I heard somewhere it is illegal to name a baby something that isn’t on the French govt list. Or it used to be. (I read a lot more history than current events.)
That is correct. The names must be on the list so as to not allow children to make fun of. I wonder how many of those Maries and such are bearing male Muslim middle names from their fathers. Also, if they have more than one wife, they may be multiplying far faster than people are willing to admit. I have read articles that say many, many Native French are having no children, as well as friends who were living there who gave anecdotal evidence. It would be interesting to see what the growth rate of Muslims has been, and over just what period of time...