JeanBaptiste

Jean-Baptiste is a French given name formed from Jean (John) and Baptiste (the Baptist). The compound form has been common in French-speaking regions since the Middle Ages and is usually written with a hyphen, though some historical texts spell it without one. The name evokes Saint John the Baptist, a central figure in Christian tradition, and has long carried religious and cultural associations in Francophone communities.

Notable people with the name include Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683), a French statesman who served as Minister of Finance under Louis XIV; Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687), a composer and musician who helped establish French baroque music; Jean-Baptiste Say (1767–1832), an economist known for Say's Law in classical economics; Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744–1829), a naturalist who proposed an early theory of evolution; Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known as Molière (1622–1673), one of France’s greatest playwrights; and Jean-Baptiste Racine (1639–1699), a renowned tragedian. In fiction, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is the title character of Patrick Süskind’s novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.

Outside individual names, the form appears in place names and religious contexts, such as Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste) in Quebec. The name remains common in France, Belgium, and other Francophone regions and persists in diaspora communities in North America and beyond.