400+ Bilingual French Baby Names For Boys & Girls that sound good in English

If you’re searching a French name that sounds good in French and English you’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled a list of over 400 of the best bilingual boy names and girl names that translate well between English and French. 

Things to consider when choosing a bilingual French and English baby name

Choosing a child’s name is never easy, but choosing a bilingual baby name adds another layer of difficulty.

You not only have the pressure of finding a name that suits you, your family and your style, you also have to consider how a name might be butchered in English or French because some names don’t translate well to both languages.

I feel your pain. 

To honour my French Canadian father and my Quebecois French-speaking side of the family, I gave two of my three children bilingual French names that are easy to read and pronounce in English and French; Catherine and André.

I named one of my children “Kieran” rather than the alternate spelling “Ciaran” because, although not French, is easy to pronounce and read in both languages.

Not all French names sound good in different languages.

Pronunciation

Due to different pronunciations, some names won’t sound as good in English as they do in French and vice versa, while others are difficult to pronounce.

Take, for instance, the girl’s name Heather and the boy’s name Colin.

When pronounced in French, Heather sounds like /EhZher/ and Colin sounds like /Ko-lawhn/ with the “n” barely pronounced.

The French girls’ names Irène and Anaïs also sound completely different in French than they do in English.;

Feminine or masculine sounding names

Another issue with bilingual names is that some gender-specific names sound feminine in one language but masculine in another language and vice versa.

For example, the French boys’ name Michel, pronounced /Mee-Shell/, may sound feminine to English speakers but not to French speakers.

And the French girls name Raphaëlle and Sébastienne sound perfectly feminine to French speakers but may sound masculine to English speakers. 

Types of bilingual names on this list.

According to a 2018 French census, there are over 33,000 different first names used in France. 

Part of the reason for so many different names in France is due to the immigration of people from other countries but also due to less restrictive baby-naming laws. 

Since 1993, parents in France have had the right to give their children almost any name they want, including creative modern names and foreign names, not just classical Christian names. Something that hasn’t always been possible in France. 

I’ve chosen to only include bilingual names in the French language with their French spelling and their closest English counterparts with English spelling. I’ve excluded certain foreign names such as Muhammad and Kevin, which are also popular names in France. 

How this list of bilingual names is organized: Four groups.

To help you find the perfect bilingual name, I’ve grouped the male and female names into the following four categories. 

1. Bilingual French names with masculine and feminine forms such as Antoin (m) and Antoinette (f).
2. Bilingual Epicene gender-neutral French names such as Noa or Robin: (Unisex French names spelled the same whether for a boy or a girl.) 
3. Bilingual French female names.
4. Bilingual French male names. 

As you go through the list, consider how certain names are spelled.

• Sometimes bilingual names are identical in French and English, such as Diane.
• Sometimes names are spelled differently but are still easily understood in both languages, such as Dominique in French and Dominic in English or Catherine and Katherine.
• Sometimes names that are spelled differently in English and French don’t translate well from one language to another, such as Arnaud in French, which is spelled Arnold in English. 

French and English bilingual names

If you’re ready, let’s dig into this massive list of bilingual French and English names for boys and girls. 

Masculine and Feminine Versions of bilingual French Baby Names

Many French female names, such as Jacqueline and Géraldine, are feminine forms of traditional male French names, which in this case would be Jacques and Gérard.

Here are nearly 100 masculine French names for boys and their feminine versions among with their closest English counterparts.

Some don’t translate well to English, but these might interest you if you’re looking for matching names for your kids or the feminine form of a masculine name. 

Epicene French Names: Gender-neutral names that have the exact same spelling  

Almost all traditional French given names are gender-specific, but a few given names are gender-neutral.

Here are nearly 20 French names suitable for both males and females (in France) and are spelled exactly the same.

Bilingual Girl names that work in English and French

Bilingual boy names that work in English and French