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Top 12 Girls’ Names in Québec

from 1980 to 2016

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

#1. Stéphanie: the name Stéphanie comes from Greek and Latin, meaning "crown" or "crowned". Although Stéphanie has held the #1 spot for several years, it has only been popular very recently. There wasn’t a single Stéphanie in New France, and only a handful until the middle of the 20th century. The name appeared in France around the 1950s and in Quebec around 1960, where it increased in popularity until the 1990s. The English name Stephanie was also popular in the United States during this period, as well as the diminutive Steffi, Steffy and Steff in English and German countries. 

#2. 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 lists 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.

#3. Émilie: the name Émilie comes first from the Latin "Aemilia" whose masculine "Aemilius" is the source of the masculine name Émile. It was a person's name in Rome, as well as the name of a Roman road named Via Aemilia that connected several cities in northern Italy. This is the source of the name of the Emilia-Romagna region. Émilie (and Emily) appeared in Canada in the late 19th century, and in England and the United States from the 18th century. In the 1980s, the name was among the most popular in Quebec.

#4. Jessica: the Hebrew name Jessica comes from the bible name Yiskah, which became Iskah and then Jeskah. Shakespeare chose the name Jessica for Shylock's daughter in The Merchant of Venice. The diminutive Jessie became popular even before Jessica did — used since the 19th century in the United Kingdom and the United States. It is only in the 20th century that Jessica appeared as a first name for both Anglophones and Francophones.

#5. Audrey: the name Audrey has origins dating back as far as 1,500 years ago to the old English Aethelthryth, whose root aethel means "noble", giving us the name Ethel in the Middle Ages. The names of Ethel and Audrey are derived from the same source. Despite its long history, it wasn’t until the 20th century that Audrey became popular in English-speaking circles. In French Canada, it is only after Audrey Hepburn appeared on screen that the name gained momentum.

#6. Julie: the name Julie comes from Antiquity, from the family of Julius Caesar in Rome. It eventually spread within Europe in the form of Julia and Julie, the French version. Here at home, we see the name Julie in New France and up until the mid-19th century. After decades of decline, Julie became common as a name again around 1960.

#7. Valérie: the name Valérie comes from the Latin valere, meaning "to be strong, courageous". It was popular among early Christian families, but lost popularity as of the Middle Ages. It rebounded in England at the end of the 19th century, and in the mid-20th century in French-speaking countries.

#8. Sarah: the name Sarah, over 3,800 years old, comes from the Hebrew Sarai, the wife of Abraham. It means "my princess". For a long time, this name appeared only in Jewish families. In the 16th century, Protestants from England began giving their children Bible names, such as Jonathan, Samuel, Judith, Esther and Sarah. This spread in the United States with the first settlers in the 17th century. In the 19th century we saw Sarah used in Anglo-Protestant families in Quebec. Around the 1960s, Sarah finally appeared in France and Québec. 

#9. Mélissa: the name Mélissa comes from the Greek meli (meaning "honey") and melissa (meaning "bee"). In Greek mythology, it is the name of a nymph, daughter of the king of Crete, Melissos, who raised Zeus, the king of the gods, by feeding him honey. The name is known since antiquity and began to become popular in the 16th century in Italy and 18th century in England. The name Melissa was widespread in the United States in the mid-20th century. In Quebec, Mélissa's as a first name appeared only in 1977.

#10. Mélanie: the name Mélanie comes from the ancient Greek "melas, melanos" meaning "black, dark", then from the Latin Melania. The name was widespread in ancient times, in the Greek and Latin world. It appeared in France in the 19th century and remained popular until the end of the 20th century. In Quebec, Mélanie first appeared in 1970 and remained in the forefront of popularity from 1976 to 1978. In 1976, 11% of Quebec women were named Mélanie!

#11. Caroline: the name Caroline comes from the Latin word "carolus", Latin version of the first name Carl. It is also associated with a Germanic origin meaning "viril" or "strong". Caroline is also an affectionate diminutive of the name Carole. Caroline was used primarily by German-speaking royal families and then spread to English families. In France, the name Caroline first appeared in the 18th century. On this side of the Atlantic, the name was often given in Anglo-Protestant families in the 19th century, after which time it spread to French Canada. In the first half of the 20th century, it was rather the name Carole that was given to girls. But as of 1960, Caroline slowly took its place.

#12. 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, then hit 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.

Related articles:

• Top 12 Girls’ Names in New France

• Top 12 Boys’ Names in New France

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

• Top 12 Boys’ Names in Québec in 2017

• Top 12 Girls’ Names in Québec in 2017

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).  

• 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).

Photo credits:

• “Steffi Graf (Wimbledon 2009)”, 2009 photo by Wikimedia author Chris Eason, Wikimedia Commons.

• “Portrait of Catherine of Medici (1519-1589)”, photo of a circa 1547 oil painting (unknown artist) taken by Susanne Girndt, Wikimedia Commons.

• “Jessica Paré at a Canadian Film Centre & Variety-hosted reception for the Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab”, 2012 photo by Mark Sullivan, Wikimedia Commons.

• “Screenshot from Charade showing Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn”, photo by Wikimedia author BlueStar, Wikimedia Commons.

• “Julie Payette CSA”, 2008 NASA photo, Wikimedia Commons.

• “Le jour où les maires de Gatineau et d'Ottawa se sont joints au conseil d'administration de la CCN. De gauche à droite: Maxime Pedneau-Jobin (maire de Gatineau), Jim Watson (maire d'Ottawa), Mélanie Joly (ministre du Patrimoine), Russell Andrew Mills (ancien président de la CCN) et Mark Kristmanson (Premier dirigeant de la CCN)”, 2016 photo by the National Capital Commission, Wikimedia Commons.

• “Caroline Ouellette, joueuse de hockey, Cup de Clarkson 2011”, 2011 photo by Wikimedia author Genevieve2, Wikimedia Commons.

• “St. Genevieve as patroness of Paris”, circa 1615 painting (unknown French artist), Wikimedia Commons.