Names à la mode: Interesting Picks from France's Most Popular Names, 2015 (Girls)

art by georges de feure

Note: I know I haven't posted anything in forever, but I'm hoping to try and at least get to posting a few things every month. Work has been hectic, especially now since it's summer (the perks of working at an amusement park/arcade), so I apologize!

While France doesn't release name stats every year, we do have the one from 2015 to give us an idea of what's popular at the moment. I chose only the names I found beautiful, or interesting, to highlight. Hope you enjoy!

22. Louna - I love this possible variant of Luna. I think it adds a sort of gravitas that Luna may be lacking. In Finland, this name is pronounced "LO-nah" and comes from the word lounas, meaning "southwest".

50. Capucine - A guilty pleasure of mine, this lovely name means "nasturtium". The nasturtium, or tropaeolum, is a genus of about 80 species of flowers, most often bright in color. Along with some of them being edible, with a peppery taste reminiscent of watercress, it is also has antiseptic and expectorant qualities which make it highly useful in herbal medicine. Capucine is best known as being the stage name of the French actress and whose acting career spanned from 1948 to her death by suicide in 1990.

75. Alix - This short and sweet name is the French medieval version of the classic Alice. Namesakes include the Blessed Alix Le Clercq, the founder of the Canonesses of St. Augustine, an order that's goal was to educate girls, especially those in poverty; and Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, better known by her married name of Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II of Russia.

99. Zélie - A diminutive of Azélie, which possibly comes from the short form, Adelais, of the Ancient Germanic Adalheidis. Adalheidis would later on become the popular Adelaide, meaning "of noble sort".

115. Lison - A rather intriguing - and beautiful - diminutive of Elisabeth.

137. Garance - This beautiful and unusual name comes from the French word for madder, a plant in the coffee family, commonly used as a natural red dye since the ancient world. It has also purported many different medical uses throughout history, including the cure of yellow jaundice, palsy, sciatica, and bruises. In the movie 1945 film, "Les Enfants du Paradis", the main character is called Claire "Garance" Reine.

145. Anaé - A French diminutive of Hannah.

194. Cassandre - A gorgeous unisex name currently more popular for girls than boys in France. It is simply the French form of Cassandra or Cassander, which means "shining man".

217. Laly - A diminutive of Eulalie, which means "sweetly-speaking".

291. Tasnim - A beautiful Arabic name meaning "a spring in paradise".

493. Camelia - The French and Romanian form of Camellia.