French is a beautiful language, as are most of the Romance languages, and names from this region do a great job of capturing the gentle sounds of French. This is achieved predominantly by placing the emphasis on the vowels rather than the consonants, giving French words and names a softer sound than other languages where the emphasis is on the consonants.
While the sound of the name is soft, French names tend to have wonderful meanings, especially for boys. For example, Andre, a gentler version of Andrew, means ‘manly.’ Sebastien means ‘venerable’ or ‘respected,’ which is something that many boys and men want to feel from others in their lives.
If you are expecting your son to be wild and adventurous, you might consider a name like Bernard, meaning ‘bold as a bear,’ or Francois, meaning ‘free.’ While the meaning of a name does not necessarily affect your child’s future, it can represent your wishes for their life or your vision for the type of person you think they are likely to become.
In other cases, a name can just have an awesome meaning while setting no expectations, like Olivier, which means ‘elf warrior’ or ‘ancestor’s descendent,’ depending on which source you consider. Either way, your son will have an interesting story to tell if he’s ever asked about the meaning of his name.
Absolon
Meaning: The father is peace, or father of peace
Origin: French
Acel
Meaning: Adherent of a nobleman
Origin: French
Agrican
Meaning: From the field
Origin: French
Aleron
Meaning: Knight
Origin: French
Algernon
Meaning: With whiskers, bearded
Origin: French
Allard
Meaning: Brave; noble
Origin: French
Amo
Meaning: Little eagle
Origin: French
Andre
Meaning: Manly
Origin: French
Arber
Meaning: Dealer of herbs
Origin: French
Bailey
Meaning: Steward or public official; man in charge
Origin: French
Baron
Meaning: A title of nobility used as a given name
Origin: French
Barry
Meaning: Lives at the barrier
Origin: French
Bartlett
Meaning: Ploughman
Origin: French
Bellamy
Meaning: Handsome
Origin: French
Bernard
Meaning: Bold as a bear
Origin: French
Blase
Meaning: Lisp, stutter
Origin: French
Campbell
Meaning: From the beautiful field
Origin: French
Chandler
Meaning: Maker of candles
Origin: French
Charles
Meaning: Manly
Origin: French
Chevalier
Meaning: Horseman; knight
Origin: French
Clovis
Meaning: Name of a king
Origin: French
Darcy
Meaning: From Arcy
Origin: French
Darvell
Meaning: Town of eagles
Origin: French
Delmar
Meaning: Mariner
Origin: French
Dilan
Meaning: Like a lion
Origin: French
Eliot
Meaning: Believes in God
Origin: French
Fabien
Meaning: Derived from the Roman clan name Fabius
Origin: French
Fabrice
Meaning: Works with his hands
Origin: French
Fabron
Meaning: Blacksmith
Origin: French
Florus
Meaning: Flower
Origin: French
Francois
Meaning: Free
Origin: French
Garlen
Meaning: Wreath; prize
Origin: French
Ignace
Meaning: Fiery
Origin: French
Iven
Meaning: Little archer
Origin: French
Javier
Meaning: Born in January
Origin: French
Karl
Meaning: Strong and masculine
Origin: French
Lamar
Meaning: Of the sea
Origin: French
Lennard
Meaning: Lion-bold
Origin: French
Louis
Meaning: Famous warrior
Origin: French
Lucian
Meaning: Light; illumination
Origin: French
Ludovic
Meaning: Famous warrior
Origin: French
Lyle
Meaning: Islander
Origin: French
Mahieu
Meaning: Gift of God
Origin: French
Mandel
Meaning: Makes garments
Origin: French
Manville
Meaning: From the great estate
Origin: French
Marlon
Meaning: Little falcon
Origin: French
Marmion
Meaning: Small one
Origin: French
Michele
Meaning: French form of Michael
Origin: French
Olivier
Meaning: Elf warrior or ancestor’s descendent
Origin: French
Sebastien
Meaning: Venerable or respected
Origin: French
