In France, there are many completely unique cultural traditions, which may well include the formation of names and the procedure for naming children in the family. This especially applies to male names, which will be discussed in this article. Modern parents, of course, deviate from family orders that have been mandatory for several centuries in a row. Many male French names are increasingly being replaced by biblical ones or those with English roots, which do not sound at all French.

However, French names for boys are often used in other countries. But not every parent knows what they mean and whether they are really so popular in France itself. To understand how popular the male name that you suddenly want to give to your baby is, it’s worth learning more about it.

What are they?

Like women's, men's French names have a unique melody and softness of sound. Perhaps, in no other country in the world will you hear such a charming pronunciation of the sound “r”. It is he who carries within himself that very special French charm. Despite the fact that the French are considered incredibly passionate, their names often sound soothing: Henri, Louis, Charles. Names in French are pronounced softly, especially if sounds such as “r”, “t”, “k” and others are at the end of the word or follow one another. For example, the traditional French “Godfried” most often sounds like “Godefroy”. And there are many such examples.

Another feature of the use of the name for the French of past centuries is its versatility. This means that both boys and girls were often called the same. An example of this is the names Corentin, Michel and some others.

Origin of French names

Most male French names are derived from biblical ones. Most often, they were modified in accordance with the ideas of ordinary people about the beauty of sound. An example of this is the names Pierre (Peter), Benjamin (Benjamin) and Michel (Michael). As can be seen from the above examples, the sounds in them are always softer than in the original version. Often French names in Russian, for example, acquire a harsher and rougher sound, losing their unique charm.

Also in France, borrowing proper names from neighboring cultures has been practiced since ancient times. During the wars of conquest with the participation of this state, new unusual names were “brought” to the country, which were used to call newborn boys.

What were sons called in France: family traditions

The French traditions when naming children are very interesting, and they differ little from the rules adopted by other nations. As a rule, male French names, the list and meaning of which will be given below, were given according to the following principle:

• the first-born was given the name of his paternal grandfather, and the names of his maternal grandfather and the saint under whose protection the boy was born were added;
• the second son in the family was given the name of his paternal great-grandfather, and the name of his mother's grandmother and the name of the saint were added to it.

These traditions were mandatory until 1966, when parents were legally allowed to choose the last name (saint) for their child. And only in 1993 in France it was officially allowed to choose a child’s first name from among those that parents liked.

Perhaps the reader will have a question about how several names could form a single whole. It's simple - in France almost everything male names were composite. What were they, which of them were used in everyday life, and what did the writing of such names look like? Let's figure this out right now.

Compound names in France

The tradition of giving boys double or triple names developed in France with the advent of Catholicism. Initially, this was done so that the child would be protected by several patron saints at once. Most widespread double names received in past centuries, however, even now parents often give their babies traditional male French names consisting of several. Examples of this include Jean-Paul, Jean-Claude and Pierre-Marie.

By the way, many modern celebrities (film actors, musicians and artists) have double and triple names. Among them are Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jean-Paul Gaultier and many others.

Writing and pronunciation of compound names

Double names, which are written with a hyphen, are pronounced in full in everyday life, that is, as written in documents. It is a completely different matter when a boy is called Antoine Michel Louis or Leonce Maurice Noel. In this case, in everyday life they use one of the names and simply call the children - Antoine (Titi) or Maurice, for example.

Often double or triple names, which are written without a hyphen, allow their owners to change them without paperwork at the registration authorities. For example, a man named Jean Battisto Robert, who was known as Jean from childhood, may tomorrow ask to be called Robert and will henceforth introduce himself only as such.

Meaning of French names

The lion's share of male names in France are Latin or Greek roots and came to the country through the adoption of Christianity. In fact, there are very few native French names. These include only Laurens and Laurentin (who arrived/originally came from Laurentum), Lope (like a wolf) and Remy (sitting on oars, a rower).

Many modern French names, as stated at the very beginning of this article, are derived from foreign ones. At the same time, the similarity of their sound is quite clearly visible. Besides this, they have same value. So that readers can verify this, we present several values:

• Constantin (French) - Constantine (Roman) - constant, constancy, stable.
• Christophe (French) - Cristiano (Port.) - Christian (English) - presented by Christ.
• Leon (French) - Leonardo (Italian) - Leo (Russian) - like a lion.
• Markel (French) - Marcus (Italian) - Martin (German) - warlike.
• Nicolas (French) - Nikolaus (German) - Nikolai (Russian) - victory of humanity.

This list can be continued indefinitely. However, we will not do this, but will try to decide which male names the French themselves consider the most beautiful today.

The most beautiful French names

According to research, the French name Thierry, Christophe, Pierre and Jean among the most beautiful male names. In their opinion, such beautiful French names for boys as Michel (Michel), Alain (Alain) and Philippe (Philip) have no less charm.

In other countries, the following names with French roots are considered beautiful: Sebastian, Jacques, Claude, Vincent, Francois and Dominique. As a rule, the high popularity of names is ensured by film actors or other famous personalities. It is this indicator that is the main point in classifying them as the most beautiful or simply euphonious names.

What male names are popular in France?

Currently, the process of forming new proper names in France has not been completed. In recent years, it has become fashionable to name children by shortening and slightly modifying foreign names. They are also used unchanged. Which ones are the most popular? French names that have been in the top 10 in the last 5 years are most often of British (Kevin, Axel, Jed and Tom), Italian (Enzo and Theo) origin. Very often, young parents call their sons Lucas, Arthur and Hugo. But the most popular name for 4-5 years now has been Nathan.

Researchers also note that modern French people rarely give their babies double and triple names, and also practically do not observe traditions in terms of the order of naming babies in the family. Moreover, some men in France legally change the name chosen for them by their parents to a more euphonious and modern one.

Be that as it may, many parents in France still prefer traditional names to modern ones and continue to name their sons in honor of grandparents and other relatives.

It all started (or ended?) in 1539. Then the royal ordinance assigned to every Frenchman his family name, nickname, nickname, and under this name (and under no other) he and his descendants from now on and forever had to be registered in the church. parish books. It was forbidden to change it at will.

6 Fructidor of the 2nd year of the Republic (in a non-revolutionary way - August 23, 1794) The Convention, having barely dealt with the Jacobin dictatorship, changed the royal ordinance in a civil manner and commanded that “no citizen can bear a name or surname other than that indicated in his birth certificate." Those who, under the guise of revolutionary events, changed them were obliged to return, so to speak, to their primitive state.

As in many other cases, the dictatorship of Napoleon saved us from the excesses of the revolution. The First Consul introduced relaxations and compromises with an iron hand, and on the 11th of Germinal of the 11th year of the Republic (April 1 (!) 1803), the happy French were allowed to change their surnames in exceptional cases (and personal names were officially allowed to change only in the mid-80s of our centuries, and even then, as we will see, with great difficulty). But they forbade giving children any names, except those that appear in the Republican and Catholic calendars (the First Consul knew how to reconcile opposites!), and even names historical characters. But here, as it should be in a well-organized state, much was left to the discretion of the authorities. For example, once parents were denied the right to name their daughter Kasandra: historical (or quasi-historical) characters had to choose the right ones...

Maybe our numerous Electrons, May Days and Vanguards, as well as not so numerous Dazdraperms (from “Long live the First of May”) and Lagshmivars (“Schmidt’s Camp in the Arctic”) would welcome the wise conservatism of the First Consul, who moderated the arbitrariness of his parents: after all, neither one young Frenchwoman was not named Murata or Talleyrand, and there was not a single newborn Austerlitz in 1806. True, once in Guadeloupe a baby, in full accordance with Napoleonic decree, was named something like State. etc. - exactly from the calendar, where with this note - “ Public Holiday” - are accompanied by many dates (in French, of course, this sounds different, but no more ridiculous). But, as you know, you cannot foresee everything, even if you are Napoleon Bonaparte.

With certain relaxations, all this Bonapartism is still in effect. In any case, they are allowed to change surnames if there are sufficient reasons, but whether the reasons are sufficient is for officials to decide (oh, freedom, equality and fraternity!) or the court (after all, democracy!). And the procedure for such a decision is to the Soviet man You won't see it in a nightmare. The State Chancellery, the Ministry of Justice and such a high body as the State Council are involved, which, before the abolition of the death penalty, often intervened even in matters of life and death. The case may reach the highest court.

There are basically three valid reasons for changing a surname among citizens. The first two are recognized by the state almost unconditionally: these are the dissonant, funny, offensive nature of the surname and its “foreignness”. The third common motive is the desire to ennoble one’s quite decent, but rustic surname. Belle France also treats this with understanding, although not so unconditionally.

Considering (of course, not in the sense of “deciding” - where are we, but in the sense of “looking at”) statements on the first of the motives, one is amazed at how many at the end of our century have survived not only funny or absurd - frankly obscene, humiliating, offensive names(former peasant nicknames). Experts believe that 500 years ago, when the royal order “froze” surnames, many of them had a different, more decent meaning, and that over the past 500 years it has changed, not for the better. For example, the notorious surname Cauchon (“Pig”) in France - it was worn by the church prosecutor at the trial of Joan of Arc - apparently then meant something like a swineherd (also, however, not very respectable in comparison with a shepherd - a job considered much more complex and qualified). Some surnames reflected village gossip or assessments of character and moral character (“witch”, “bitch”). There are “Sausage with blood”, “Cow dung”, “Unfinished”, “Mule”, “Pig”. "... And their happy owners are changing them only now, and some are still in no hurry. Still, traditions, including family ones, are apparently an almost irresistible force in France: “This surname was good enough for mine. father, that means she’s good for me too...”

In general, a selective list of surnames that their bearers finally decided to part with could become the most interesting place articles. But the author asks to be excused: since his professional youth, the habit of distinguishing the printed word from other, non-printing words has become ingrained. native language and, if possible, do not mix them. We can only say that those same Pig, Bitch and Cow Dung would be perhaps the most innocent on this list. A relatively modest example is something like "Log in the anus" (the famous elegance of the French language allows it to be said in one word). What follows is silence...

When justifying a request to change such a surname, citizens often refer to the difficulties and misunderstandings that arise when they have to introduce themselves over the phone, calling an ambulance, police or fire brigade. More strong arguments Apparently, there is no way to change such surnames.

Sometimes, however, bearers of such surnames are even forced to change their surname against their wishes. For example, when a family wants to adopt a child. The trial lasted for several years due to the fact that a family with a relatively innocent, by French standards, surname (something like “Kocheryzhka”) was not allowed to adopt a child, explaining that it was impossible to condemn an ​​innocent child to lifelong ridicule because of such funny last name. The newspapers were especially indignant at such hypocrisy: many prominent judges have surnames like “Rag”, “Brat”, “Cuckold” - and are in no hurry to change them.

This may be the strangest (or most interesting) thing. In total, the French submit no more than 500 applications to change their surname per year. For comparison, only in the city of Seattle (USA), where such surnames, in general, are not found, 5,000 people change their surnames per year. Here they are, cultural differences!

But even out of these five hundred, only a third of surnames are changed due to cacophony. Much more often (in almost half of all cases) it is changed because of the “non-French” sound (these are mainly Jewish surnames, today Arabic ones are increasingly being added to them). Apparently, the foreign spirit is more offensive than obscenity. But, on the other hand, if in Russia changing a surname for such a reason will attract ridicule at best, and sometimes even contempt, in France this is perceived as an act of sincere patriotism and is the most respectful motive in the eyes of the state. The French, indeed, value very much the external signs of cultural identity and unity - they are in many ways what make the amazingly diverse France a mononational country.

Many people simply want to take a “more noble”, “more famous” surname, like “Chanel” or “Rothschild” (in France, apparently, it has already ceased to sound like a foreign one). This vanity in the eyes of the court and the State Council looks quite innocent, although it is not always indulged. Someone wants to take the name of one of their relatives who distinguished himself in the Resistance and, in general, under some circumstances, died for France. Quite respectable and, if possible, satisfied.

Sometimes something completely incomprehensible happens. For example, Jean Blanc (“White”) suddenly decides to become Jean Naur (“Black”). But usually such whims, as well as aesthetic preferences, are treated with the utmost severity. As a rule, the authorities consider them to be a completely disrespectful reason for changing a surname. As it was quite officially explained, aesthetic tastes change with each generation, or even faster. If you follow their lead, what will remain of the traditions and the same “ national identity»?!

And absolutely Right way to fail is to complain that your last name sounds bad in another language, especially in English. The full weight of French patriotism falls on such a rootless cosmopolitan.

But this is with surnames. Control over personal names is much stricter. And no wonder: after all, both the owners themselves and their parents have much wider opportunities for arrogant tyranny. Napoleonic decree regulating possible choice names, still remains in force. And all for the sake of preserving that same cultural identity! Families are denied the right to give their children traditional provincial names. One Breton family sued the state for 20 years for the right to give their child a Breton name. Meanwhile, the unnamed children remain deprived of all civil rights, including the right to inherit property or marry. IN Lately However, there has been a relaxation here too: it is allowed to give traditional local names “as an exception.” The procedure for exclusion is determined by the same authorities. During the surveys, 25% of the French believed that children from Muslim families, if they want to be French citizens, should not be allowed to wear Muslim names(not surnames) - let them, like other good Frenchmen, draw from the same two calendars and Plutarch and Homer.

But these are, so to speak, ideological conflicts. And there are also purely bureaucratic ones - a legacy of the same Napoleonic decree. For example, a girl can be named Cerise (“Cherry”) without any problems - such a name is written down in the revolutionary calendar. And they call it. But you can’t use Vanilla (Vanilla). And this despite the fact that vanilla is much more respected among the French than simple cherries - there is even a special league of gourmets fighting for the inviolability of this product and the prohibition of any surrogates like vanillin. But a product is a product, and a list is a list. Native cherries are listed in the revolutionary calendar, but vanilla, an exotic, colonial product extracted by slave labor, is not. Nothing will prevent you from giving your child the most bizarre name from the two calendars (and the same revolutionary calendar is not short of bizarre and, to ordinary tastes, simply ridiculous names). But in order to name the girl the Anglo-Saxon name Vanessa, one family had to go to court for a year and a half. So the cause of the Convention (as well as that of its enemy, the Roman Catholic Church) lives and triumphs.

But if the French somehow manage to protect the “gene pool” of first and last names from foreign invasions, they cannot protect it from impoverishment. This, apparently, is the genetic fate of all artificially or naturally isolated populations. And today, French patriots are worried about the unfortunate, not to say menacing, prospect: in two centuries, out of the current 250 thousand French surnames, 150 thousand may disappear forever. And the French want not only unification, but also diversity: the famous “unity in plurality” is the golden dream of enlightened patriotism. So, perhaps it’s also apropos that so many French people feel sorry to part with their “Log in...”. By at least, this is evidence of at least five hundred years of antiquity of the surname, which not every count can boast of... And you can come to terms with misunderstandings over the phone: after all, an ambulance or fire brigade is not called every day...

But in France, the natural impulses of parents to name their offspring are severely restrained by the law and, equally harshly, by public opinion in a democratic country. How do they behave where there is no such pressure?

Belgian researchers decided to find out what motives guide parents when giving names to their children.

In the maternity ward of one of the hospitals in Flanders (and not French-speaking Wallonia), they asked mothers in detail about everything that had to do with choosing a name for a newborn: where did they come up with this name, whether they personally knew people with names like their own and do they know why they got these names, what their parents’ names are, why they chose this particular name, what names they would not want for their children, etc. By the way, there were few repeating names: for 69 boys and 66 girls there were as many as 111 names. There are no similar statistics for Russia, but everyone intuitively understands that we would have much more matching names.

Where does diversity come from?

The pressure of the Christian calendar on the choice of names is weakening in the West everywhere, except, perhaps, in France, where the only alternative to the calendar is the educational fantasies of the Convention. And unlike conservative France, the Belgians, like many others in the West, want “new”, original names for their children (it’s not for us to laugh at them: we suffered from this disease more severely than anyone else, just a little earlier). The parents “gained” most of the names in the usual way: from personal contacts. More than a third of the names were chosen from special “name books” - books with lists of all kinds of personal names. 14% - from television, 5% - from books, 3% each - from magazines, newspapers and films. Only a few names were given in honor of their parents and a few were “invented themselves.” But in fact, the influence of television on the names of Ulenspiegel’s young descendants may be much greater than it seems to parents, and the influence of personal contacts may be somewhat less. In any case, when asked who else they know with similar names, almost half of the mothers could only name TV characters.

But these are the sources. What about motives?

44% - a beautiful name (let us remember how this motif is condemned in France, which prides itself on its aestheticism)

22% - short, simple (see above);

17% - consistent with the names of our other children (can you imagine such a motive in a French court?);

15% - original (again, see above)

14% - goes well with the surname;

11% - because of its meaning;

8% - easy and convenient to pronounce;

7% - sounds Flemish;

7% - you can’t change it;

6% - this is the name of one of the family members;

6% - creates a favorable image;

5% - we like French names;

4% - not very modern.

It is obvious that aesthetic motives not only predominate, but almost suppress all others when choosing a name for a child. In total they occupy 80% percent.

And here a very curious gap between generations emerged. Among young mothers, less than half knew about the reasons that guided their parents in choosing a name for them, and less than a third knew the reasons for choosing the name of their husbands. But for those who knew, it was most often family traditions, then the influence of the media - that very favorable image. And now it’s all “make me beautiful.” We deign to live in decadent times...

No less curious are the reasons why names are rejected.

Anglo-American names - 21%

Old-fashioned - 19%

Negative image in the media - 18%

Too common - 16% Foreign names in general - 14 (and somewhere else they are worried about our anti-Americanism! Loyal member of NATO, the European Community, Atlantic civilization and whatnot - and a full third more people dislike American names than just foreign ones!)

Long names - 14%

Flemish names - 12% (preferred names that “sounded Flemish”, as we remember, only 7%)

French names - 9% (with all the contradictions between the Walloons and Flemings, French names are rejected not only less often than foreign names in general, but also less often than typically Flemish! We would like their national conflicts!)

Difficult to pronounce names - 9%

Traditional names - 8%

Names ending in “y” - 8% (essentially the same Anglo-American names).

It is curious that purely aesthetic motives play a much smaller role in the rejection of names than in their preference. Another confirmation of the fact known to psychologists and sociologists that positive and negative choices are regulated by different psychosocial mechanisms.

It is curious that, as the survey showed, Anglo-American names, despite their general unpopularity, are very popular among the least educated parents. Here we can draw an analogy with our numerous Arnolds, Arthurs, and Alberts in the past. True, these names were popular mainly not among uneducated parents, but rather among those who were commonly called “first-generation intellectuals.” There was no television then foreign films They also looked a little, and people with little education simply had nowhere to get these names. To people who had just begun to become involved in world culture, these names seemed prestigious, aesthetic, and “unhackneyed.” Some time ago the tilt was given in the other direction. The author of these lines, his foreign acquaintances, who traveled a lot around Russia, assured that in few places in the world today the repertoire of names, especially women’s, is so small, and in few places you can meet so many people with the same names in one room or one institution. Today, it seems, this trend is being reversed again, but no longer due to foreign names, but mainly due to names that have long been considered “outdated” or “common.” But, as far as one can judge, very few old names have been returned to circulation, and even those are still mostly male. They are afraid to “forgive” girls. And this difference is also a very interesting characteristic of the current features of our culture.

French surnames are endowed with extraordinary charm and beauty. The French language differs significantly from the languages ​​of neighboring European countries. If English and German surnames is more likely to be pronounced correctly, then even well-known hereditary names in France are not always obvious. So, for example, the common surname Le Pen in Russian will sound like “Le Pen”, while its real pronunciation is “Le Pen”. The same thing happens with the prefix De.

In French culture, there may be the most distorted surnames, the reading of which is possible if you know the special rules. A large number of French sounds do not coincide at all with Russian ones, resulting in misunderstandings. For example, the French names Charles and Henri from Russian lips will sound like Karl and Heinrich.

Addressing a French citizen should begin by pronouncing the title - “Monsieur/Monsieur” or “Madame/Mademoiselle”.

In addition, there are specific rules for addressing the French, since gallantry is in the blood of this people. The first option is placed before addressing a man, and the second option before addressing a woman. Moreover, a wise woman is addressed as madam, and a young lady is addressed as mademoiselle.

Where it all started

As in other countries of the world, the first French surnames were granted to the highest nobility in the 11th century. Until the second quarter of the 16th century, only a few people had ascribed nicknames. Everything changed in 1539, when a royal decree ordered that every French person be given a hereditary nickname. Since then, every person living in France had a surname, which was entered into church records from generation to generation. It was impossible to change such a postscript.

Napoleon changed the legislation somewhat and allowed generic names to be changed in special cases. It was permissible to change old nicknames to new ones in cases where the former had an offensive meaning. Today it also remains possible in some cases to change hereditary names, especially if they somehow offend the bearer or have an obscene meaning. Of course, the process of changing a surname is quite complicated, but the list of modern French surnames may thus lose about half of the historical ones.

According to historical information, in the Middle Ages, the child was given the father's surname; the mother's nickname was not reflected in any way on the hereditary name.

The exception was the absence of a father, then the child bore the mother's name. Today, parents have the right to choose whose surname the child will take, or whether it will be double.

From first name to last name French surnames, distinguished by their beauty, are largely derived from proper names. However, some beautiful family names come from the names of the occupations to which their ancestors devoted their lives. There are several attractive surnames based on geographical names and distinctive aspects of man. A striking example

A beautiful family name of toponymic orientation is Romainville, the meaning of which is the owner of the villa Romanus. It is worth noting that the preposition de preceding the toponymic surname speaks of its ancient. noble origin Most beautiful generic names come from proper names.

Thus, male family names Bernard in honor of St. are widespread in France. Bernard, Robert from the name Robert and the famous surname Richard (Richard).

The dictionary of French surnames contains such an example as Durand. Many may assume that the root of the word is also the name, but this is not the case. Durandus is translated from Latin as “to harden, strengthen.” The beautiful generic name Lefebvre comes from the Old French word for "smith", and Moreau comes from the designation "raven/black".

Female diversity

The generic names of girls are the same as their male counterparts. History has decreed that female and male generic names are in no way different from each other. The dictionary of French surnames contains all surnames that have ever existed in the state, which are arranged alphabetically; there is no division in it. Beautiful generic names for girls are based on a proper name, such as Bernard. The surname gained the greatest popularity after the bright appearance on television screens of actress Sarah Bernhardt. Among others, the surnames Leroy (king), Michel from a similar name, Bonnet, which means “good and kind,” and Francois stand out. Exactly these beautiful surnames most often found among French girls. The history of cinema also preserves other rare but unusual family names - Binoche, Marlowe, Bardot, Bouquet, Frachon and others.

It is worth noting that they are all very short and melodic.

The men's surnames tell us about some of the characteristics of this family. For example, the most popular generic names, which are stored by the Dictionary of French Surnames, come from the name of the founder of the family. Thus, one can easily find out about it. The surnames Gerard, David, Simon, Laurent and others convey that the founders of the clans were men with these names. The surname may also be based on other information, for example, information about the house or area where the family originated, about the professional data of the forefather or his appearance.

Thus, the surnames Borde and Laborde convey that men’s home was originally located on the edge of something. Lafayette translates as "beech" and Chenal as "canal". The family names Sueur mean that the forefather worked as a tailor, and Fournier as a baker. Common French surnames can tell not only about the family tree, but also tell the history of the family.

Forefather with a big body, or funny surnames

The most unusual generic names come from interesting nicknames which were given to the forefathers. In the family of holders of the hereditary names Fauvel or Faveau, the progenitor had reddish hair color, and Blond/Leblond had light hair color. Brun/Lebrun and other variations are reminiscent of the brunette father. The origin of French surnames was often based on the external proportions of a person. Thus, Dubufe/Dubut come from the large body of the founder of the genus.

Other unusual names include Chaperon, meaning “old cap,” Watebled, meaning “spoiled wheat,” Cacheleu, meaning “wolfhound,” and Bercheux, meaning “sharp shooter, good hunter.” Often at the core male surnames there was a character trait, for example Renard or Leloup. The first is translated as “fox”, the second as “wolf”.

The surname Talon was given to a person with large feet.

Simple common surnames

The most popular generic names, as a rule, are the simplest, based on proper names. History has preserved many famous French figures, whose surnames are among the most common today. Among them:

• Bertrand;
• Robert;
• Tom;
• Martin;
• Simon;
• Bernard and others.

Many celebrities today bear the names Garcia, Vincent, Francois, Andre, Dubois and others. The most common generic name is Marten. There are more than 235 thousand of its speakers in France. The second most popular surname is Bernard (more than 100 thousand people). Other surnames are less common. The least known name is Martinez, that is, the son of Martin. There are less than 50 thousand people with this last name.

Usually a Frenchman has one or more personal names and a surname. Traditionally, most people receive their names from the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints. Only one of them (usually the first) is used in everyday practice, the others are used only in official documents such as birth, death and marriage certificates. Not to be confused with the compound names of the Catholic tradition: Jean-Claude, Jean-Jacques. Such constructions are one (single and indivisible) name. Under no circumstances will Jean-Claude be called either Jean or Claude.

A separate article is the pronunciation of French names (and surnames) in Russian. Obvious distortions apparently occur due to the fact that the two cultures have been interacting for quite a long period of time and this interaction is (was) of a massive nature.
So, all French surnames starting with Le, for example Le Corbusier, Le Pen, etc. in Russian are read as Le Corbusier and Le Pen, while in the original it is read approximately as Le - Le Corbusier, Le Pen ( sometimes Le Pan). The same thing happens with the prefix De, as for example in marquise de Pompadour, which in the Russian version sounds like marquise de (de) Pompadour. The French version sounds approximately like de Pompadour or, another example, Honoré de Balzac.

Also included here individual surnames, the pronunciation of which is very difficult due to the lack of corresponding sounds in the Russian language. For example, the famous writer Victor Hugo’s name is not Victor Hugo at all, but rather Victor U’go, where u’ is a very softened vowel u, which has no correspondence in Russian.

But the most surprising case is the naming in the Russian tradition of almost all the crowned heads who have ever occupied the French throne. Most likely, their names are displayed in the Latinized version, which inevitably led to their distortion. So, Hugo Capet, in fact U'g Cape, all Henrys are Henri, all Charles are called Charles, and all Louis are Louis. What makes this all particularly confusing is the fact that in France, in parallel with the name Louis, the name Louis is common. The names of Napoleon, Philip and Robert are more or less correctly translated.

The most common French names(by number of speakers from 1940 to 2006)

Male names

1 Jean
2 Michel
3 Philippe
4 Alain
5 Patrick
6 Pierre
7 Nicholas
8 Christophe
9 Christian
10 Daniel
11 Bernard
12 Eric
13 Frederic
14 Laurent
15 Stéphane
16 Pascal
17 Sebastien
18 David
19 Gerard
20 Thierry
21 Julien
22 Olivier
23 Jacques
24 Alexandre
25 Thomas
26 Claude
27 Didier
28 François
29 Dominique
30 Vincent

Female names

1 Marie
2 Nathalie
3 Isabelle
4 Sylvie
5 Catherine
6 Françoise
7 Martine
8 Christine
9 Monique
10 Valérie
11 Sandrine
12 Veronica
13 Nicole
14 Stéphanie
15 Sophie
16 Anne
17 Chantal
18 Celine
19 Patricia
20 Brigitte
21 Annie
22 Julie
23 Aurélie
24 Lawrence
25 Christiane
26 Jacqueline
27 Dominique
28 Virginia
29 Michele
30 Corinne

Western names most often include Western European names - mainly English and French. We invite you to familiarize yourself with their features, interesting facts about them.

Features of Western names

The full name formula is approximately the same for all countries: first name + last name. Patronymic names are used mainly only in the countries of the former USSR.

In some cases, it uses a polynomial form of writing a name - double, triple or more, when one of the components is the names of the father, mother, and other close relatives. But in modern families The shortest possible form of recording is becoming increasingly popular.

English names and surnames

In England, a child is given two names at once: personal name and middle name. The order of recording a name is strictly fixed: first the personal name, then the middle name (if any) and only then the surname. The reverse order is found exclusively in paper encyclopedias and telephone directories.

Types of English surnames:

• one-piece: Forest, Fox, Bush,
• double: with prefixes -son, -ing, anthropometrically indicating a descendant - Willing, Johnson, Robertson, Dickson.

Appeared in the 14th to 15th centuries among representatives of all classes.

Table 1. Common English male names

English writing	Russian writing
	Jonathan

Common English female names:

Aaliyah Abigail Alexa Alexandra Alexis Allison Alyssa Amber Amelia Amia Angelina Anna Ariana Arianna Ashley Autumn Ava Avery Brianna Brooke Cameron Caroline Chloe Claire Danielle Destiny Diana Elizabeth Ella

Emily Emma Erin Eva Gabriela Gabriella Gabrielle Grace Hailey Haley Isabel Isabella Jada Jasmine Jenna Jennifer Jessica Jocelyn Jordan Julia Kaitlyn Katherine Kayla Kaylee Kimberly Kylie Lauren Lillian Lily

Madeline Maria Marissa Mary Maya Megan Melanie Melissa Mia Michelle Molly Natalie Nicol Olivia Paige Rachel Rebecca Samantha Sara Sarah Savannah Sofia Sophia Stephanie Sydney Taylor Trinity Vanessa Victoria Zoe

Common English surnames with translation:

• Brown - brown;
• Davies - son of David;
• Edwards - son of Edward;
• Evans - son of Evan;
• Green - green;
• Hall - worker big house;
• Hughes - son of Hugh;
• Johnson - son of John;
• Jones - son of John;
• Roberts - son of Robert;
• Robinson - son of Robin;
• Smith - blacksmith;
• Taylor - tailor;
• Thomas - twin;
• Thompson - Tom's son;
• Walker - fuller;
• White - white;
• Williams - son of William;
• Wilson - Will's son;
• Wright - builder;
• Smith - blacksmith.

French names and surnames

France has a similar naming system. For the most part, they are formed on the basis of the Roman Catholic church calendar. Polite address in French is usually preceded by a title.

Interesting forms of polite address in France

French men are addressed as Monsieur - singular, or Messieurs - plural. In writing they are written as M. and MM., sometimes as a variant of Mr and Mrs, respectively.

Unmarried girls in France are addressed as mademoiselle. To married, divorced, widows - madam. If you don't know for sure marital status interlocutors, you can address mademoiselle to young women and madam to older ladies. Mademoiselle is also the name given to all actresses and singers, regardless of age and status. Such a clear gradation appeared after the Great French Revolution. Although recently, for correction reasons, a single appeal from madam to all women has been adopted, regardless of age, marital status and social status.

In official documents to married ladies, the structure of the address is as follows:

• madam;
• husband's name;
• surname.

Thus, the wife of Monsieur Andre Limoges will be called Madame Andre Limoges. Widows were previously addressed using the following formula:

• widow;
• husband's name;
• husband's last name.

Today this form is outdated and practically not used.

Special treatment is also accepted among the military:

• when communicating with each other - address by rank with the possessive pronoun “mon commandant”, “mon colonel”;
• appeal civilian to the military - lord (monsieur) + rank: "monsieur le commandant", "monsieur le colonel";
• in the third person rank + surname.

Every Frenchman can have any number of personal names, but in practice they are all used only in official documents: birth certificates, passports, marriage certificates, diplomas. This rule does not apply to compound names (Anna-Marie, Jean-Claude, Jean-Jacques). The custom of giving a large number of names go back to ancient times, when parents tried in this way to ensure the patronage of as many saints as possible for their newborn. In practice, it looks like this: the boy’s birth certificate says Andre Michel Pierre Paul, and at school or at home he is simply called Andre. By the way, this is also very convenient, because at any time a person can change his main name, calling himself any other name from the long “list” received at birth.

There is an exact date for the appearance of surnames in France. On April 14, 1539, King Francis I of France, by his decree, ordered that any nickname, nickname, etc., be assigned to each subject without fail, which was to be recorded in church books and passed on by inheritance without the right to change.

Naming schemes for polysyllabic names in France

1. name - the name of the paternal grandfather. For the second son - the name of his paternal great-grandfather.
2. name - the name of the maternal grandfather. For the second son - the name of his maternal great-grandfather.
3. name - the name of the Catholic saint on whose day the child was born or was baptized.

1. name - the name of the maternal grandmother. The second daughter is the name of the maternal great-grandmother.
2. name - the name of the paternal grandmother. The second daughter is the name of the paternal great-grandmother.
3. name - the name of the saint.

However, these options are not required. Children are given names in honor of their parents, godparents, and any close and distant relatives.

For several decades in a row, unconventional, often foreign names have not gone out of fashion in France: Dylan, Kevin, Axel, Ocean, Ines, Jade. On a par with full forms are used short forms: Theo - abbr. from Theodore, Enzo - from Lorenzo, Louis - from Louis, Margot, Marion - from Margarita and Maria. The French ending of female names - the unpronounceable "e" - is increasingly changing to a: Dian - Diana, Pauline - Polina, Anne - Anna, Angelique - Angelique. Short derivative forms from Russian names are also popular here: Sasha, Nadya, Sonya, Natasha.

In modern France, by law, a child must receive a surname from the father if the couple is married, and from the mother if not. Recently, couples have been given the right to choose whose surname the heir will be registered in or even give a double surname - with a hyphen.

Common French male names:

• Adrian is a man originally from Adria (a province in Italy);
• Alain is handsome;
• Alphonse is a noble knight;
• Anatol - oriental man;
• Andre is a courageous protector;
• Arman is a daredevil;
• Arno - king of the eagles;
• Basil - royal;
• Barthelameo - child of the earth;
• Bernard is a bear;
• Boniface is a lucky man;
• Valerie - strong, healthy, hardy;
• Vivien - energetic, vital, lively, active;
• Guy - forest;
• Gascon, Gaston - Gascon;
• Gautier - leader;
• Gregoire - prudent, attentive;
• Damian - screwed;
• Desiree - desired
• Jeremy - appointed by God;
• Jacques - expelling;
• Jean - God is merciful;
• Germain - native;
• Jerome is a saint;
• Gilles is a child;
• Girald - wielder of a spear;
• Joseph - increasing wealth;
• Georges is a farmer;
• Geoffroy - the peace of God, the light of God;
• Joel - divine;
• Julian - young;
• Cyprian - a guest from Cyprus;
• Claude is lame;
• Christophe - derived from Christ;
• Lance - land plot;
• Leon - like a lion;
• Leopold - brave as a lion;
• Lawrence, Lorenzo, Laurentin - crowned with laurels;
• Louis is a brave warrior;
• Luke, Luke - clean, bright;
• Maximilian is the greatest;
• Marin - sea;
• Martin - dedicated to Mars;
• Mathis, Matthew - gift of God;
• Matthew (Matthew) - a gift from God;
• Michel - like God;
• Maurice - dark, dark;
• Napoleon - Neapolitan lion;
• Narsis - insensitive, sleep;
• Nicolas is the winner;
• Oberon is a bear;
• Auguste - majestic;
• Odilon - luxurious;
• Pascal is a child born on the eve of Easter;
• Patrice, Patrick is a noble nobleman.
• Raymond is a wise, reasonable protector;
• Raphael - God revived;
• Renard is a wise brave man;
• Robert - bright, catchy;
• Romain - Roman:
• Serge - ancient Roman family name;
• Sylvester is a forest dweller;
• Silestin - the firmament;
• Cyril is a noble man;
• Stefan - crowned;
• Theo, Theodore - a divine gift;
• Thierry is the king of the people;
• Philbert - famous;
• Florentin - blooming garden;
• Frank, Francois - free;
• Eugene - noble;
• Charles - brave;
• Edward - protective;
• Etienne - crowned;
• Emil is a rival.

Popular French female names:

• Abelia (Abel) - shepherdess;
• Aurora - dawn, morning dawn;
• Adelaide - of noble birth;
• Adele (Adele) - noble;
• Isadora - a gift from Osiris;
• Axel is my father, the world;
• Albertina - bright nobility;
• Alaina - beautiful;
• Amelie - work;
• Anastasi - resurrection, original meaning: resettlement;
• Angela - angelic, messenger;
• Angelica - angelic, messenger;
• Annetta - mercy, grace;
• Antoinette is invaluable;
• Arabel (Arabella) - a request that is answered;
• Arian (Irene) - completely pure;
• Arlette is a small eagle;
• Armel - stone princess;
• Aurelia - golden;
• Babette - God's oath, vow to God;
• Barbie is foreign, savage;
• Barbara - foreign, savage;
• Beatrice is a traveler (in life);
• Bernadette is as brave as a bear;
• Blanche - white;
• Brigitte - exalted;
• Valentine - healthy, strong;
• Valerie - strong, healthy;
• Veronique - brings victory;
• Vivien - alive, animated;
• Violetta - violet;
• Virginia - maiden, virginal;
• Gabriella - strong by God;
• Desiree - desired;
• Dany is a follower of the god Dionysus;
• Denise is a follower of the god Dionysus;
• Jannet - God is good;
• Ginevra is white and smooth;
• Josiana - multiplying;
• Georgette is a peasant woman;
• Julie is a woman from the Yuli family;
• Jacqueline - repressive;
• Joan - God's mercy;
• Genevieve - white wave;
• Giselle is a pledge;
• Gilberte - pledge;
• Josephine - multiplying;
• Georgette is a peasant woman;
• Julie is a woman from the Yuli family;
• Juliette is a woman from the Julian family;
• Zoe - life;
• Yvette - yew tree;
• Yvonne - yew tree;
• Isabel is my oath to God;
• Inessa - chaste, holy;
• Irene - peace;
• Camilla - daisy or guardian of the temple;
• Karol - of high origin;
• Clarissa - clear, bright;
• Clemens - gentle, merciful;
• Claudine - lame;
• Claudette is a little lame;
• Claire - lame;
• Coletta - conqueror of nations;
• Constance - constant;
• Christina is a follower of Christ;
• Katherine - pure;
• Lea - tired;
• Leonie is a lion;
• Liana - liana;
• Lisette - God's oath, vow to God;
• Lilian - lily;
• Loretta - small laurel;
• Louise - glory in battle, glorious warrior;
• Lulu - glory in battle, glorious warrior;
• Lucy - light;
• Madeleine - from Magdala;
• Manon - beloved;
• Margot - pearls;
• Marita - little sweetheart;
• Marceline - warlike;
• Matilda - powerful in battle;
• Melissa - honey bee;
• Melina - diligent, hardworking;
• Monique (Monica) - adviser, advising;
• Mary - bitter, loved by God;
• Marian - bitter, loved by God;
• Marion - bitter, loved by God;
• Nadia - hope;
• Natalie - nee;
• Nicolet - conqueror of nations;
• Ninon - from Nin (god of fertility) and from the name of the Assyrian capital Nineveh;
• Olivia is the olive tree, symbolizing peace;
• Penelope - seamstress, needle and bobbin;
• Paulette - destroyer of war;
• Polina - destroyer of war;
• Rosalie - from the name of the flower rose;
• Rosamund - from the name of the flower rose;
• Rosina - from the name of the flower rose;
• Celeste - heavenly;
• Celestina - heavenly;
• Serafina - flame, combustion;
• Cecile is blind;
• Sybil is a fortune teller;
• Simone - hearing God;
• Sophie - wisdom;
• Stephanie - crown;
• Suzanne - White Lily;
• Teresa is a hunter;
• Fifi - multiplying;
• Flora - flower;
• Floretta is a small flower;
• Chloe - green hunt;
• Chantal - stone place;
• Charlotte - courageous, brave;
• Evet - yew tree;
• Avon - yew tree;
• Edith - welfare and struggle;
• Eliza - worshiper of God;
• Helen - light;
• Elinor - foreign, different;
• Alison is of noble birth;
• Elodie - foreign wealth;
• Eloise (Elsa) - worshiper of God;
• Emily is affectionate, friendly, cheerful;
• Emmanuel - God is with us;
• Anne - grace, comeliness;
• Estelle (Esther) - star;
• Yulali is a woman from the Yuli family.

Popular French surnames:

Martin, Bernard, Toms, Robert, Richard, Laurent, Bertrand, Michel, Vincent, Girard, Francois - derivatives of French names.