You are probably wondering what qualifies as a Cajun name and why you would want to choose one for your sweet baby. You might have Louisiana ties if you are a descendant of French or Canadian immigrants.
More: The Most Popular Canadian Names
The Acadians were Cajun people who migrated from Canada, and some settlers even migrated from France. Some of the names in this list are Acadian.
However, the Cajun culture doesn’t stop there. These names can be used to connect you with New Orleans if you’re a native or fan. This gives you another reason to tell your child about growing in the French Quarter or Louisiana Bayou.
Cajun Girl Names
- Acadia – Taken from the name for Cajuns, or Acadians who migrated from Canada
- Adelaide – Comes from the German name Adalheidis and means “nobility” in French
- Antoinette – For the wife of King Louis XVI during the French Revolution, and means “priceless one”
- Aurelie – means “Golden ” in French
- Babette – French name that means “my God is my oath”
- Bernadette – The female version of Bernard, and means “brave bear” in French
- Brigitte – The French version of Brighid and means “exalted one”
- Camille – French name that means “servant for the temple”
- Cecile – A common French Saint name that means “blind” as in “blind of one’s beauty”
- Corinne – French name that means “maiden”
- Dorothy – For Dorothy Mae Taylor, a politician in New Orleans who was the first African American woman to serve in the Louisiana House of Representatives
- Eugenie – French form of Eugenia that means “well-born” and is shared with the wife of Napoleon III
- Evangeline – The name of a deported Acadian who can be found in the poem of the same name by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Fleur – A baby name that originated in France and is French for “flower”
- Genevieve – For French Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris
- Helene – Helene Bergeron was a member of Barachois, a traditional Acadian music group
- Hestia – The name of an African American owned Cajun restaurant that opened in Houston, Texas in 2020
- Hortense – French name that means “gardener”
- Jacqueline – The feminine form of Jacques that means “supplanter” in French
- Lisette – French name that means “pledged to God”
- Louise – The feminine form of Louis that means “renowned warrior”
- Lucille – French name that means “light”
- Magnolia – The Louisiana state flower
- Marcelle – Comes from a popular surname in Louisiana that reached its peak around 1840
- Marguerite– French name that means “pearl” and was very popular in the late 19th century
- Nola – A nickname for New Orleans, Louisiana
- Octavia – The name of a street in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Prudence – An Acadian name that means “cautious” in Latin
- Sabine – The name of the river that forms part of Louisiana’s border
- Seraphine – French name that means “burning ones”
- Therese – For the French patron Saint Therese of Lisieux
- Valerie – Valeria of Milan or Saint Valerie who was venerated in Thibodaux, Louisiana
- Yvonne – Featured in the song “Jambalaya (on the bayou)” by Hank Williams and is Cajun French for “my good friend”
Cajun Boy Names
- Acadian – Taken from the name for Cajuns, or Acadians who migrated from Canada
- Adonis – Shares the name with an 8th-century French saint of Vienne
- Augustin – Once a popular surname in Louisiana in the 1800s
- Bastien – Short for Sebastien and means “person from the ancient city of Sebastia” in French
- Benoit– A French name that is derived from the Latin word Benedictus which means “the one who says the good”
- Boudreaux – It comes from the French word for a farmer and a common last name for Cajun people
- Broussard – For Joseph Broussard, an important historical figure for both the Acadians and Cajuns
- Claude – For Claude Guedry who was an Acadian born in Canada and later immigrated to Louisiana
- Delphin – Shares the name with a Greek Sea God and translates to “dolphin”
- Eloi – French for “chosen”
- Emmanuel – For Charles Emmanuel the Duke of Savoy who is of French descent
- Etienne – Means “crown” and is the Cajun form of Stephen
- Florent – An Old French name that means “in flower”
- Fontenot – Derived from the Old French word Fontaine with means “fountain”
- Georges – The French version of George
- Guidry – A popular Cajun name in Louisiana that was adopted from Claude Guedry
- Gustave – A name made popular by Gustave Dore, a French artist
- Hebert – An Old French surname
- Horace – For Horace Trahan, a musician who sang Cajun music in French
- Jacques – French for “supplanter”
- Jean-Baptiste – Named for Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, who founded New Orleans in 1718
- Lafayette– French for “faith”
- Landry – For Saint Landry, a 7th-century bishop of Paris
- Laurent – French for “crowned with laurel”
- Lazare – French form of Lazarus that means “God is my help”
- Louis – Comes from the state name Louisiana and also for Louis Armstrong who is a native of said state
- Marcel – French for “young warrior”
- Maurice – French for “dark-skinned”
- Olivier – French for “elf warrior”
- Philippe – New Orleans was named for Philippe II, Duc d’Orleans
- Pierre – French form of Peter and means “stone”
- Raphael – Hebrew for “God has healed”
- Sebastien – Means “person from the ancient city of Sebastia” in French
- Valentin – French for “strong and healthy”
- Xavier – French, and Spanish for “house”
Cajun Gender Neutral Names
- Beau – French for “beautiful”
- Breaux – For the Breaux brothers who were Cajun musicians
- Marquette – French for “landowner”
- Remy – French for “remedy”
- Rene – French form of Renatus, and means “reborn”
- Valerie – French for “strength” and comes from the Latin word valere
Looking for more baby names and inspiration? Check out our Baby Name Center.
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