That'll Do, Chien! 120 French Dog Names For That Cute New Petit Pup
You want to give your dog a French moniker, huh? We get it. There are roughly a million reasons why French dog names might appeal to a pet owner. Maybe your dog is from a French breed, like a French poodle, a French bulldog, or a bichon frisé. Or, you know, perhaps you just failed five years of French but still have an affinity for the Eiffel Tower. (No? Just us then?) It’s OK if the only thing you took away from French class was a bunch of corny French jokes and a love of crepes. French is a hard language to learn (at least that’s what we’re still telling ourselves). You can love all things French without speaking a lick of Francais. You can also give your family dog a French name for no reason at all. After all, if Elon Musk and Grimes can name their kid… whateverTF they named their kid, you can name your golden retriever any damn name that suits your fancy. All that really matters is you make sure you’re truly ready for a dog so that it doesn’t end up in a shelter.
If, after careful consideration, you decide you’re ready to bring a pet into your family, you have a ton of French dog name options for your new pup. You could go the way of choosing a quintessential French name, like the one you chose for yourself in French class. Or you can pick any French word that you feel makes a connection to your dog (or that you just find fun to say). You could even name your dog after a famous French locale.
Like we said: Tons of options. These, however, are our most favorite French dog names.
French Dog Names From French Words
When we give our dogs English names, they’re often not names at all but just words like “Fluffy” or “Beans.” In that vein, why not do the same thing, but choose a French word? “Pepper” was once a trendy dog name for black or black-and-white dogs. Poivre is the French word for Pepper, starts with the same letter, has the same amount of syllables, and has a similar vibe when yelled in annoyance because someone chewed up your favorite shoes. You could also go the way of naming your dog the French word for whatever color they are or as an expression of their size. As such, these are our favorite French words-turned-names for your dog.
- Beans — Haricots
- Bird — Oiseau
- Black — Noir
- Blue — Bleu
- Brown — Brun (or Bruno!)
- Cheese — Fromage
- Dog — Chien/Chienne
- Fat — Gras/Graisse
- Flea — Puce
- Fluffy — Duveteuse/Duveteux
- Hairy — Poilu/Poilue
- Horse — Cheval
- Juicy — Juteux/Juteuse
- Moon — Lune
- Pepper — Poivre
- Plump — Dodu/Dodue
- Ravin — Corbin
- Red — Rouge
- Shaggy — Hirsute
- Speedy — Rapide
- Stinker — Salaud
- Tiny — Peu (that actually means “little”)
- White — Blanche/Blanc
- Wrinkled — Ridé/Ridée
French Dog Names From French Places
Have you been to France? If so, where were your favorite places to visit? Perhaps a destination name is in order. All of these French destinations are especially popular and would make equally cute names.
- Amiens
Meaning: River
- Bordeaux
Meaning: Small farm or hailed from Bordeaux
- Calais
Meaning: Son of the north wind or son of Boreas
- Cannes
Meaning: A bulb or little light
- Chapelle
Meaning: Chapel, shrine, or hat maker
- Chartres
Meaning: Rock or stone
- Dijon
Meaning: A gracious or wish-fulfilling God
- Eiffel
Meaning: Plateau of oaks
- Fontaine
Meaning: Fountain or water source
- Geneva
Meaning: Juniper tree
- Lille
Meaning: Flower or noble natured
- Louvre
Meaning: Lupus
- Lyon
Meaning: Lion
- Marseille
Meaning: “A woman sweet as wine”
- Mulhouse
Meaning: Millhouse
- Nantes
Meaning: Bold protector
- Nice
Meaning: Simple
- Notre Dame
Meaning: Our lady
- Paris
Meaning: A great lover
- Pompidou
Meaning: Someone who is from Pompidou
- Reims
Meaning: Door of Cortoro
- Rochelle
Meaning: Little rock
- Roubaix
Meaning: Gift of God
- Toulouse
Meaning: One who belongs to the city Tolosa
- Triomphe
Meaning: Achievement or success
- Versailles
Meaning: Plowed land
French Boy Names for Dogs
Or, you know, just use a French human name for your dog. It works for names like Jack, Dug, and Walter. Why can’t it work for any of these French names?
- Luc
- Marc
- Martin
- Matisse
- Maurice
- Noel
- Olivier
- Pascal
- Paul
- Phillippe
- Pierre
- Samuel
- Sébastien
- Stéphane
- Théodore
- Timothée
- Yves
French Girl Names for Dogs
- Adeline
- Amélie
- Bernadette
- Bridgette
- Camille
- Clara
- Claudette
- Dominique
- Éloise
- Ésmee
- Fleur
- Gabrielle
- Geneviѐve
- Giselle
- Isabelle
- Josephine
- Juliette
- Lisette
- Louise
- Lucille
- Margeaux
- Marie
- Noelle
- Odette
- Patrice
- Renée
- Roxanne
- Sabine
- Simone
- Sylvie
More French Boy Names for Dogs
- Absolon
Meaning: Father of peace
- Albert
Meaning: Noble, bright or famous
- Andre
Meaning: Warrior
- Antoine
Meaning: Beyond praise or highly praise-worthy
- Armand
Meaning: Bold or hardy
- Beaumont
Meaning: Fair or lovely
- Blaise
Meaning: Lisp or stutter
- Claude
Meaning: Limping or stuttering
- Curtis
Meaning: Refined or accomplished
- Durant
Meaning: Enduring
- Fabien
Meaning: Bean farmer
- Florian
Meaning: Blossoming or flower
- Frederic
Meaning: Peaceful ruler
- Gabriel
Meaning: “God is my strength”
- Gaston
Meaning: Guest or stranger
- Henri
Meaning: Powerful ruler
- Hubert
Meaning: Heart or spirit
- Hugo
Meaning: Mind
- Jacques
Meaning: Supplanter
- Javier
Meaning: Castle or new house
- Jean
Meaning: God is gracious
- Laurent
Meaning: The bright one, shining one
- Louis
Meaning: Famous warrior
This article was originally published on
