Names That Start with F

F is a soft, breathy consonant, and names that start with it often sound warm rather than sharp. Fewer names begin with F than with many other letters, so an F name can feel a little distinctive even when it is well known.

One family of names on this page goes back to the Franks, the Germanic people whose name also gave us France. Frank and Franklin belong to it, along with Francisco, the Spanish form, and Francesca, the Italian feminine form. Franklin was once a word for a medieval landowner who was free but not of noble birth. Fernando and Fernanda are Spanish and Portuguese names with Germanic roots, and Fabian comes from an old Roman family name.

Meaning plays a large part in the rest of the list. Felix is Latin for lucky, Felicity means happiness, and Faith is a virtue name. Freya is the Norse goddess of love, and Fiona was popularized by Scottish writers in the eighteenth century. Fatima honors the daughter of the Prophet of Islam and is widely used in Muslim families. Finn and Finley have Irish and Scottish Gaelic roots. Short names like Finn and Felix suit long surnames well, while Francesca and Franklin come with easy nicknames.