boy's name
Arnaud
ar-NOH
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 139,847
Canada
#113
2024 births
Arnaud means eagle-power, built from two Germanic words, and it is the French form of the name English knows as Arnold. It ranks in France alone at 986th, well down from a 1974 peak of 6,190 births.
- Arnaud is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1974, when 6,190 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 14,737 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Arnaud over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 775 |
| 1910s | 545 |
| 1920s | 585 |
| 1930s | 520 |
| 1940s | 710 |
| 1950s | 2,150 |
| 1960s | 11,130 |
| 1970s | 50,260 |
| 1980s | 39,600 |
| 1990s | 20,215 |
| 2000s | 6,710 |
| 2010s | 1,245 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 320 |
What Arnaud means
Arnaud means eagle-power, or eagle-ruler. The Germanic joins the word for an eagle to one meaning rule or strength, so both halves of it carry authority.
Where Arnaud comes from
Arnaud is the French form of the Germanic Arnwald — arn, an eagle, joined to wald, rule or power. The arn element is common in Germanic naming and gives Arnold, Arne and the Arn- in Arnhem; wald gives Waldo, Ronald and the -ald in Gerald and Harold. Eagles were the standard emblem of authority from the Roman legions onward, which is why the compound reads as it does. Arnaud de Brescia and the troubadour Arnaut Daniel, whom Dante calls the better craftsman, both carried it.
Arnaud in use
Arnaud peaked in France in 1974, when 6,190 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 986th in France on 40 births, across 139,847 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1900.
How popular is Arnaud?
In 2025, Arnaud was given to 40 babies in France, ranking #986 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Arnaud is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Arnaud
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Arnaud also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Arnaud over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Arnaud
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Arnaud in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Arnaud
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Arnaud — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Arnaud
What does the name Arnaud mean?
Eagle-power — the Germanic arn, an eagle, joined to wald, rule.
Is Arnaud the same as Arnold?
Yes, the French and English forms of the same Germanic name.
Why an eagle?
Eagles were the standard emblem of authority from the Roman legions onward.
How popular is Arnaud?
986th in France, the only market where it charts.
Is Arnaud a girl's or a boy's name?
Arnaud is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Arnaud?
Arnaud has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Arnaud?
Arnaud is usually shortened to Arno and Arne.
Is Arnaud a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Arnaud currently ranks #113 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.