France baby name trends 2025‑2026

In 2025, France’s national statistics office INSEE reported that Gabriel and Louise remained the most common names nationwide, while regional variations saw Jade, Louise, Romy, Léo and Raphaël leading in specific departments of the Franche‑Comté region and Malo topping boys’ names in Brittany. The country recorded 643,905 births that year, a 2.3 % decline from the previous year.

By 2026, the L’Officiel des prénoms highlighted a shift toward medieval‑inspired names such as Aliénor, Clovis, Yseult, Enguerrand and Mahaut. The overall top‑five list saw Alma replace Gabriel at the summit, with Ambre, Raphaël and Mia completing the leading positions. The data indicate a continued preference for short, two‑syllable names for girls and classic short names for boys, alongside a growing interest in historic, story‑rich names.

Together, the two years illustrate both stability in the popularity of traditional names and an emerging trend favoring names with historic or medieval connotations.