whereby character strings are placed in order based on the position of the characters in the conventional ordering of an alphabet. It is one of the methods of collation. In mathematics, a lexicographical order is ...
; if one of them already has a hyphenated surname, only one word, the first surname, is taken from each parent. The ratio of the number of family names to the population is high in France, primarily because most
surnames In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several giv ...
had many orthographic and dialectal variants, which were then registered as separate names. Contrary to the practice of some other countries, French women do not legally change names when they marry; however, it is customary that they adopt their husband's name as a "usage name" for daily life. This distinction is important because many official documents use the person's maiden, or legal or true surname, rather than their usage name. Some artists change their real name to their stage name, but truly changing one's last name, as opposed to adopting a usage name, is a quite complex legal process.


Styles and forms of address


Madame, Mademoiselle, Monsieur

In normal polite usage, a person's name is usually preceded by: * ''Monsieur'', for a male (etymologically, ''monsieur'' means "my lord", cf. English " sir"); pronounced ; plural: ''messieurs'', pronounced ; abbreviation: singular ''M.''; plural: ''MM.''. The singular form ''Mr'' is very often found, but is considered incorrect by purists, although it appears (together with its rare plural form ''Mrs'') in some dictionaries. * ''Madame'', for a married female (etymologically, ''madame'' means "my lady", cf. English "
dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...
"); pronounced ; plural: ''mesdames'', pronounced ; abbreviation: ''Mme''; plural: ''Mmes''. ''Madame'' must also be used when one does not know whether the addressed woman is married or not, and when one does not know whether the addressed woman may consider the use of ''Mademoiselle'' as discriminating or disrespectful. * ''Mademoiselle'', for an unmarried female (etymologically, ''mademoiselle'' means "my damsel", cf. English " damsel"); pronounced ; plural: ''mesdemoiselles'', pronounced ; abbreviation: ''Mlle'' or ''Mle''; plural: ''Mlles'' or ''Mles''. This form of address is informal and is now tending to be less used in favour of ''madame'' by some groups such as feminist movements because they consider the usage to be discriminating and disrespectful. However, one tendency that remains fairly common is the addressing of young-looking females ''mademoiselle'', and older females ''madame''. Actresses are usually always styled ''mademoiselle'', especially in film or theatre credits, regardless of their age or personal situation; one would thus read ''mademoiselle Deneuve est habillée par Soandso''. Since 2013, French administration does not use the term ''mademoiselle'' anymore for its documents in favour of ''madame'' regardless of the status and the age of the woman addressed. * ''Mondamoiseau'' is an archaic term historically used for a gentleman that had not yet reached the status of '' chevalier'', and was used in a similar fashion as the modern ''mademoiselle''; plural: ''mesdemoiseaux''. The term has not been in common use since the 17th century, but it can be found in works of classic French literature, such as
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
's ''L'Avare''. * ''Maître'', for males and females (etymologically, ''maître'' means "master"); this title is used by lawyers and few other juridical professions, while carrying out their duties, and for some mature male artists; plural: ''maîtres''; abbreviation: Me; there is no abbreviation for ''maîtres'', one should use Me X and Me Y. * '' Docteur'', for males and females (etymologically, ''docteur'' means "doctor"); this title is reserved for people having a doctorate but tend to be mostly used in everyday language for physicians and dentists while carrying out their duties, even when still students thus not having yet a doctorate; plural: ''docteurs''; abbreviation: ''Dr''. The feminine form ''docteure'' (pronounced the same way as ''docteur'') is becoming more common. The feminine form ''doctoresse'' is now old-fashioned but can still be used, especially when speaking of a female physician. During the ''
Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...
'', a female commoner was always addressed as ''mademoiselle'', even when married, ''madame'' being limited to women of the high nobility, even if they were not married. This practice ceased after the French Revolution. A traditional address to a crowd of people is ''Mesdames, Messieurs'' or ''Mesdames, Mesdemoiselles, Messieurs''—whose order of words represents decreasing degrees of respect. An informal variant is ''Messieurs-Dames''; it is considered as ill-mannered by purists. It is normally impolite to address people by their
given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
s unless one is a family member, a friend or a close colleague of comparable hierarchic importance. One also does not address people by their last name only unless in a work environment. Also, contrary to English or German usage, it is considered impolite to address someone as ''monsieur X'' when talking to that person: a mere ''monsieur'' should be used, ''monsieur X'' being reserved for talking about M. X to another person. When speaking of someone, ''monsieur/madame given name
family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
'', by far the most polite form of address, is generally reserved for the most solemn occasions. ''Monsieur/madame family name'' or ''given name family name'' is polite and used in normal formal occasions, as well as in the formal quality press (''
Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
'', '' Le Monde diplomatique'', for example). By contrast, in colloquial usage the family names of personalities are used alone. Formally, a married or widowed woman can be called by the given name of her husband (''madame (given name of husband) family name'' or ''madame veuve (given name of husband) family name''); this is now slightly out of fashion, except on formal invitation cards (in France, on a formal invitation card, the traditional formula is always a variant of ''"Madame Jean Dupont recevra..."''. The traditional use of the first name of the woman's husband is now felt in this context as a way to include the husband as equally inviting alongside his wife, while keeping the tradition of reception being formally held by the wife. In the workplace or in academic establishments, particularly in a male-dominated environment, it is quite common to refer to male employees by their family name only, but to use ''madame'' or ''mademoiselle'' before the names of female employees.


Military

A military officer is addressed by his rank (and under no circumstance by ''monsieur'', but a group of officers can be addressed by plural ''messieurs''). Male officers of the
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
, the
Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
and the
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
are addressed as ''Mon ank' by inferior ranks and deferential civilians. This usage is said not to be the possessive pronoun ''mon'', but an abbreviation of ''monsieur'': consequently, women are not referred to with ''mon'', but with the rank alone (for example ''Général'' rather than ''mon Général''). As a punishment by
Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
,
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
officers have not been addressed as ''mon'' since the
Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...
. Confusingly, the title generally does not match the rank, but rather an equivalent rank in other forces: ''lieutenant'' is the form of address for an ''enseigne de vaisseau'', ''capitaine'' for a ''lieutenant de vaisseau'', and ''commandant'' for a ''capitaine de corvette'', ''frégate'', or ''vaisseau''. The commanding officer of a ship is also addressed as ''commandant'', regardless of his/her actual rank. In everyday written contexts, ranks are abbreviated.


Given names

French people have at least one given name. Usually, only one of them is used in daily life; any others are solely for official documents, such as passports or certificates. Thus, one always speaks of ''
Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
'' and never of ''Jacques René Chirac''; ''Henri Philippe Pétain'' is always referred to as
Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...
, because ''Philippe'' was the given name that he used in daily life. Middle names in the English sense do not exist; initials are never used for second or further given names. For example, although English-speaking scientific publications may cite Claude Allègre as ''Claude J. Allègre'', this is not done in French-speaking publications. Second and further given names, when given, typically honour a child's grandparents, great-grandparents, or other ancestors. The practice of giving two or even three names has since fallen slightly out of fashion, but remains more common in upper-class milieus. Traditionally and historically, most people were given names from the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
calendar of saints. Common names of this type are ''Jacques'' ( James), ''Jean'' (
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
), ''Michel'' (
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
), ''Pierre'' (
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
), and ''Jean-Baptiste'' (
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
) for males; and ''Marie'' ( Mary), ''Jeanne'' ( Jane), ''Marguerite'' (
Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
), ''Françoise'' (
Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...
), and ''Élisabeth'' ( Elizabeth) for females. In certain regions such as
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
or
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
, more local names (usually of local saints) are often used (in Brittany, for instance, male ''Corentin'' or female ''Anne''; in Corsica, ''Ange'' (suitable both for males and females, French version corresponding to Corsican ''Angelo'', ''Angela''). However, given names for French citizens from immigrant communities are often from their own culture, such as ''Mohammed, Karim'', ''Saïd'', ''Toufik'', ''Jorge'', etc. for males, ''Fatima'', ''Fatoumata'', etc. for females. Furthermore, in recent decades it has become common to use first names of English or other foreign origin, mainly in the popular classes of society, such as ''Kevin'', ''Enzo'', or ''Anthony'' (instead of ''Antoine'' in the upper classes) for males; for females, ''Jessica'', ''Jennifer'', ''Karine'' or ''Barbara'' (instead of ''Barbe'', now out of fashion, because it sounds exactly the same as ''barbe'' "beard" as in the expression ''la barbe!'' "What a drag! / How boring!"). Also, females are often given names like Jacqueline and Géraldine that are feminine forms of traditional common masculine French names. The prevalence of given names follows trends, with some names being popular in some years, and some considered definitely out-of-fashion. As an example, few children born since 1970 would bear the name ''Germaine'', which is generally associated with the idea of an elderly lady. However, as noted above, such old-fashioned names are frequently used as second or third given names, because in France the second or further given names are traditionally those of the godparents or the grandparents. Some older names, such as ''Suzanne'', ''Violette'', and ''Madeleine'', have become fashionable again in the upper class and in the upper middle class. Others such as ''Jean'', ''Pierre'', ''Louis'', and ''François'' never really went out of fashion. ''Alexandre'' (Alexander) was never very popular, but is not uncommon in middle and upper classes. Almost all traditional given names are gender-specific. However, a few given names, such as ''Dominique'' (see above: completely gender-neutral), ''Claude'' (traditionally masculine), and ''Camille'' (traditionally masculine, now mostly feminine), are given to both males and females; for others, the pronunciation is the same but the spelling is different: ''Frédéric'' (m) / ''Frédérique'' (f). In medieval times, a woman was often named ''Philippe'' (Philippa), now an exclusively masculine name (Philip), or a male ''Anne'' (Ann), now almost exclusively feminine (except as second or third given name, mostly in Brittany). From the mid-19th century into the early 20th century, ''Marie'' was a popular first name for both men or women, however, before and after that period it has been almost exclusively given to women as a first given name, although it is sometimes given to males as second or third given name, especially in devout Catholic families. Compound given names, such as ''Jean-Luc'', ''Jean-Paul'' and ''Anne-Sophie'' are not uncommon. These are not considered to be two separate given names. The second part of a compound name may be a given name normally used by the opposite sex. However, the gender of the compound is determined by the first component. Thus,
Marie-George Buffet Marie-George Buffet (née Kosellek; born 7 May 1949) is a French politician. She was the head of the French Communist Party (PCF) from 2001 to 2010. She joined the Party in 1969, and she served in the government as Minister of Youth Affairs an ...
has a given name considered as female because it begins with ''Marie'', and ''George'' is spelled with a final ''-e'' like all the traditional French female given names, instead of '' Georges'' with ''-es'' for a male. The feminine component in male compound names is mostly ''Marie'', as in
Jean-Marie Vianney John Vianney (born Jean-Marie Vianney and later Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney; 8 May 1786 – 4 August 1859) was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic priest often referred to as the ''Curé d'Ars'' ("the parish priest of Ars"). He is known ...
. In the past, some Frenchmen would have ''Marie'' or ''Anne'' as first name (example: Anne du Bourg), which is still nowadays in practice in rare traditional Catholic families (but then the man will have other given names and one of those will be used in everyday life). Second or third given names, which usually are kept private, may also include names normally used by the opposite gender. For instance, in 2006, 81 Frenchmen have ''Brigitte'' among their given names, 97 ''Catherine'', 133 ''Anne'', and 204 ''Julie''. In addition to the above-described custom of using ''Marie'' for males, this is due to the habit of traditional Catholic French families to give children the names of their godmother and godfather: if there is no counterpart of the opposite gender for the name of the godparent who is not of the same sex as the child, generally the name of the godparent will be left as such. For instance, a male child born to a traditional Catholic family choosing for him the name ''Nicolas'' and whose godparents are called ''Christian'' and ''Véronique'' could be called ''Nicolas Christian Marie Véronique''. First names are chosen by the child's parents. There are no legal ''a priori'' constraints on the choice of names nowadays, but this has not always been the case. The choice of given names, originally limited only by the tradition of naming children after a small number of popular saints, was restricted by law at the end of the 18th century, could be accepted. Much later, actually in 1966, a new law permitted a limited number of mythological, regional or foreign names, substantives (Olive, Violette), diminutives, and alternative spellings. Only in 1993 were French parents given the freedom to name their child without any constraint whatsoever. However, if the birth registrar thinks that the chosen names (alone or in association with the last name) may be detrimental to the child's interests, or to the right of other families to protect their own family name, the registrar may refer the matter to the local prosecutor, who may choose to refer the matter to the local court. The court may then refuse the chosen names. Such refusals are rare and mostly concern given names that may expose the child to mockery. To change a given name, a request can be made before a court (''juge des affaires familiales''), but except in a few specific cases (such as the Gallicization of a foreign name), it is necessary to prove a legitimate interest for the change (usually that the current name is a cause of mockery or when put together with the surname, it creates a ridiculous word or sentence, e.g.: ''Jean Bon'' sounds ''jambon'' "ham", or ''Annick Mamère'' = ''A nique ma mère'', slang for "she fucks my mother"). Typical French female names A-:
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
,
Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
, Adrienne, Aenor, Agathe, Aglaé, Agnes,
Aimée Aimée, often unaccented as Aimee, is a feminine given name of French origin, translated as "beloved". The masculine form is Aimé. The English equivalent is Amy. It is also occasionally a surname. It may refer to: Given name Aimée * Aimée ...
, Albane,
Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...
,
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
, Amandine,
Amélie ''Amélie'' (, , ) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre. It tells the story ...
, Amicie, Anabelle, Anaïs, Anastasie, Andrea, Andréanne, Andrée, Andrée-Anne, Andie, Angèle, Angélique,
Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...
, Anne-Marie, Annette, Antoinette, Alique, Arlette, Audrey, Aurélie, Aurore, Axelle B-: Babette, Barbara, Bâle, Basilique, Béatrice, Bénédicte, Bérengère,
Bernadetta Bernadetta is a female French language, French and Polish language, Polish variation of the name Bernard, which means "brave as a bear". Notable persons with that name include: People *Bernadetta Blechacz (born 1955), Polish javelin thrower *B ...
,
Bernadette Bernadette is a French language, French name, a female form of the name Bernard, which means "brave bear". Notable persons with the name include: People * Bernadette (singer) (born 1959), Dutch singer * Bernadette Allen (born 1956), American for ...
, Blanche, Blanchefleur, Blandine] C-: Caudalia, Caudalie, Calixte, Camille, Carina, Carine, Carole, Caroline, Cécile, Céline, Chanel, Chantal, Char, Charline, Charlotte, Chloe, Christine, Claire, Clara, Claude, Claudine, Clemence, Clémentine, Colette, Coralie, Coraline, Corina, Corinne D-: Daniele, Danielle, Daphne, Denise, Diane,Dominique, Deslotte, Despina, Diane, Dina, Dolorès, Dominika, Dominique, Dora, Doriane, Dorine, Doris, Dorothée E-: Edith, Édith Edmonde, Edwige, Eglantine, Elena, Eléonore, Elfi, Elia, Ellie, Eliane, Elisa, Élisa, Elise, Élise, Elisée, Elliset, Éllieset, Elliezet, Élliezet, Elodie Élodie, Éloïse, Elphie, Elsa, Elvire, Emeline, Emelyne, Emilia, Emilie, Émilie, Emilienne, Emma, Emmanuelle, Enora, Epnon, Érato, Erica, Ernestine, Erza, Esmeralda, Estelle, Esther, Eufemia, Eugenia, Eugénie, Eulalie, Ève, Éveline, Evelyne, Évelyne, Evelina J-: Jeanne M-: Marie, Marine, Marinéllie, Mariéllie R-: Reine


Surnames

It is believed that the number of surnames in France at all times since 1990 has been between 800,000 and 1,200,000. The number of surnames is high proportional to the population; most surnames have many orthographic and dialectal variants (more than 40 for some), which were registered as entirely separate names around 1880 when " :fr:Livret de famille, family vital records booklets" were issued. According to the Institute of Statistics ( INSEE), more than 1,300,000 surnames were registered in the country between 1891 and 1990, and about 200,000 have disappeared (mainly unique orthographic variants). According to different estimates, 50 to 80 percent of French citizens may bear rare family names (fewer than 50 bearers alive at the census time). Not all family names are of French origin, as many families have some immigrant roots.


French naming law (surnames)

In France, until 2005, children were required by law to take the surname of their father. If the father was unknown, the child was given the family name of the mother. Since 2005, article 311-21 of the French
Civil code A civil code is a codification of private law relating to property law, property, family law, family, and law of obligations, obligations. A jurisdiction that has a civil code generally also has a code of civil procedure. In some jurisdiction ...
permits parents to give their children the father's name, the mother's name, or a hyphenation of both: although no more than two names can be hyphenated. In cases of disagreement, both parents' family names are hyphenated, in alphabetic order, with only the first of their names, if they each have a hyphenated name themselves. A 1978 declaration by the
Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...
requires member governments to take measures to adopt equality of rights in the transmission of family names, a measure that was repeated by the United Nations in 1979. Similar measures were adopted by
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
(1976),
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
(1982),
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
(1983),
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
(1999), and
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
(2013). In France, a person may use a name of a third party (called the common name) in the following circumstances: * anyone – to add or use the name of a parent whose name he does not bear. This results from the application of Article 43 of Law No. 85-1372 of 23 December 1985. For example, in the case of children of divorced and remarried parents, to help differentiate the family composition. * married people or widows – by adding or substituting the name of their spouse. Substituting the name of the husband is an established custom but has never been enshrined in law. For example, social security laws require the wife and husband to provide the "maiden name" or birth name. This right also applies to divorced couples, provided that the ex-spouse does not object and the other has a legitimate interest, such as because they have custody of the couple's children. Since Law No. 2003-516 of 18 June 2003 on the devolution of family names, there is no longer any distinction between the name of the mother and the father. A child may receive the family name of one or the other, or both family names. Decree No. 2004-1159 of 29 October 2004 implemented Law No. 2002-304 of 4 March 2002, provided that children born on or after 1 January 2004 and children changing names, may have or use only the family name of the father or the mother or both family names. However, whichever form is used, a person's name must be used consistently on all identification documents, such as a passport or identity card.


Most common French surnames

The list for France is different according to the sources. A list including the births between 1891 and 1990 shows : 1 –
Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...
, 2 – Bernard, 3 –
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
, 4 – Petit, 5 –
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...
, 6 –
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
, 7 – Durand, 8 – Dubois, 9 – Moreau, 10 – Laurent. A list of birth between 1966 and 1990 yields: 1 – Martin, 2 – Bernard, 3 – Thomas, 4 – Robert, 5 – Petit, 6 – Dubois, 7 – Richard, 8 – Garcia (Spanish), 9 – Durand, 10 – Moreau. This list masks strong regional differences in France and the increasing number of foreign names among the French citizens.


Particles

Some French last names include a prefix called a
particle In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscle in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from s ...
(), a
preposition Adpositions are a part of speech, class of words used to express spatial or temporal relations (''in, under, towards, behind, ago'', etc.) or mark various thematic relations, semantic roles (''of, for''). The most common adpositions are prepositi ...
or article at the beginning of the name. The most widespread of these are ''de'' (meaning "of"), ''le'' or ''la'' ("the"), and ''Du'' or ''de La'' ("of the"). A common misconception is that ''particules'' indicate some noble or
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...
origin of the name, but this is not always the case. Many non-noble people have ''particules'' in their names simply because they indicate the family's geographic origin. One example is
Dominique de Villepin Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (; born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac. In his career working at the Ministry ...
. French statesman
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
's surname may not be a traditional French name with a toponymic ''particule'', but a Flemish Dutch name that evolved from a form of ''De Walle'' meaning "the wall". In the case of nobility, titles are mostly of the form itle[
particle In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscle in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from s ...
] [name of the land]: for instance, ''Louis-Philippe of France, Louis, duc d'Orléans'' ("Louis, duke of Orléans"), or simply ''Louis d'Orléans''. Former president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's father had his surname legally changed from "Giscard" to "Giscard d'Estaing" in 1922, claiming the name of a family line extinct since the French Revolution. Adding a ''particule'' was one way for people of non-noble origins to pretend they were nobles. In the 19th century, wealthy commoners buying nobility titles were derisively called ''Monsieur de Puispeu'', a pun on ''depuis peu'' meaning "since recently". Similarly, during the French Revolution of 1789–1799, when being associated with the nobility was out of favor and even risky, some people dropped the ''de'' from their name, or omitted the mention of their feudal titles. In some cases, names with ''particules'' are made of a normal family name and the name of an estate (or even of several estates). Thus, Dominique de Villepin is ''Dominique Galouzeau de Villepin''; Hélie de Saint Marc is ''Hélie Denoix de Saint Marc'' (in both cases, omitting second or other given names). As in these examples, most people with such long family names shorten their name for common use, by keeping only the first estate name (such as Viscount Philippe Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon, assuming in everyday life the name of Philippe de Villiers) or, in some cases, only the family name. Whether the family name or the estate name is used for the shortened form depends on a variety of factors: how people feel bearing a ''particule'' (people may for instance dislike the connotations of nobility that the ''particule'' entails; on the other hand, they may enjoy the impression of nobility), tradition, etc. For instance, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is never referred to as "d'Estaing", probably because his ''particule'' is a recent addition to the family surname by his father. On the contrary, the press often simply refers to him as "Giscard". Traditionally, the ''particule'' ''de'' is omitted when citing the name of a person without a preceding given name, title (''baron'', ''duc'' etc.), job description (''général'', ''colonel'', etc.) or polite address (''monsieur'', ''madame'', ''mademoiselle''). Thus, one would say ''Monsieur de La Vieuville'', but if calling him familiarly by his last name only, ''La Vieuville'' (note the initial capital letter); the same applies for '' Gérard de La Martinière'', who would be called ''La Martinière''. Similarly,
Philippe de Villiers Philippe Marie Jean Joseph Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon, known as Philippe de Villiers (; born 25 March 1949), is a French entrepreneur, politician and novelist.American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...
language medial capital spellings such as ''DeVilliers'' are never used in France.


Changes of names

A French woman retains her birth name when she marries. In some cases, a woman may take her husband's name as a "usage name". :fr:Population & Sociétés No. 367 of April 2001 This is not a legal obligation (it is a ''contra legem'' custom, as French law since the Revolution has required that no one may be called by any other name than that written on their birth certificate), and not all women decide to do so. However, if they do, they may retain the use of this name, depending on circumstances, even after a divorce. In some cases, the wife, or both spouses, choose to adopt a double-barreled, hyphenated surname made from joining the surnames of both partners. Thus, both partners' surnames coexist with whatever usage name they choose. This distinction is important because many official documents use the person's birth or legal surname, rather than their usage name. People may also choose to use other names in daily usage, as long as they are not impersonating others and as long as their usage name is socially accepted. One example of this is the custom of actors or singers to use a
stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
. However, identity documents and other official documents will bear only the "real name" of the person. In some cases, people change their real name to their stage name; for example, the singer Patrick Bruel changed his name from his birth name of ''Benguigui''. Another example of aliases being turned into true names: During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, some Resistance fighters (such as
Lucie Aubrac Lucie Samuel (29 June 1912 – 14 March 2007), born Bernard and known as Lucie Aubrac (), was a member of the French Resistance in World War II. A history teacher by occupation, she earned a history ''agrégation'' in 1938, a highly uncommon achi ...
) and Jews fleeing persecution adopted aliases. Some kept the alias as a legal name after the war or added it to their name (
Jacques Chaban-Delmas Jacques Chaban-Delmas (; 7 March 1915 – 10 November 2000) was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1969 to 1972. He was the Mayor of Bordeaux from 1947 to 1995 and a deputy for the Gironde ''d ...
' name was ''Delmas'', and ''Chaban'' was the last of his wartime aliases; his children were given the family surname Delmas). Legally changing one's last name, as opposed to adopting a usage name, is quite complex. Such changes have to be made official by a ''décret en Conseil d'État'' issued by the
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
after approval by the
Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
. Requests for such changes must be justified by some legitimate interest, for instance, changing from a foreign name difficult to pronounce in French to a simpler name, or changing from a name with unfavorable connotations.


See also

*
Dutch name Dutch names consist of one or more given names and a surname. The given name is usually gender-specific. Given names A Dutch child's birth and given name(s) must be officially registered by the parents within 3 days after birth. It is not uncom ...
* French honorifics *
German name Personal names in German-speaking Europe consist of one or several given names (''Vorname'', plural ''Vornamen'') and a surname (''Nachname, Familienname''). The ''Vorname'' is usually gender-specific. A name is usually cited in the "Name order, ...
*
Germanic name Germanic given names are traditionally dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements ( stems), by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, King Æþelred's name was derived from ', meaning "noble", and ', meaning "counsel". The i ...
* List of common French given names at the
French Wikipedia The French Wikipedia () is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has :fr:Special:Statistics, encyclopedia artic ...


References

; General * * Imprimerie Nationale, ''Lexique des règles typographiques en usage à l'Imprimerie nationale'', ; Specific


External links

*
More French Baby names


{{DEFAULTSORT:French Name Names by country