'French-speaker' originates from English, combining the adjective 'French' (from Old French 'franceis', originally meaning 'of the Franks' or 'from France') and the noun 'speaker', which ultimately comes from Old English 'sprecan' meaning 'to speak'.

'speaker' changed from Old English words such as 'speca'/'sprecan' and became the Middle English 'speker' before developing into the modern English 'speaker'. 'French' derives via Old French 'franceis' from the name of the Franks and the region 'France', becoming modern 'French'.

Initially, 'speaker' meant 'one who speaks' and 'French' referred to the people/language of France; combined, the phrase retained its literal sense and now specifically denotes 'people who speak French'.