French Origin Place Names

This is a list of place names in which the origin is French. French is the Romance language spoken in France, Quebec, and other places.
type
usage
origin
Arabie Saoudite (Country) French
French form of Saudi Arabia.
Aubigny (Settlement) French
From the Gallo-Roman given name Albinus. This is the name of several French communes.
Baris (Settlement) Arabic
Arabic form of Paris.
Bohon (Settlement) French
Meaning unknown. This is the name of a town in Manche, France.
Canada (Country) English, French, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian
Derived from the Iroquoian word kanata meaning "village". This word was used by Native Americans to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to Stadacona. Cartier used the word to refer to the region.
Canadá (Country) Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Canada.
Chécagou (Settlement) French (Archaic)
Older French form of Chicago.
Chicago (Settlement) English, French
From French Chécagou, derived from Algonquian šikaakwa meaning "wild garlic" referring to a plant (species Allium tricoccum) that grew there in abundance.... [more]
Courtenay (Settlement) French
From the Gallo-Roman given name Curtenus, derived from Latin curtus "short". This is the name of a few French communes.
Cuinchy (Settlement) French
From older Quintiacum, derived from the personal name Quintus plus the local suffix -acum. This is the name of a village in France.
Écosse (Country) French
French form of Scotland.
États-Unis (Country) French
French calque of United States, written with the definite article les.
Fleury (Settlement) French
From the Gallo-Roman given name Florus. This is the name of several French communes.
Gaul (Region) English
From French Gaule, the name of a historical region that was situated approximately in the area of modern France. In the Roman era it was called Gallia, which may be the origin of Gaule, though the evolution of the word would be irregular. It is more likely derived from Frankish walh meaning "foreigner, Celt".
Gaule (Region) French
French form of Gaul.
Grainville (Settlement) French
Means "Guarin's town" in Old French. This is the name of various towns in Normandy.
Kaenada (Country) Korean
Korean form of Canada.
Kanāda (Country) Latvian
Latvian form of Canada.
Kanadaja (Country) Albanian
Albanian form of Canada.
Kanadas (Country) Greek
Greek form of Canada.
La Mare (Settlement) Medieval French
Means "the pool" in Old French. This was the name of a town in Normandy.
Lào (Country) Vietnamese
Vietnamese form of Laos.
Lao (Country) Lao, Burmese, Thai, Khmer
Lao, Burmese, Thai and Khmer form of Laos.
Laos (Country) French, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Greek, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Hebrew, Hindi, Nepali, Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog
The name of a country in southeastern Asia, derived from the Lao people, the majority ethnic group. Their name may be derived from an Austroasiatic root meaning "human". The name Laos was originally applied to the region by France, who established it as a colony in 1893. It achieved independence in 1953.
Laosa (Country) Latvian
Latvian form of Laos.
Laosas (Country) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Laos.
Laosz (Country) Hungarian
Hungarian form of Laos.
Laowo (Country) Chinese
Chinese form of Laos.
Lassy (Settlement) French
Derived from Lascius, a Gallo-Roman name of unknown meaning. This is the name of a commune in Calvados, France.
Laws (Country) Arabic
Arabic form of Laos.
Livet (Settlement) French
Possibly of Gaulish origin. This is the name of several communes in France (especially Normandy).
Louisiana (Region & Political Subdivision) English
From French Louisiane, named after King Louis XIV of France by the explorer René-Robert Cavelier in 1682. It originally referred to a large territory in the middle of North America. It was sold by France to the United States in 1803, and the southern tip became the American state of Louisiana in 1812.
Louisiane (Region & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Louisiana.
Malleville (Settlement) French
Means "bad town" in Norman French. This is the name of communes in Normandy, France.
Massy (Settlement) French
Derived from Maccius, a Gallo-Roman name of unknown meaning. This is the name of several communes in France.
Maylis (Settlement) French
Meaning uncertain, though said to derive from Occitan mair "mother" and French lys "lily". This is the name of a commune in southern France.
Montgomery (Settlement) French
Means "Gumarich's mountain" in Norman French. This is the name of communes in Calvados, France.
Neuville (Settlement) French
Means "new town" in French. This is the name of various towns in France.
Ottawa (River & Settlement) English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Dutch
From the name of the Odawa or Ottawa people, derived from Ojibwe odaawaa meaning "trader". This is the name of a river and the capital city of Canada.
Pari (Settlement) Japanese, Korean, Burmese
Japanese, Korean and Burmese form of Paris.
Parigi (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Paris.
Pariis (Settlement) Estonian
Estonian form of Paris.
Pariisi (Settlement) Finnish
Finnish form of Paris.
Parijs (Settlement) Dutch
Dutch form of Paris.
París (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Paris.
Paris (Settlement) French, English, Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Romanian, Turkish, Persian, Hausa
From the ancient Celtic tribe known as the Parisii. This is the capital city of France.
Paříž (Settlement) Czech
Czech form of Paris.
Pariz (Settlement) Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Hebrew, Armenian
Form of Paris in several languages.
Parīze (Settlement) Latvian
Latvian form of Paris.
Párizs (Settlement) Hungarian
Hungarian form of Paris.
Paryż (Settlement) Polish
Polish form of Paris.
Paryžius (Settlement) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Paris.
Pays-Bas (Country) French
From French pays "country, land" and bas "low". This is the French name for the Netherlands (for which it is also a translation).
Poix (Settlement) French
Possibly from Old French peis meaning "fish". This is the name of a town in Picardy, France.
Provence (Region) French, English, German
From Latin provincia meaning "province", a Roman territorial division. This is the name a region in southern France, originally acquiring its name because it was the first Roman province beyond the Alps.
Québec (Settlement & Political Subdivision) French
French form of Quebec.
Quebec (Settlement & Political Subdivision) English
English form of French Québec, derived from the Algonquin word kepec meaning "narrows", referring to the Saint Lawrence River near Quebec City. This is the name of a Canadian province and also the capital city of that province.
Raoseu (Country) Korean
Korean form of Laos.
Rennes (Settlement) French, English
From Latin (Condate) Riedonum, derived from the name of the Gaulish tribe of the Redones. This is the name of a town in Brittany, France.
Romilly (Settlement) French
From the Latin name Romilius, a derivative of Romulus. This is the name of several communes in northern France.
Royaume-Uni (Country) French
French calque of United Kingdom, written with the definite article le.
Sahara (Region) English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch
From Arabic‎ صحارى (ṣaḥārā) meaning "deserts", the plural of صحراء (ṣaḥrāʾ) meaning "desert". This is the name of a desert in North Africa. In Arabic it is called الصحراء الكبرى (al-Ṣaḥrāʾ al-Kubrā) meaning "the great desert".
Saint Clair (Settlement) French
Name commemorating Saint Clair. This is the name of several communes in France.
Saint Denis (Settlement) French
Name commemorating Saint Denis. This is the name of several communes in France.
Saint Martin (Settlement) French
Name commemorating Saint Martin. This is the name of several communes in France.
Saint Maur (Settlement) French
Name commemorating Saint Maurus. This is the name of several communes in France.
Saint Pierre (Settlement & Island) French
Name commemorating Saint Peter. This is the name of several communes in France as well as a French island near Newfoundland.
Slovaquie (Country) French
French form of Slovakia.
Slovénie (Country) French
French form of Slovenia.
Somalie (Country) French
French form of Somalia.
Suède (Country) French
French form of Sweden.
Sydney (Settlement) English
City in Australia that was named after Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733-1800). His title originally came from the name of its first holder, Robert Sidney (1563-1626).
Tchécoslovaquie (Country) French
French form of Czechoslovakia.
Toronto (Settlement) English, French
Possibly derived from Mohawk tkaronto meaning "place where trees stand in the water". It has also been explained as meaning "plenty" in the Huron language.... [more]
Tracy (Settlement) French
Derived from the given name Thracius. This is the name of communes in Calvados, France.
Troyes (Settlement) French, English, German, Dutch
The name of a city in France, called in Latin (Augustobona) Tricassium, which was named after the Gallic tribe of the Tricasses.