Nowadays, there are no legal a priori constraints on the choice of names, though this was not always the case as recently as a few decades ago.
This distinction is important because many official documents use the person's maiden, or legal or true surname, rather than their usage name.
In normal polite usage, a person's name is usually preceded by: Since 2013, French administration does not use the term mademoiselle anymore for its documents in favour of madame regardless of the status and the age of the woman addressed.
It is normally impolite to address people by their given names unless one is a family member, a friend or a close colleague of comparable hierarchic importance.
As a punishment by Napoléon Bonaparte, Navy officers have not been addressed as mon since the Battle of Trafalgar.
The practice of giving two or even three names was fairly common until the early 20th century, but has since fallen out of fashion.
Traditionally and historically, most people were given names from the Roman Catholic calendar of saints.
Common names of this type are Jacques (James), Jean (John), Michel (Michael), Pierre (Peter), and Jean-Baptiste (John the Baptist) for males; and Marie (Mary), Jeanne (Jane), Marguerite (Margaret), Françoise (Frances), and Élisabeth (Elizabeth) for females.
In certain regions such as Brittany or Corsica, more local names (usually of local saints) are often used (in Brittany, for instance, male Corentin or female Anne; in Corsica, Ange (suitable both for males and females, French version corresponding to Corsican Angelo, Angela).
However, given names for French citizens from immigrant communities are often from their own culture, such as Mohammed, Karim, Saïd, Toufik, Jorge, etc.
As an example, few children born since 1970 would bear the name Germaine, which is generally associated with the idea of an elderly lady.
For instance, a male child born to a traditional Catholic family choosing for him the name Nicolas and whose godparents are called Christian and Véronique could be called Nicolas Christian Marie Véronique.
[clarification needed][4] Much later, actually in 1966, a new law permitted a limited number of mythological, regional or foreign names, substantives (Olive, Violette), diminutives, and alternative spellings.
To change a given name, a request can be made before a court (juge des affaires familiales), but except in a few specific cases (such as the Gallicization of a foreign name), it is necessary to prove a legitimate interest for the change (usually that the current name is a cause of mockery or when put together with the surname, it creates a ridiculous word or sentence, e.g.: Jean Bon sounds jambon "ham", or Annick Mamère = A nique ma mère, slang for "she fucks my mother").
Typical French female names A-: Adelaide, Adele, Adrienne, Aenor, Agathe, Aglaé, Agnes, Aimée, Albane, Alexandra, Alice, Amandine, Amélie, Amicie, Anabelle, Anaïs, Anastasie, Andrea, Andréanne, Andrée, Andrée-Anne, Andie, Angèle, Angélique, Anne, Anne-Marie, Annette, Antoinette, Alique, Arlette, Audrey, Aurélie, Aurore, Axelle B-: Babette, Barbara, Bâle, Basilique, Béatrice, Bénédicte, Bérengère, Bernadetta, Bernadette, Blanche, Blanchefleur, Blandine] C-: Caudalia, Caudalie, Calixte, Camille, Carina, Carine, Carole, Caroline, Cécile, Céline, Chanel, Chantal, Char, Charline, Charlotte, Chloe, Christine, Claire, Clara, Claude, Claudine, Clemence, Clémentine, Colette, Coralie, Coraline, Corina, Corinne D-: Daniele, Danielle, Daphne, Denise, Diane,Dominique, Deslotte, Despina, Diane, Dina, Dolorès, Dominika, Dominique, Dora, Doriane, Dorine, Doris, Dorothée E-: Edith, Édith Edmonde, Edwige, Eglantine, Elena, Eléonore, Elfi, Elia, Ellie, Eliane, Elisa, Élisa, Elise, Élise, Elisée, Elliset, Éllieset, Elliezet, Élliezet, Elodie Élodie, Éloïse, Elphie, Elsa, Elvire, Emeline, Emelyne, Emilia, Emilie, Émilie, Emilienne, Emma, Emmanuelle, Enora, Epnon, Érato, Erica, Ernestine, Erza, Esmeralda, Estelle, Esther, Eufemia, Eugenia, Eugénie, Eulalie, Ève, Éveline, Evelyne, Évelyne, Evelina J-: Jeanne M-: Marie, Marine, Marinéllie, Mariéllie R-: Reine
[citation needed] According to the Institute of Statistics (INSEE), more than 1,300,000 surnames were registered in the country between 1891 and 1990, and about 200,000 have disappeared (mainly unique orthographic variants).
According to different estimates, 50 to 80 percent of French citizens may bear rare family names (fewer than 50 bearers alive at the census time).
However, whichever form is used, a person's name must be used consistently on all identification documents, such as a passport or identity card.
A list including the births between 1891 and 1990 shows : 1 – Martin, 2 – Bernard, 3 – Thomas, 4 – Petit, 5 – Robert, 6 – Richard, 7 – Durand, 8 – Dubois, 9 – Moreau, 10 – Laurent.
[9] A list of birth between 1966 and 1990 yields: 1 – Martin, 2 – Bernard, 3 – Thomas, 4 – Robert, 5 – Petit, 6 – Dubois, 7 – Richard, 8 – Garcia (Spanish), 9 – Durand, 10 – Moreau.
[10] This list masks strong regional differences in France and the increasing number of foreign names among the French citizens.
French statesman Charles de Gaulle's surname may not be a traditional French name with a toponymic particule, but a Flemish Dutch name that evolved from a form of De Walle meaning "the wall".
In the 19th century, wealthy commoners buying nobility titles were derisively called Monsieur de Puispeu, a pun on depuis peu meaning "since recently".
Similarly, during the French Revolution of 1789–1799, when being associated with the nobility was out of favor and even risky, some people dropped the de from their name, or omitted the mention of their feudal titles.
Whether the family name or the estate name is used for the shortened form depends on a variety of factors: how people feel bearing a particule (people may for instance dislike the connotations of nobility that the particule entails; on the other hand, they may enjoy the impression of nobility), tradition, etc.
However, this usage is now losing ground to a more egalitarian treatment of surnames; it is, for instance, commonplace to hear people talking of de Villiers.
Note that American English language medial capital spellings such as DeVilliers are never used in France.
[15] This is not a legal obligation (it is a contra legem custom, as French law since the Revolution has required that no one may be called by any other name than that written on their birth certificate), and not all women decide to do so.
This distinction is important because many official documents use the person's birth or legal surname, rather than their usage name.
Such changes have to be made official by a décret en Conseil d'État issued by the Prime Minister after approval by the Council of State.