Are you looking for a modern, elegant and international option for your future baby? Let yourself be seduced by the timeless charm of “so British” first names from across the Channel.
Whether they’re inspired by British royalty, American pop culture or old Anglo-Saxon classicsEnglish first names are popular with future parents. Easy to pronounce around the world and with a unique sound, they bring a touch of originality without being too eccentric. To help you make the best choice for your girl or boy, discover our complete guide to English first namestheir meanings and our current favorites, for girls and boys.
List of the most common English first names in France
Female English names
To name a little girl with English inspiration, there are classic English names like Susan, which can be transformed into Suzy For example. But also Romy, Georgia, Ella, Deborah, or even Abigail. First names Emmy and Jane are common English girl names, like Holly, which means “holy”. Besides, Mary is an essential first name, of course. Two other English reference names that can be given to a little girl are Meghan and Kate. If you like British names for a baby girl, Olivia can be a nice option, just like Billie, Willie or even Livy.
Male English names
For boys, there are also great English classics such as George or even ArchibaldCharles, named after the king. Louis, a bilingual French-English first name, is a British classic. From the name of the princes, you can name your little boy in English fashion, William or Harrywhich is also the name of a famous wizard, Harry Potter. Philip, Arthur (the famous King Arthur!), Thomas or even Matthew are referring first names in the English language for a little boy. Swan (which means swan), Alistair, Marty (from Martin), Archie (coming from Archibald). For a baby boy, we can also look for short first names of British origin, such as Tom, Max, Rony or even Jim.
Which English names are rather rare?
If England is renowned for its catalog of traditional and historical first names, it also has a good reservoir of original and rare first names! Often, this type of first name comes from diminutives. thus for boys, we will note Teddy, which comes from Théodore, or even Ted. But also Zachfrom Zachary, Willowquite rare, which means “resolute protector”. Bob and Bill are first names rarely given, they are nicknames attributed to Robert and William. This is also the case of Eyden, Jul, Marty, Addy,…
Among girls, among the rare English first names, we find Maggie or even Margiewhich come from the classic Margaret, which we also have in French, Daisy. Laws (from Superman!) is a rare first name, like Juno, or the Daisy flower. Another rare option for girls is to start from Elisabeth and create a first name from its derivatives: Lilibeth (like Meghan Markle’s daughter)Babeth, Beth, Ellie…
What are the old English names?
In the category of old English names for little girls, we can of course name those from the lineage of the royal family: there are therefore Victoria, who was a queenElisabeth, of course. But also Helenwho was a mythical character due to his beauty. Equally traditional, we find Jane (for Jane Austen), Susan, for his novel Lady Susan, or even Pink (from Titanic!)Lillian, Isabel, Diana for the famous princess, or even Thelma, from the famous film Thelma and Louise.
For boys, the names of kings are numerous, such as Richard, Henry, Edward. But we also find other traditional and old first names of British originfrom the royal families of British history, such as Theodore, Robert, Simon, Edgar, Harold, George or the classic James.
