French
Masculine · “A Frenchman”
French is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 1,119 boys against 10 girls since 1880.
Frank means honest because the Franks were the free class in conquered Gaul. Only they had full liberty under Frankish rule, so the word for the people became the word for the condition, and it survives in franchise, in enfranchise, and in speaking frankly.
How old is the name French?
French first appears in US birth records in 1882 — 143 years ago. The typical French alive today was born around 1929, making them about 96 years old. About 300 people named French are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name French most popular?
French peaked in 1891, reaching #524 nationally. See the whole 1891 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Frank to French
The story of French
Every language blames a neighbor for leaving without saying goodbye. English calls it taking French leave; French calls the same thing filer a l'anglaise, slipping off English-style. The pattern repeats across the map with whatever the awkward thing is: the item English called a French letter was a capote anglaise in Paris, and the disease each country suffered from was always named after the country next door. The words tell you nothing whatever about national habits and a good deal about how neighbors talk. They also tend to survive long after anyone remembers what was being alleged.
Meaning
A Frenchman
An English and Irish surname given to someone from France, or to a Norman in a country full of people who were not. Names of origin like this one are only useful where the origin is unusual, which is why they cluster in particular regions and periods rather than being spread evenly.
How the name formed
- Frank
- Frenshe
- French
Pronouncing French
FRENCH
One syllable. The ch is the ordinary English one, and the word has kept the same sound since Middle English even as its spelling settled.
Nicknames for French
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1882
- Most boys named
- 192030 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #524reached in 1891
- Change vs 1986
- 0.0%7 in 1999, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Frenchs among us
people named French are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
French sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It works for a child of either sex, which the record confirms.
- One syllable, one meaning, and nothing at all that can be got wrong.
- The surname is well documented on both sides of the Irish Sea.
- The record carries it for girls as well as boys, so it signals nothing on a form.
- It is an ordinary English adjective and will be read as one on a list.
- It belongs to the oldest layer of the American record and reads that way.
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French
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Frenchs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named French are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name French in 2025?
- French is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name French with classmates?
- French will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More F names
The most-given names starting with F, all years combined.
Frank#513 · Fred#1932 · Francis#420 · Frederick#435 · Floyd#2230 · Francisco#322 · Franklin#359 · Fernando#387
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles French? See the current top 100.
Choosing between French and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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