Buying a Frenchie? Check Out These Colors, from Standard Brindle to Rarest

Quick Take

• Some French bulldog colors come with hidden health risks that most buyers never think to ask about before purchasing.
• The AKC refuses to recognize many popular Frenchie colors, and some of them are ones you've almost certainly seen before.
• The rarest French bulldog color requires genetic testing just to prove it's real, and its price tag is jaw-dropping.
• Two colors look almost identical but come from completely different genetic origins, so mixing them up could be a costly mistake.

French bulldogs, also called Frenchies, are adorable little dogs that come in a bewildering array of colors and patterns. Some of these are common while others are very rare – and therefore cost a lot more money. Unfortunately, certain French bulldog colors also come with attendant health issues. What’s more, the American Kennel Club (AKC) doesn’t recognize many of them. Starting with the most common, we’ll work our way down a list of French bulldog colors and patterns until we get to the rarest of them all.

16. Brindle

Brindle is the standard French bulldog color with a distinctive “tiger stripe” pattern. These dogs feature a mixture of black, brown, tan, blue, and sometimes gold. Some puppies have white chests or other white markings. Depending on the exact shade of the base coat, brindle Frenchies can be very dark, very light, or something in between.

• Rarity: Standard
• AKC: Recognized

Brindle and White

The brindle and white Frenchie is similar to the brindle dog but with white markings. Although these white marks typically occur on their chests, they can show up anywhere on the coat. They also vary in size and shape.

• Rarity: Common
• AKC: The AKC recognizes both “brindle and white” and “white and brindle” as official French bulldog colors.

Black Brindle

The black brindle Frenchie is a less common variation of the brindle Frenchie. The base coat is black with fawn markings.

• Rarity: Fairly common
• AKC: Recognized

15. Cream

Cream Frenchies have very pale coats, typically off-white or ivory. The ears may feature lighter cream edges. The color occurs as a result of having two copies of the recessive reverse yellow/cream gene, which masks other underlying colors. These dogs generally have dark noses, lips, and eye rims.

• Rarity: Common
• AKC: Recognized

14. Fawn

The fawn variation is one of the more common French bulldog colors. The coat ranges from beige to light tan like a baby deer (fawn) to a golden or deep, reddish-tan. Fawn Frenchies typically have a black mask, but some are maskless. Below are a few similar variations.

• Rarity: Common
• AKC: Recognized

Fawn and White

Fawn and white Frenchies are similar in color to the fawn variety but they have white patches that are commonly on the chest, neck, face, or feet. They can also be a piebald pattern, which is mostly white with fawn patches. As with fawn Frenchies, the base coat ranges from light tan to reddish-tan.

• Rarity: Common
• AKC: The AKC recognizes both “fawn and white” and “white and fawn” as official French bulldog colors.

Fawn Brindle

The fawn brindle Frenchie is similar to the fawn Frenchie but with a brindle pattern. They can have light tan to reddish-tan coats overlaid with darker brown or black tiger-like stripes.

• Rarity: Common
• AKC: The AKC recognizes both “fawn brindle” and “fawn brindle and white” as official French bulldog colors.

13. Pied (Piebald)

The pied color variation is more of a pattern: a white or light base coat with differently colored markings, such as brindle, fawn, or black. Although pied Frenchies are standard, some of the variations are less common.

• Rarity: Fairly common
• AKC: Recognized

Black Pied

The black pied Frenchie has a white base coat with variable black markings.

• Rarity: Fairly common
• AKC: Recognized

Red Pied

The red pied Frenchie has a white base coat with variable red, fawn, or reddish-tan markings.

• Rarity: Fairly common
• AKC: Recognized

Blue Pied

This type of Frenchie has a white base coat with variable blue markings.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Recognized

12. Red or Red Fawn

These French bulldogs have light cinnamon to deep mahogany coats. They also typically have black masks and small white chest patches, but some may be maskless.

• Rarity: Fairly common
• AKC: Not recognized

Red Fawn

The red fawn Frenchie has a deep reddish-tan or chestnut-colored coat. These dogs generally have a black mask, although some may be maskless.

• Rarity: Fairly common
• AKC: Not recognized

11. Beige

The beige Frenchie has a more muted color than a traditional fawn Frenchie. These Frenchies’ coats range from a pale beige to a warm cream shade. These dogs may or may not have a black mask.

• Rarity: Fairly common
• AKC: Not recognized

10. Black and White

Unlike the black pied, the black and white French bulldog has a black base coat with white markings. The markings vary greatly in size and quantity, often changing as the puppy approaches maturity.

• Rarity: Fairly common
• AKC: Not recognized

9. White

People often mistake the white Frenchie for the cream or platinum varieties, but it remains its own distinct variation. Genetically, the coloration may be the result of brindle, leucism, albinism, or merle genes. Health issues are common, including skin, eye, and ear problems. An all-white French bulldog is quite unusual, but the AKC recognizes it as a standard color.

• Rarity: Unusual
• AKC: Recognized

8. Tan Point

Tan point is one of those French bulldog colors that’s actually a pattern. These Frenchies have a solid base coat with tan or fawn markings, generally above the eyes, on the cheeks, chest, lower legs, and under the tail. This color pattern requires two copies of the recessive tan points allele. Below are a few tan Frenchie variations.

• Rarity: Unusual
• AKC: Not recognized

Black and Tan

The black and tan Frenchie has a black base coat with tan or fawn markings, typically above the eyes, on the cheeks, chest, lower legs, and under the tail.

• Rarity: Unusual
• AKC: Not recognized

Blue and Tan

The blue and tan Frenchie has a slate-blue base coat with distinct tan markings above the eyes, on the cheeks, chest, lower legs, and under the tail.

• Rarity: Unusual
• AKC: Not recognized

Chocolate and Tan

The chocolate and tan Frenchie has a deep brown base color with distinct tan points above the eyes, on the cheeks, chest, lower legs, and under the tail.

• Rarity: Unusual
• AKC: Not recognized

Lilac and Tan

The lilac and tan Frenchie has a metallic sheen to its lavender-gray coat with distinct tan points above the eyes, on the cheeks, chest, lower legs, and tail.

• Rarity: Unusual
• AKC: Not recognized

Merle and Tan

The merle and tan Frenchie has the mottled merle pattern with contrasting light tan or fawn markings, typically seen above the eyes, on the cheeks, chest, lower legs, and under the tail.

• Rarity: Unusual
• AKC: Not recognized

7. Chocolate

The chocolate French bulldog has a lovely rich chocolate coat that ranges from light to dark. It may also come with tan patterns, including a brindle pattern. The gene for this color is recessive, meaning both parents need to carry it to produce chocolate offspring. Because it’s a rare variation, you can expect to pay top dollar to bring home one of these dogs.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

6. Pure Black

Pure black French bulldogs are striking but rare. They typically lack markings of any kind, though some individuals may have white chests.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

5. Platinum

The platinum Frenchie appears similar to an albino, but it has a more lustrous, often silvery, coat. It is popular among breeders because its puppies will retain the color of whichever dog it is bred with. Genetically it is a cream dog that carries two copies of the dilution gene for blue and two copies of a chocolate gene. The dominant cream coat masks the underlying chocolate pigment.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

4. Merle

The merle variation in French bulldogs is incredibly striking. These Frenchies feature a light base coat with dark dappling. One or both eyes may be blue. Dogs with one merle gene face a slightly increased risk of blindness or deafness compared to non-merle dogs. However, double merle French bulldogs can suffer from a wide range of health issues, including hearing, vision, and skin issues. For this reason, a merle Frenchie should never be bred with another merle. Below are a few common merle varieties.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

Black Merle

The black merle Frenchie has a black base coat with a mottled pattern of lighter patches. These dogs often have blue or partial-blue eyes.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

Blue Merle

The blue merle Frenchie features a mottled gray and slate-blue coat pattern with blue or multi-colored eyes. They require two copies of the recessive dilute gene to turn their black coats blue and one copy of the merle gene for the patches.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

Lilac Merle

The lilac merle Frenchie has a mottled silvery-gray and purple-tinted coat. These dogs are rare because breeding requires two copies of the recessive chocolate gene, two copies of the recessive dilute gene, and a merle gene for the patches.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

3. Blue

The blue variation is one of the rarest French bulldog colors. It ranges from light grey to bluish-grey to nearly black. Some individuals also have a white chest. The bluish tint is most visible in strong light. Unfortunately, blue variations are subject to color dilution alopecia (CDA), which causes hair loss and skin irritation due to a recessive dilution gene. Despite its rarity, it is one of the most popular Frenchie colors.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

Blue Fawn

This incredible variation of the blue Frenchie combines a bluish tint with a light fawn shade. It also features a bluish mask instead of the more typical black mask.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

Blue Brindle

The blue brindle French bulldog is a variation of both the blue and brindle types. The base coat is blue with light fawn streaks.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

2. Lilac

Lilac Frenchies are similar to blue Frenchies but are even rarer. Their coats are ashy or silvery and appear lilac in certain lights. Some individuals sport white patches and a greyish-blue or reddish-pink nose. The eyes are usually yellow, light brown, or blue. Breeders produce this unique variation by pairing blue and chocolate Frenchies (at a minimum, the chocolate gene must be present). Be wary of breeders who produce this variation purely for profit at the expense of the puppies’ health.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

Lilac Fawn

Lilac fawn Frenchies are similar to blue fawn Frenchies but are even rarer. Their fawn coats have a silvery rather than a blue sheen with an ashy mask. They also have light blue eyes with a reddish tint.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

Lilac Sable

One of the rarest French bulldog colors is lilac sable. These Frenchies are similar to the lilac fawn variety but with black fur growing all over their bodies. This tends to darken their coats.

• Rarity: Rare
• AKC: Not recognized

1. Isabella

The Isabella French bulldog is the rarest Frenchie color in the world. This means it can also be very expensive. Each Isabella Frenchie has two copies of the chocolate gene and two copies of the dilution gene. To label a Frenchie an Isabella, the breeder must conduct genetic testing to confirm that the dog carries the chocolate gene. It looks similar to the lilac Frenchie with a combination of blue and chocolate that results in a greyish-liver base coat.

• Rarity: Rarest
• AKC: Not recognized