171 French Dog Names: Puppy names with meanings

If you’ve just gotten that cute little puppy and are looking for the perfect French dog name, you’ve come to the right place.

French people love dogs. The stereotypical Parisian is the one who takes his dog everywhere but doesn’t clean up after him! (Let’s try not to do that, shall we?)

There are of course the typical and funny dog names in French like:

• Monsieur Le Chien – Monsieur the Dog
• Madame La Chienne – Madame the Dog
• Chouchou – little cabbage
• Monsieur/Madame Pattes – Mister/Missus Paws

But there are a lot more unique names than that, so let’s get to it, shall we?!

Naming a Pure-bred in France

There’s a big difference when naming a dog in France, if the dog is a pure-bred versus a mixed-breed. There is actually a law. Dating back to 1926, the French rules say the name of the pure-bred dog must begin with the designated letter after the year that the dog was born in.

The letters run in alphabetical order, with certain letters like K, Q, W, X, Y, and Z have been excluded from the list. There were too few names starting with those letters, and it resulted in too many dogs having the same name. (French cat names for purebreds also are similarly regulated.)

These dogs are registered in a national database run by a Canine Association. The database tracks the dog’s family tree and DNA, and is used for breeding.

Based on the alphabet, you can pick whatever name you want, though the association does prefer that the names have two syllables.

Now, I should mention that France has one naming convention, while nearby French-speaking countries like Belgium and Luxembourg have different alphabet per year schedules. Same principle, different alphabet.

If you are like me though and you got your dog from the pound, you are not particularly fussed if your little doggy sticks to the above naming schedule. So here are some more French dog names and their meanings, to give you a few more ideas.

Male Dog Names

Now there are a lot of classic French names that I could have gone with here, but I stuck to cute names for dogs, that you wouldn’t necessarily give a child, like Asterix. Some of these names are quite popular for children as well, however, like Hugo.

Here are my top male French names for dogs:

1. Ami – friend
2. Aslan – meaning “lion”
3. Asterix – famous french comic book character
4. Beau – handsome
5. Boursin – a type of French cheese spread
6. Camembert – a type of french cheese
7. Chanceux – lucky
8. Dagobert – after a French King in a children’s song, male name of Celtic origin
9. Descartes – after the French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes
10. Enzo – conquering
11. Etienne – star
12. Figaro – named after a French newspaper called “le Figaro”
13. Filou – short nickname for Philipe
14. Franc – old name for French person. Variation can be the Breton male name “Fragan” and the Provençal boys’ name “Frances”
15. Gaillard – popular name in the south of France, meaning courageous
16. Gaston – guest
17. Gin – for the alchoholic drink
18. Henki – lord on earth
19. Heureux – happy (female version is heureuse)
20. Hipo – from the old French name Hippolyte
21. Hisop – very old name
22. Houpett – after the last name “huppe”, which is a type of bird
23. Hugo – after Victor Hugo
24. Idéfix – the dog in the Asterix comics
25. Irvine – an Alsacian name, meaning army and friend
26. Jouer – playful male (Joueuse is the female version)
27. Leroy – after the French hardware store Leroy Merlin
28. Magou – after the french word “magouille”, meaning a bit of a mess or a maneuver
29. Manu – short for Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us”
30. Marcel – old French name, meaning “dedicated to Mars”
31. Mignon – cute (female version is mignonne)
32. Nostradamus – after the French astrologer from St-Rémy de Provence
33. Obelix – from the Asterix and Obelix comic books
34. Orfeus – meaning “obscurity in the night”
35. Oursin – small bear
36. Pascal – related to easter
37. Philou – short nickname for Philipe
38. Pipou – excited, awake
39. Rafale – after the French fighter jet
40. Sartre – after the French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre
41. Stylo – meaning “pen” in English
42. T’choupi – pronouced “choupi”, after the French children’s book series and cartoon
43. Thibert – brilliant
44. Tintin – famous french comic book character
45. Ubert – illustrious
46. Ubu – a cynic
47. Uno – after the card game
48. Valentin – Valentine in French (male)
49. Vicomte – A French nobility title
50. Victor – after Victor Hugo
51. Voltaire – famous french writer
52. Yves – after Yves St. Laurent, French fashion designer

☞ READ MORE: 139 French Baby Boy Names that you will love

Female Canine names

Some French names are traditionally used only for female dogs, such as baguette because in French the word for bread is feminine: une baguette. Most English speakers find this quite illogical though, as in why is chair (une chaise) feminine while the cushion (un coussin) is masculine.

As the famous expat-French joke says: If you can’t remember if it is “un baguette” or “une baguette”, just ask for “deux baguettes” (2 baguettes). Anyway, here are the top female French dog names, along with their meaning in English.

1. Amie – friend
2. Anaïs – grace
3. Antoinette – 2nd name of French Queen Marie-Antoinette
4. Babette – nickname version of Elisabeth
5. Babouchka – grandma
6. Baguette – a french bread
7. Belle – beautiful
8. Biquette – female goat
9. Bisette – version of bisous meaning kiss
10. Blanche – white
11. Boulette – a small ball, an error
12. Brie – a french cheese
13. Brioche – a type of french bread/cake
14. Brigitte – after French actress Brigitte Bardot
15. Chanel – after Coco Chanel, French fashion designer
16. Cherie – my dear (a french term of endearment)
17. Chipounette – a french nickname of one you love
18. Clareto – illustrious”; Provencal female version “Claire”
19. Coco – after Coco Chanel, French fashion designer
20. Coquine – Tease
21. Coquette – one who teases
22. Cosette – small and tiny
23. Démoiselle – lady, from mademoiselle. Can sometimes be a courtesan.
24. Douce – soft
25. Eclair – a French dessert
26. Esme – beloved
27. Fadou – conscientious
28. Fleur – flower
29. Fleurette – a small flower
30. Galipette – from the French expression “faire des galipettes“, meaning to tumble around
31. Gamine – playful, young girl
32. Heureuse – happy (male version is heureux)
33. Isa – meaning “God is generous”
34. Joie – joy
35. Joueuse – playful female (Jouer is the male version)
36. Juliette – french version of Juliet
37. Laure – winner
38. Léna – from the name Hélène, meaning a burst of sunshine
39. Lilou – version of loulou meaning my dear
40. Linette – linen
41. Loulou – my darling
42. Maëlle, Maëlie – princess, typical Celtic/Breton female name
43. Manette – a video game controller (eg. for playstation)
44. Margot – from the name Marguerite, meaning “pearl”
45. Mignonne – cute (male version is mignon)
46. Nana – French slang for lady
47. Nanette – Grace
48. Noemie – loveable, agreeable
49. Océane – ocean
50. Reine – Queen
51. Risette – one who sings
52. Roquette – a type of salad leaf
53. Rosette – rose
54. Salomé – peace or plentitude
55. Sophie – smart
56. Sucette – a lollipop
57. Tahiti – a French overseas territory
58. Tulipe – the flower tulip
59. Vanille – vanilla
60. Vivienne – alive
61. Yuna – variation of the name “Yvonne”, celtic female name after saint from Wales.

☞ READ MORE: 183 French Baby Girl Names that are too chic for words

Unisex Dog Names

If you are looking for a French unisex name, I’ve got you covered. Gender-neutral and non-binary names have never been more popular, with parents of both human babies and animal puppies choosing them for their little ones.

Here are my top French unisex dog names:

1. Amour – love
2. Abeille – a bee
3. Bastille – after the Place de la Bastille in Paris, where the French revolution started
4. Bijou – jewel
5. Bisou – kiss
6. Bleu – blue
7. Bonbon – candy
8. Cacahuète – a peanut
9. Cezanne – after the French painter
10. Chevalier – knight
11. Coquinou – one who teases
12. Croissant – french breakfast pastry
13. Crêpe – a french pancake that can be savory or sweet
14. Doudou – what small children in France call their stuffed toy
15. Eiko – prosperous
16. Élie – from God, of celtic tradition.
17. Eiffel – after Gustave Eiffel who built the Eiffel Tower.
18. Elysée – Palais Elysée, the official residence of the French President near the Champs Elysées in Paris.
19. Essy – a form of the French word “essayer”, meaning to try
20. Étoile – a star
21. Eureka – ancient Greek, meaning “I found it”
22. Fleuve – river
23. Fondue – melted cheese used as a bread dip
24. Garnier – after the Opéra Garnier in Paris
25. Givenchy – after French fashion house and designer Hubert de Givenchy
26. Gommette – an eraser
27. Hermès – after French fashion house and designer Thierry Hermès
28. Isabeau – promise of God
29. Joujou – from the French word “jouer”, meaning to play
30. Lafayette – after the Marquis de Lafayette
31. Libellule – dragonfly
32. Louboutin – after the red-heeled shoes
33. Louis (Louie) – the name of several French Kings
34. Macaron – a type of French dessert
35. Marseille – after the city in Provence
36. Matisse – French painter
37. Milou – worker
38. Monet – French painter
39. Montpellier – after the city in the South of France
40. Naf-naf – a clothing store in France which used to be called Naphtaline
41. Papillon – butterfly
42. Parfait – perfect
43. Pipeau – from the French expression “c’est du pipeau“, meaning “it’s not serious”
44. Plouf – the french sound for “splash”
45. Pogba – after the famous French football player Paul Pogba
46. Pompidou – last name of a former French president
47. Ratatouille – a famous dish from Provence
48. Remy – oarsman
49. Rivière – river
50. Savon – soap
51. Soleil – sun
52. Souffle – a French pastry dish filled with cheese
53. Tatin – after the dessert tarte tatin
54. Triomphe – after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
55. Zidane – after the famous French football player Zinadine Zidane (1990s)

☞ READ MORE: 34+ French Unisex Baby Names that are fantastic

Tips for picking a French name

Now, there are several tips to picking a French dog name:

1. First of all, make sure you understand the meaning of the name of your dog. If someone asks you at a work event what the name of your dog means, you should be able to explain it.
2. Secondly, pick a short pronounceable name that you are comfortable calling out on an everyday basis. If you are trying to get the dog to follow commands while you are at the park, it needs to be a name that both you and the dog are comfortable with.
3. And finally, pick the name you love! There is no need to worry about what other people think, pick a crazy, out-of-the-box name and you will be happier for it.

And with that, congratulations on the new addition to your family! Have you found your perfect puppy name? For even more names, head over to my lists of girl, boy, and unisex baby names. A bientôt!

¹ Featured Image: Dakota Monk