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There was an influx of French Protestants in the 17th century when the Edict of Nantes was revoked and Protestant religion lost protection. As the Cape was a Dutch colony at the time, there are many French surnames still in use in the Afrikaans-speaking community and some French given names are also still in use too. A dear friend, now deceased and still missed, was named Marcelle Du Toit, though she preferred to speak and write in English for political reasons. However, even she couldn't make me feel positive about Marcelle as a name: I'm not opposed to it, but I'd never consider using it for one moment. Her elder sister was Madeleine, which is more to my taste but I wouldn't use it either. Neither of them had a mn. Point a gun at me, and tell me to find a French female name starting with M, and I'd pick Michele.