What’s in a Name? The Most Popular Street Names in France 

What history lies behind street names in France? Take a stroll through French streets to find out where their names come from.

There are thousands of streets in France and each one has a name. Many are basic, reflecting their location. For example, the most popular street name in France is Rue de l’Église (Church Street). In the US the most popular name is Main Street and in the UK it is High Street.

But what about streets that honor people, how are they different in each country? Americans are fond of their presidents, and the most popular names are Washington and Lincoln. The UK loves its monarchy, with Kings, Queens, Victoria, and Windsor the top choices. 

But what about France? The French aren’t fans of kings and queens, that business back in 1789 having dimmed their enthusiasm. Instead, they name their streets after famous figures from their history—political and military leaders, scientists, authors, and the like. Let’s count down the ten most popular of these street names. 

10. Georges Clemenceau

Known as Le Tigre (the tiger), Clemenceau was prime minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 to 1920. It was in his second term that he earned his nickname, leading France to victory in World War I. After the war, he pushed through the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed harsh terms on Germany. Clemenceau was also an important supporter of Émile Zola during the Dreyfus Affair, publishing Zola’s famous letter J’Accuse on the front page of his newspaper, L’Aurore.  

9. Maréchal Foch 

Ferdinand Foch was the Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front in World War I. Earlier, he commanded the troops that won the first Battle of the Marne in 1914. Named Supreme Allied Commander in 1918, he was in charge of the French, British and American troops that defeated Germany that year. He famously opposed the Treaty of Versailles, believing it too lenient to Germany, saying, “This is not Peace. This is an Armistice for 20 years.” 

8. Jules Ferry 

Prime minister of France in the late 1800s, he is best known for the Jules Ferry Laws that established France’s system of free and compulsory public education. Until then, much education had been provided by the Catholic Church, so these laws laid important groundwork for the eventual separation of church and state. They also required the use of French for instruction, which helped to unify the nation around a single language, but nearly wiped out regional languages like Breton and Provençal. 

7. Général Leclerc 

Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque (now there’s a mouthful!) was a top French general during World War II. The son of an aristocratic family, he joined the army after graduating from the Saint-Cyr military academy, later receiving honors for his service in Morocco. After the French defeat in 1940, he joined Charles de Gaulle in London and became one of the leaders of the Free French Forces. During the war he used the name Leclerc to obscure his identity and protect his family in France. After leading successful military campaigns in Africa and Italy, the forces under his command helped liberate several French cities, including Paris. He died in a plane accident shortly after the war and was posthumously made a Marshall of France.  

6. Léon Gambetta 

Léon Gambetta is best known as the man who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870. The son of an Italian immigrant, he became a lawyer and was known for defending people prosecuted for criticizing the Second Empire of Napoleon III. Elected to the nation’s legislative assembly, he helped organize the defense of France after its disastrous defeat at the Battle of Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War. He later helped form the provisional government that led to the French Third Republic, still the longest lasting (1870-1940) of France’s five republics. An urn containing his heart rests at the Panthéon. 

5. Jean Moulin 

One of the greatest heroes of World War II, Moulin is the man who organized the French Resistance. Before the war, he had a brilliant career in government, becoming the youngest préfet in France (the official in charge of a region). After the country fell to the Nazis, he made his way to London where Charles de Gaulle charged him with organizing the disparate (and often squabbling) resistant groups into a single force. To do that, Moulin parachuted into the mountains of Provence on a cold winter night, then walked for hours to a relative’s home. He succeeded in uniting the resistant groups before being betrayed, then tortured and murdered by the Nazis. Today his ashes rest in the Panthéon. 

4. Jean Jaurès 

Jean Jaurès was the founder of the French Socialist Party, leading the successful merger of several rival parties into one and making it a major political force in France. He was an outspoken supporter of Alfred Dreyfus during the Dreyfus Affair, and was also a pacifist who worked tirelessly to reconcile France to Germany and avoid World War I. These efforts made him the target of French nationalists and he was assassinated by one on the eve of the war. Today his remains rest in the Panthéon. 

3. Victor Hugo 

One of France’s greatest writers, Victor Hugo is best known for his masterpieces Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He was also a prolific poet and playwright, a member of the National Assembly of the Second French Republic, and a member of the French Academy. A critic of Napoleon III, Hugo was forced to flee France when Napoleon seized power and formed the Second Empire in 1852. He spent most of his exile on the Island of Guernsey, returning only with the fall of the Empire in 1870. More than two million people attended his funeral procession, which ended with his burial in the Panthéon. 

2. Louis Pasteur 

A biologist, microbiologist and chemist, Pasteur is considered the father of bacteriology. He made important discoveries in the areas of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization — a process named after him — and his discoveries have saved countless lives. Pasteur’s work provided important evidence for the germ theory of disease and helped lead to its worldwide acceptance. He founded the Pasteur Institute, a leading research center which was the first to isolate HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Pasteur is buried in a vault in the Pasteur Institute. 

1. Charles de Gaulle 

The towering figure of 20th century France, Le Grand Charles played many roles. As the organizer of the Free French Forces and the French Resistance during World War II, he ensured that France sat at the table of power after the war. He then retired but was called back to service during the Algerian Crisis of 1958. De Gaulle led a transitional French government, rewrote the country’s constitution, and was elected the first president of the French Fifth Republic. General, president, constitutionalist, diplomat … few in French history have worn so many hats so well. 

Who is Missing? 

We’ve counted down our top ten, and you might be surprised that there is no mention of one of France’s most important leaders, Napoleon Bonaparte. And not only is he missing from the top ten, he’s not even in the top 200! L’empereur remains controversial even two centuries after his death.

And then…where are the women?  There are none in the top ten, and only 15 women in the entire top 200!

It seems that the country of égalité has some work to do.