Top 12 French-Canadian Girls' Names 2017
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Top 12 Girls’ Names in Québec
in 2017
including their origins and meanings, taken from Guy Bouthillier’s Nos prénoms et leurs histoires
Actress Emma Watson at the Cannes Film Festival (photo by Georges Biard, Wikimedia Commons)
#1. Emma: the name Emma comes from two possible origins. The first is Germanic, a derivative of the first name Imma. The second comes from the Hebrew Imma-nuel, meaning “God is with us”, which would later give us the first name Emmanuel. Emma was not very common as a first name until the 1800s. The 19th century gave the name a resurgence on both sides of the Atlantic due to Jane Austen’s novel Emma and Maupassant’s Contes. The use of the name waned in the 20th century and was barely heard at all. Since the 2000s, Emma has had another resurgence, thanks to celebrities such as Emma Watson, who starred in the Harry Potter movies.
#2. Léa: the name Léa comes from the Hebrew Le’ah. Its meaning, however, is debated. Originally thought to mean “the tired one”, some have also hypothesized its significance to mean gazelle or wild cow. Lea is also a Roman name, the feminine version of Leo, meaning lioness. For a long time, the name Lea was exclusively used by Jewish families. That changed in the 17th century, when Protestants and Puritans started naming their daughters Lea and its popularity slowly increased. The name was still extremely rare in French-speaking countries, until the 2000s, when Léa made its way into the Top 10 lists in both France and Québec.
The Walt Disney film Alice in Wonderland from 1951 (Wikipedia Commons)
#3. Alice: the name Alice means “of noble race”. It’s the French version of the old Germanic name Adalheidis, which later gave us Adélaïde. The name Alice was first written as Adalis, then Alis, before becoming Alice or Alix. The name was most popular in the late 19th century, coinciding with the publication of Lewis Caroll’s Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. Little used in the 1900s, Alice made a resurgence at the end of the last century.
#4. Olivia: the name Olivia comes from the Latin oliva, which is attributed to both the olive tree and the fruit itself. The Italian and Spanish version Olivia is the most commonly used internationally today — far more popular than Olive or Oliva, which have been used since the middle ages. In New France, Olive was the version used. Then, Olivine made its appearance in the 19th century, followed by Oliva and Olivette. Finally, in the early 2000s, Olivia is the version that was adopted by new parents.
Florence Nightingale (circa 1860 photo by Henry Hering, Wikipedia Commons)
#5. Florence: the name Florence comes from the Latin florens, meaning flowering or flourishing. Although in existence since Roman times, the name Florence took on immense popularity after the Encyclopaedia Britannica named Florence Nightingale a national hero in the 19th century. However, the name wasn’t popular with the French until the 1940s, and with French Canadians until the end of the last century.
#6 and #7. Charlotte and Charlie: the name Charlotte comes from the Germanic Karl, with roots meaning vigorous or strong. Many variants have emerged over the years, depending on language and location: Charline, Charlaine, Charlène, Carla, Lotte and Lotta. The name Charlotte was one of the most popular during the era of New France, but its usage diminished following that time. Charlotte reappeared on birth records in the last century and is today back in fashion. Its variant Charlie didn’t appear as an official first name until the 1930s. Previous to that, it was simply a nickname.
#8. Rosalie: the name Rosalie comes from the Latin rosa, meaning rose. The earliest version of the name was in Italian and Spanish: Rosalia. The name Rosalie was popular in New France and at the beginning of the 19th century before almost disappearing altogether. It reappeared in the early 2000s and has been popular since then.
Béatrice Martin (Cœur de pirate) en concert en 2018 (photo de Thesupermat, Wikimedia Commons)
#9. Béatrice: the name Béatrice comes from the Latin beatus or beata, meaning happy, or one that makes others happy. The name wasn’t embraced by French Canadians until the end of the 19th century and by the French until the 1930s. Its recent popularity in Québec may stem from Béatrice Martin, a singer-songwriter better known as Coeur de Pirate.
#10. Zoé: the name Zoé likely has two origins. The first is Greek and signifies life or existence. Secondly, some theologians link Zoe to the Hebrew H’ava, or Eve in English. Although popular in Greece and Russia for centuries, the name Zoe didn’t appear in western Europe until the 18th and 19th centuries. In Québec, the name was scarcely used in the 19th century, before becoming more popular at the end of the last century.
#11. Jade: the name Jade comes from the Spanish Ijada, which was then Frenchified to become Jade. It also comes from the semi-precious jade stone, used in Taoist rituals to ward off evil spirits. Jade as a first name came into existence in the 1971, when Mick Jagger named his daughter Jade. The name made its way to Québec in the 1980s, and is more popular than ever today.
Eve (2015 photo by Daderot at the Museum Schnütgen, Wikipedia Commons)
#12. Éva: the name Éva comes from the Hebrew word H’ava or hawwah, meaning to live, or to give life. In Québec, the name Éva first appeared around 1860, when it became popular for several decades. Almost unheard of after 1930, the name Éva started making its resurgence after the year 2000.
Sources:
Guy Bouthillier, Nos prénoms et leurs histoires : les prénoms féminins du Québec (Montréal, Québec: Les Éditions de l'Homme, 2013), 268 pages.
Roberto Rocha, "Comment Guillaume est devenu William, l’évolution des prénoms au Québec depuis 1980", Ici Radio-Canada (https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/special/2017/05/prenoms-populaires-quebec-tendance/ : accessed 14 Feb 2019).
"Les 10 prénoms les plus populaires au Québec en 2017", PrénomsQuébec.ca (https://www.prenomsquebec.ca/ : accessed 14 Feb 2019).
NotreFamille, online database on first names and their origins (https://www.prenoms.com/ : accessed 14 Feb 2019).
magic maman famili, online database on first names and their origins (http://prenoms.famili.fr/ : accessed 14 Feb 2019).