Rare and Unique French Baby Names

A variant of the more common Sylvaine, which shortens to the stylish nickname Sylvie.

Most religious form of this name, fading from use now.

Has been used in the past by parents wishing to invoke the blessing and protection of all the saints, also given to boys born on November 1, All Saints' Day.

Romantic name used throughout Europe, though sure to lead to pronunciation problems here. Though it's never been too widely used in the US, it's quite popular in Switzerland, France, Austria, and Romania.

Now that Violet is becoming more popular, parents are starting to explore same-but-different options such as the French Violette, which would properly be pronounced with a long e sound in the first syllable and three syllables -- vee-oh-let -- as well as the Spanish Violeta — both of which were among the fastest-rising girl names of 2023.

Viviane is one of a cluster of names that may or may not be related. They include the Latin Viviana, which means life, and its modern forms Vivian and the French form Vivienne. But Vivien, pronounced identically, may be a literary invention connected instead to Ninian. Some sources also connect the Viv variations to the Irish Bebinn, the name of the goddess of childbirth, or Bevin.

Xavier originated is use as a given name after Saint Francis Xavier, cofounder of the Jesuit order, who got his name from the Spanish-Basque village where he was born. His birthplace was Javier, the name of which was derived from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning "castle" or "new house." Many Americans pronounce the initial X, as in ex-ZAY-vee-er, but it's equally accepted to pronounce the name ZAY-vee-er, closer to the French pronunciation.

On paper, with its stylish ties to fashion legend Yves Saint-Laurent (born Henri), Yves looks great, but the pronunciation--EVE-- could lead to gender confusion. German variation Ivo might be cooler and clear up the issue.

This French name has the elegance of other '-ette' names such as Colette and is a botanical name without being too obvious about it.

Peaking in the 1950s, Yvonne has now dropped out of the Top 1000 in 2003 and doesn't look set to return soon, although its rare Y initial might endear it to some. Yvaine, from Neil Gaiman's Stardust, has more modern appeal.