30 Rare and Standard French Bulldog Colors (2024)

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In our experience, there are two types of people looking to adopt a Frenchie puppy: those who just want a family member and don’t care about the looks and those who have their preferences and know exactly what they’re looking for. If you’ve just started out your research and don’t really have an idea yet, we’ve got your back! In this extensive guide we’ll explain all the important French Bulldog colors and patterns!

French Bulldog colors

If you’re a Frenchie fan, you probably know that this amazing breed comes in a variety of different colors and patterns. The first thing you need to know is that there’s a distinction between standard French Bulldog colors like fawn, black, cream and rare colors like blue and lilac that have become really popular in recent years. Some of these may look very similar or even identical to an untrained eye, but once you learn the subtle differences you’ll be able to tell the different colors apart.

French Bulldogs with only one color are said to have a solid coat. However, in most Frenchies there’s at least another color present in the form of a pattern. So, in addition to colors there are also various patterns in French Bulldogs that make them even more unique looking. From traditional Frenchie patterns like brindle and pied to the more exotic tan and merle markings you can choose from a wide range of choices. And we haven’t even mentioned yet that combinations of these patterns are also possible!

Ultimate Frenchie Color Chart

It’s easy to get lost in the diverse world of French Bulldog colors, so first we’ll include a chart with the most important colors and patterns, then we’ll explain them in more detail later on in the article.

The Best French Bulldog Colors

Black Frenchies

Pure black Frenchies are quite easy to recognize as they possess no traces of other colors. What we mean by that is that they have a solid black coat color with no brindle pattern (more about that later!); sometimes they have a white patch on their chest giving them a unique look. Pure black French Bulldogs are actually not as common as one would think, which makes them rather special. One thing is for sure, when you look at a black Frenchie, you immediately understand where the nickname ‘batpig’ comes from!

Red Frenchies

Like the name suggests, red French Bulldogs have a light brown coat with a reddish shade. These puppies usually have black markings around their muzzle (and eyes) called a mask, and they also tend to have a white patch on their chest. If you’re after a more traditional look, a red Frenchie is the one for you.

Red fawn Frenchies

Red fawn French Bulldogs are essentially the same as red Frenchies with a reddish shade of fawn color, but their coat has a sort of ashy shine. These puppies also tend to have a black mask and dark markings around their eyes and ears.

Beige Frenchies

The color beige in Frenchies is also very similar to red, but it is a lighter shade of fawn. Beige French Bulldogs usually have a black mask but can also be maskless. Whether you end up choosing a red, red fawn or beige Frenchie, you can’t go wrong, they are all beautiful!

Cream Frenchies

Cream Frenchies have a unique eggshell color. Their coat is distinctively different from even the lightest fawn colors, being almost white with a bit of yellow in it. Cream Frenchies have no markings on any part of their bodies, so it is considered a solid color. Their nose, lips and paw pads may be pink or a somewhat darker almost black color, and in rare cases they may have forever blue eyes.

Blue Frenchies

Blue French Bulldogs are essentially grey whose color may vary from light grey to almost black. What makes them stand out is the bluish shine in their coat that is most visible when the light touches them. They often have a white chest which gives them an even more appealing look. These beauties definitely attract a lot of attention: blue has arguably become one of the most wanted Frenchie colors in the world.

Blue fawn Frenchies

Blue fawn in French Bulldogs is a combination of a light fawn color and blue. More specifically, these puppies have blue parts around their muzzle and eyes instead of black, and their light coat has a beautiful bluish shine. Similarly to blue, this rare French bulldog color has become one of the most popular among our adopters in recent years.

Lilac Frenchies

Lilac French Bulldogs are often mistaken for blue Frenchies, but they are much more unique and harder to come by. Lilac Frenchies have a very light, almost ashy or silver color which gets lighter and lighter as they age. To produce this rare and beautiful color, the parents have to be blue and chocolate or at least a chocolate carrier. Lilac French Bulldogs usually have light-colored eyes such as yellow, light brown and blue which are glowing red.

Lilac fawn Frenchies

Lilac fawn Frenchies look very similar to blue fawn Frenchies, but they are much rarer! Lilac fawn French Bulldogs have a light fawn coat color with an ashy or silver shine rather than blue, and their mask is also of a lighter, ashier grey. They have light eyes that are glowing red, and similarly to lilac Frenchies, both of the parents need to carry blue or chocolate to produce this unique color.

Lilac sable Frenchies

Lilac sable French Bulldogs are almost the same as lilac fawn Frenchies, but these puppies have black fur growing evenly all over their bodies, especially on their back. This gives their coat a bit of a darker shade rather than being ashy.

Platinum Frenchies

The platinum color in Frenchies is optically similar to albino but retains some luster in their coat as opposed to the pure white seen in albino. It is also similar to a light cream color but it is off-white or sort of silver-looking. What makes them special and highly valuable for breeding purposes is that they carry the most colors in French bulldogs: whichever color a platinum Frenchie is mixed with, the puppies will be of that color. They are certainly very rare and unique dogs.

Isabella Frenchies

Isabella French Bulldogs are considered the rarest in the Frenchie world. Similarly to lilac Frenchies, they are the combination of blue and chocolate but they have a much more unique greyish liver coat color. Isabella Frenchies are extremely hard to come by, which makes them incredibly valuable for breeding purposes.

13. White French Bulldog

Even though white is considered a standard French Bulldog color, an all-white Frenchie is still very rare. They are not to be confused with cream Frenchies who have a more yellowish shade of white. Sometimes pied Frenchies (more about that below!) may appear all-white, having only a small patch of another color somewhere on their body.

14. Chocolate Frenchies

You have probably guessed already that chocolate French Bulldogs have a chocolate brown base coat, which may vary from a light to a really dark brown. The chocolate gene is considered rare in the Frenchie world so these puppies are quite unique. Like with most colors, chocolate Frenchies’ coat may be solid brown or have some patterns like tan or brindle.

The Most Stunning Frenchie color patterns

If you think that by now we’ve covered most of the variations of Frenchie colors, you’ll be surprised that the best is actually yet to come! In addition to all the colors we’ve introduced above, there are also various patterns in French Bulldogs that make them even more unique looking. From traditional Frenchie patterns like brindle and pied to the more exotic tan and merle markings, you’ll certainly find one that steals your heart!

Brindle Frenchies

The brindle pattern is by far the most common in French Bulldogs. Brindle Frenchies have a base coat color like black or blue and have fawn hairs all over their bodies resulting in light streaks. Depending on the mixture of black or blue and fawn hairs, these Frenchies can range from very dark to very light. ​Brindle Frenchie puppies may also have a white chest or other small areas of white. They usually have a black nose and dark colored eyes.

Black brindle Frenchies

Blue brindle Frenchies

Pied Frenchies

Pied French bulldogs’ coat color is predominantly white, with clearly marked patches of another color like black, red or blue covering parts of their head and body. The way the pattern is distributed and the proportion of the white and the other color on the coat can be quite variable from Frenchie to Frenchie, making them really unique and beautiful! Pied is considered a traditional pattern but is also quite rare at the same time.

Black pied Frenchies

Red pied Frenchies

Blue pied Frenchies

Merle Frenchies

Merle French Bulldogs are probably one of the most distinct and unique looking dogs in the Frenchie world! They have mottled patches around their bodies which can be of various colors ranging from blue, black or even lilac in rarer cases. Merle is quite a dominant gene so it is passed down easily, and if you’re thinking about breeding your Frenchie one day, it’s important to know that they should never be bred with another merle bulldog.

Since the merle gene affects the skin pigment as well, when a merle patch crosses the eye area the Frenchie will have bright forever blue eyes. Sometimes only one of the eyes will remain blue, which is a phenomenon called heterochromia. If you’re after a truly special Frenchie, a merle might be the one for you!

Black merle Frenchies

Blue merle Frenchies

Lilac merle Frenchies

Tan Frenchies

French Bulldogs with a tan pattern have a solid base color with red or beige markings on their paws, chest, bottom, cheek and eyebrows. Usually the more distinct the color difference is, the more beautiful these Frenchies look! The range of different color variations is quite broad from black, blue, lilac, chocolate, and combinations with other patterns like merle is also possible. People love these Frenchies because they are simply adorable!

Black and tan Frenchies

Blue and tan Frenchies

Lilac and tan Frenchies

Choco and tan Frenchies

Merle and tan Frenchies

Fluffy Frenchies

The demand for fluffy French Bulldogs has largely increased during recent years (as we explained in this article by the New York Post). The long hair gene responsible for their amazing furry look is also known as the Fibroblast growth factor, and can be found with all the color combinations of black, blue, chocolate or lilac. Despite the huge demand, fluffy Frenchies are still very rare and we usually have only a couple of litters a year.

Frenchie colors accepted by the AKC

From all the color variations discussed above, you might be surprised that the American Kennel Club only recognizes nine standard colors (rare colors can still be registered with the AKC under a standard color). Some of them have different names than the ones mentioned, let’s see what these are:

If you’re planning on competing with your Frenchie in dog shows, you’ll need to choose a one of these official colors as all rare colors are disqualified unfortunately.

Summary

You’ve seen that there are about 30 different color variations in Frenchies. That is considered quite a large number in the canine world as not many dog breeds have such a wide range of different colors. That means that any Frenchie lover will definitely find their favorite when looking for a new puppy, but one should be aware that rare colors are always in a higher price range. Make sure to read ourUltimate French Bulldog Price Listto learn more about the factors affecting a Frenchie’s price.

FAQ

What are standard French Bulldog colors?

The standard French Bulldog colors are cream, white, brindle, fawn, and combinations of the last three.

What are rare French Bulldog colors?

Rare French Bulldog colors include solid black, blue, lilac, platinum, Isabella and chocolate together with patterns like tan, merle plus the long-haired fluffy.

What is the most expensive Frenchie color?

The most expensive Frenchies are fluffies with a price range of 6,000 USD to 12,000 USD. Usually the rarer the color of a Frenchie, the more expensive they are.

What are the most popular Frenchie colors?

Some of the most popular French Bulldog colors and patterns include brindle, fawn, blue and merle.

Which Frenchie color is your favorite? Tell us in the comments! 🙂

If you can’t get enough of our Frenchies, join our Facebook group calledTomKings Frenchie Familyto see our puppies in their forever homes!

The article is based on the expert knowledge of the TomKings Puppies team who have been breeding French Bulldogs for 10 years on their farm. All the pictures in the post belong to them and their customers, and show puppies from their breed. Check theiravailable French Bulldog puppies, or if you have any questions or comments let us know below the article.