💬 How to Ask What is Your Name in French

Let’s start with a quick reminder:

• prénom = first name
• nom = last name

When you meet someone new, one of the first things you’ll want to know is their name. In French, there are a few different ways to ask this, depending on the situation and level of formality.

So, how to ask what is your name in French?

The Most Common Ways

Here are the go-to phrases you’ll hear (and want to use yourself):

• Comment tu t’appelles ? 🎧
  (Informal, to a child, a friend, or someone your age in a casual setting)
• Comment vous vous appelez ? 🎧
  (Formal, when speaking to a stranger, someone older, or in a professional context)

These both literally translate to:
“How do you call yourself?”
It may sound odd in English, but in French, that’s just how it works!

👉 These are the most natural and common ways to ask someone their name when you first meet them.

Answers:

• Je m’appelle Rose. 🎧
  (I call myself Rose → My name is Rose)
• Moi, c’est Rose. 🎧
  (Me, it’s Rose → I’m Rose)

Before asking someone’s name, it’s good to know how to greet them, learn how to say hi in French.

Alternative Versions

You might also hear the same question with the question word at the end:

• Tu t’appelles comment ? 🎧
• Vous vous appelez comment ? 🎧

These are very commonly used in spoken French and sound slightly more relaxed or spontaneous.

The More Elegant (and Old-School) Way

French also allows for subject-verb inversion, which used to be more common a few decades ago:

• Comment t’appelles-tu ? 🎧
• Comment vous appelez-vous ? 🎧

These sound more formal or literary today, almost a bit posh or old-fashioned. You might still hear them in formal interviews or written language, but not so much in everyday conversation.

(And yes, the answers are still the same:
Je m’appelle Rose or Moi, c’est Rose.)

Here is a reminder on how to conjugate the reflexive verb s’appeler.

Using the Interrogative Adjective “Quel”

This structure is more typical in official or administrative contexts, like when someone’s filling out a form:

• Quel est ton prénom / ton nom ? 🎧
• Quel est votre prénom / votre nom ? 🎧

Here, you’re clearly asking for either someone’s first or last name.

Answers might be:

• Mon prénom, c’est Rose. 🎧
• Mon nom, c’est Trémière. 🎧
  

Knowing what to say is one thing, but pronouncing it correctly is just as important! Here’s a complete pronunciation guide to help you sound more natural.

A Cultural Note

When I first learned English, one thing confused me:
In English, “What’s your name?” usually means your full name, first and last.

But in French, be careful:
If someone asks “Quel est ton nom ?”, they probably only want your last name, not the whole thing. If they want both, they’ll ask for prénom et nom.

Now, a bit of humor with Philippe Katerine. Philippe is his first name, Katerine is his last name. Not to be mistaken with Catherine, which is usually a first name.

And last one for the road. This is a famous movie dialogue from Le Dîner de cons (1998).

Pierre Brochant : Il s’appelle Juste Leblanc. His name is Juste Leblanc.
François Pignon : Ah bon, il a pas de prénom ? Oh, really? He doesn’t have a first name?
Pierre Brochant : Je viens de vous le dire : Juste Leblanc. I just told you: Juste Leblanc.
François Pignon : …

Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret, Le Dîner de cons (1998), écrit par Francis Veber

–> Notice the confusion between “juste” as “only” vs. as a first name…

Final word

Voilà! Now you’re ready to ask and answer one of the most essential questions in French. 🗣️🇫🇷

Once you’ve learned introductions, go further with our article on friend in French.

And of course, every conversation ends with a farewell, discover how to say bye in French.