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Top 12 Girls’ Names in New France

in the 17th and 18th Centuries

including their origins and meanings, taken from Guy Bouthillier’s Nos prénoms et leurs histoires

#1. Marie Josèphe: Josèphe is the female equivalent of the name Joseph, whose origins date back to biblical times. In the Old Testament, Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob, who went on to become the viceroy of Egypt. In the New Testament, Joseph was a carpenter in Bethlehem, husband of the Virgin Mary and father of Jesus. Despite this historical importance, Joseph did not become a common name amongst Catholic families until the 17th century. In New France, its popularity was cemented when the saint Joseph was named patron saint in 1624. Alongside Joseph came the female equivalents of Josèphe, Josèphte and Josette. At the end of the 18th century, its popularity fell for good as another Joseph-derivative made its debut: Joséphine.

#2. Marie Louise: the name Louise comes from the Germanic Hlodowig, meaning "glory acquired in combat". It was popular in western Europe as Louise, Louisa, Luisa and Lovisa. In New France, Marie Louise was among the most popular girls' names, and remained so for three centuries. In the 20th century, Louise took her place, and the derivative Marilou also made its appearance. In 1951, 5% of all girls were given the name Louise. By 1980, it disappeared from birth registrations altogether.

#3. Marie Anne: the name Anne comes from the Hebrew Hannah, meaning grace. It was then transformed into the Greco-Latin Anna and was adopted in all European countries. The name Marie Anne was most popular here during the New France era, and continued to be common until 1920, when it almost disappeared for 50 years. In 1876, saint Anne was named the patron saint of the province of Québec. We see this influence in the large number of town, cities, street names, lakes, rivers and mountains in Québec.    

#4. Marie Marguerite and #7. Marguerite: the name Marguerite, of Persian origin, became margiritis in Greek and margarita in Latin. In French, the name marguerite is also that of a flower, the daisy in English. The origin of the name, however, did not refer to the flower but to the pearl, cherished by Christians as a symbol of light and purity. Marguerite has an incredible amount of derivatives: Greta, Gretel or Gretchen (in Germany and Scandinavia), Margaret, Meg, Maggy and Peggy (in England), Margie (in Scotland), Margot, Margotton, Margerie, Margaux and Rita (in France). Here, Marie Marguerite was at its most popular in the time New France, along with Marguerite, where it continued to be very common for centuries. In 1820, 7% of girls were named Marguerite. By 1950, however, it had all but disappeared.

#5. Marie Madeleine: the name Madeleine comes from the bible. The Old Testament pinpoints Migdal (in Hebrew) as the name of the city where everything comes from, which was converted to Magdala in Greek. The New Testament identifies Marie Madeleine as the first person to illustrate the city. She was a disciple of Jesus and the first to witness his resurrection. She was called Marie of Magdala or Marie La Magdaléenne. The name of Madeleine was one of the most important in the time of New France. Several places were named after her, such as Cap-de-la-Madeleine and the Îles de la Madeleine (the Magdalen Islands). Though it was a very common name in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was rather modest in the century that followed before becoming popular again in 1900s.

#6. Marie Angélique: the name Angélique comes from the Greek ayyelos, meaning "messenger", and the Latin angelica, becoming Angelika in German and other northern languages, Angelica in Italian and English, Anjelica in Spanish and Ayyeliki in Greek. Marie Angélique was one of the most common names in New France, and it continued to be popular into the first half of the 19th century. By 1860, it fell out of use, only to be revived 120 years later. Today, the name Angélique is again being given to baby girls in French-speaking Canada. 

#8. Marie: Marie's etymological origins come from the Old Testament and the Hebrew Myriam, the sister of Moses, a name that is over 3,500 years old and said to have Egyptian roots. Its true religious origin comes from the Virgin Mary. Surprisingly, it wasn't until the 11th and 12th centuries that the name Mary was given at baptisms. Since then, it would be seen everywhere in the Christian world as the most common girl's name, either on its own or as a compound name like many of those on this list. In French-speaking Canada, Marie was at the top of the name charts for three centuries starting in New France. While it's no longer as common, it is still in the top 50 girls' names.

#9. Marie Geneviève: we find this name in the 5th century, worn by the saint Geneviève of Paris — the one who defended Paris when it was threatened by Attila the Hun in 451. Despite its long history, the use of the name Geneviève remained modest in France until the 19th century, hitting its peak in 1947. Here, the name Geneviève is well known since the era of New France, when it was very popular. It became more discreet in the following centuries, finally regaining its popularity around 1960. In 1979, 4% of girls were given the name of Geneviève.

#10. Marie Françoise: Françoise is the female derivative of François, which comes from the medieval Latin franciscus, "he who comes from the land of the Franks". Both François and Françoise are intimately linked to France. Elsewhere, we find Francisca in Spanish, Franca and Francesca in Italian, Franziska in German, and Frances and Fanny in England. The name Marie Françoise was amongst the most popular girls' names in New France, becoming less common by the 19th century. It made a comeback in the 1930s, before giving way to other versions of the name, Francine and France.

#11. Marie Catherine: the name Catherine comes from the Latin Catharina, derived from the Greek Aikaterinê. The name Catherine is related to the Greek word "katharos" which meant "pure" for Catholics. Over time, several queens have borne this name: a queen in France, Catherine de Medici, Catherine II the Great in Russia, and three wives of Henry VIII in England. The Larousse has 29 varieties of the name Catherine around the world. In Canada, the name has been popular since the days of New France, although it lost some momentum from 1850 to 1950. It reappeared in the 1960s and ranked first in the 1990s.

#12. Marie Charlotte: Charlotte is the female equivalent of Charlot, itself a diminutive of the name Charles. We find Charlotte in English and in German, as well as the equivalents Carlotta and Carla in Italian, and Carlota in Spanish. In New France, Charlotte was a very common girl's name, only to diminish in popularity by the 19th century. In contrast, it was a popular name at that time among Anglo-protestant families of Quebec, hovering between 1 to 2% of all girls' names. Since the year 2000, the name Charlotte appears to be making a comeback.

Related articles:

• Top 12 Boys’ Names in New France

• Top 12 Boys’ Names in Québec from 1980 to 2016

• Top 12 Girls’ Names in Québec from 1980 to 2016

• Top 12 Boys’ Names in Québec in 2017

• Top 12 Girls’ Names in Québec in 2017

Sources:

• “Le palmarès des prénoms”, Institut généalogique Drouin, Programme de recherche en démographie historique (https://www.prdh-igd.com/fr/noms-et-prenoms).

• Guy Bouthillier, Nos prénoms et leurs histoires : les prénoms féminins du Québec (Montréal, Québec: Les Éditions de l'Homme, 2013), 268 pages.