Revealed: The most popular baby names in France
How popular is your name in France? New data from the national statistics agency reveals what French parents are calling their children.
A total of 4,889 boys born in France in 2022 were named Gabriel, while 3,420 girls were given the name Jade, making these the most popular names according to newly released data from the national statistics agency, Insee.
Léo (4,078 births) and Raphaël (3,798) were second and third on the boys’ names list last year - unchanged from the previous 12-month period. Among the girls, Louise (3,412) maintains second place as last year, while Ambre (3,380) climbed to third.
If you want to check how popular your name was among new parents in France last year, French TV station BFM has put together this handy online tool.
Before naming a child, you might also want to check our list of names popular in the English-speaking world which have rather unfortunate meanings in French . . .
The 9 boys' names that mean something very different in French
In 2022, Arthur was the fifth most popular boys’ name in 2021, but slipped to eighth in 2022; while Maël climbed to fourth from seventh. Emma slipped from third to fifth for girls born in France, overtaken by Ambre and Alba - a name that has enjoyed a meteoric rise. A total of 71 girls were named Alba in 2012. In 2022, 3,280 girls were given the name.
A name that’s just a consonant away, Alma, has increased in popularity 85 percent in a single year to become the 16th most-popular girls’ name. Laya, meanwhile, has seen a year-on-year increase of 138.4 percent; while the number of boys named Loann has jumped 388 percent, and Nahyl has seen a 167 percent rise in popularity among parents.
READ ALSO What are the rules for naming your baby in France?
Names losing ground include Thibault (down 26 percent), Mila (-31.3 percent) and Calie (-31.5 percent).
Top 10 boys’ names
- Gabriel (4,889 births, -1.7%)
- Léo (4,078, -6.6%)
- Raphaël (3,798, -4.1%)
- Maël (3,571, +3.8%)
- Louis (3,560, -4.1%)
- Noah (3,325, -1.8%)
- Jules (3,308, -7.9%)
- Arthur (3,284, -8.7%)
- Adam (3,212, 1.9%)
- Lucas (2,774, -9.2%)
Top 10 girls’s names
- Jade (3,420 births, -10%)
- Louise (3,412, -9.4%)
- Amber (3,380, +12%)
- Alba (3,280, + 30.9 %)
- Emma (3,158, -1.3%)
- Rose (2,692, -0.4%)
- Alice (2,520, -8.9%)
- Romy (2,409, -1.6%)
- Anna (2,380, -5.3%)
- Lina (2,355, -0.5 %)
READ ALSO The French baby names banned by law
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A total of 4,889 boys born in France in 2022 were named Gabriel, while 3,420 girls were given the name Jade, making these the most popular names according to newly released data from the national statistics agency, Insee.
Léo (4,078 births) and Raphaël (3,798) were second and third on the boys’ names list last year - unchanged from the previous 12-month period. Among the girls, Louise (3,412) maintains second place as last year, while Ambre (3,380) climbed to third.
If you want to check how popular your name was among new parents in France last year, French TV station BFM has put together this handy online tool.
Before naming a child, you might also want to check our list of names popular in the English-speaking world which have rather unfortunate meanings in French . . .
The 9 boys' names that mean something very different in French
In 2022, Arthur was the fifth most popular boys’ name in 2021, but slipped to eighth in 2022; while Maël climbed to fourth from seventh. Emma slipped from third to fifth for girls born in France, overtaken by Ambre and Alba - a name that has enjoyed a meteoric rise. A total of 71 girls were named Alba in 2012. In 2022, 3,280 girls were given the name.
A name that’s just a consonant away, Alma, has increased in popularity 85 percent in a single year to become the 16th most-popular girls’ name. Laya, meanwhile, has seen a year-on-year increase of 138.4 percent; while the number of boys named Loann has jumped 388 percent, and Nahyl has seen a 167 percent rise in popularity among parents.
READ ALSO What are the rules for naming your baby in France?
Names losing ground include Thibault (down 26 percent), Mila (-31.3 percent) and Calie (-31.5 percent).
Top 10 boys’ names
- Gabriel (4,889 births, -1.7%)
- Léo (4,078, -6.6%)
- Raphaël (3,798, -4.1%)
- Maël (3,571, +3.8%)
- Louis (3,560, -4.1%)
- Noah (3,325, -1.8%)
- Jules (3,308, -7.9%)
- Arthur (3,284, -8.7%)
- Adam (3,212, 1.9%)
- Lucas (2,774, -9.2%)
Top 10 girls’s names
- Jade (3,420 births, -10%)
- Louise (3,412, -9.4%)
- Amber (3,380, +12%)
- Alba (3,280, + 30.9 %)
- Emma (3,158, -1.3%)
- Rose (2,692, -0.4%)
- Alice (2,520, -8.9%)
- Romy (2,409, -1.6%)
- Anna (2,380, -5.3%)
- Lina (2,355, -0.5 %)
READ ALSO The French baby names banned by law
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