French Submitted Surnames

French names are used in France and other French-speaking regions. See also about French names.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
About French
It is a french surname that comes from the french word 'about', meaning "an extremity of a metallic or wooden element or piece." This surname is notably born by the French novelist Edmond François Valentin About... [more]
Abreo French, Italian
Abreo or its variant Abreu comes from the French Alfred (alf = Elf; fred = conseil). The meaning is wise counselor.... [more]
Ace English, Norman, Medieval French
The surname Ace's origin is from a Norman and Old French personal name, Ace, Asse, from Germanic Frankish origin Azzo, Atso, a pet form of personal names containing adal ‘noble’ as a first element.
Achard French, South American
From the given name Achard.
Achille French, Italian
From the given name Achille
Agagnier French
Meaning "Winner" from the french word "gagner" ... [more]
Agar Greek, Italian, French
From the personal name Agar
Agreste French
French cognate of Agresta. This is also the French word for the grayling butterfly, Hipparchia semele.
Aimé Haitian Creole, French (African)
Means "loved, love" in French.
Alarie French (Quebec)
Derived from the Visigothic given name Alaric. This form was established in Quebec from 1681.
Albertin French
French form of Albertini.
Albinet French
Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Albinet, which was a diminutive (as the -et suffix indicates) of the given name Albin.... [more]
Alexandre French, Portuguese
From the given name Alexandre.
Alexis German, French, English, Greek
From the given name Alexis.
Alix French
Derived from the given name Alix.
Allaire Medieval French, French (Quebec), French (Huguenot)
Allaire is the name of a village in Northwestern France(Brittany) near Vannes. The name may have Breton origins. At least two separate branches of the family came to the New World in the 17th Century... [more]
Alleman French (Cajun), Spanish (Canarian), German
From the French and Spanish word for "German". Believed to have originated in the Alsace-Lorraine region. Some holders of the name migrated to the Canary Islands and are part of the larger Isleños population that settled throughout the Americas... [more]
Allemand French
Means "Germany" in French.
Alley English, French (Anglicized)
From a Middle English personal name, Alli, Alleye, as forms such as Johannes filius Alli (Norfolk, 1205) make clear... [more]
Allor French (Quebec)
Common Canadian spelling of the French surname Allard, reflecting the French pronunciation.
Alyea French (Huguenot)
From D'Ailly. It can be traced back to France in 1400's. The family with this last name came over to the United States, mainly on the East Coast in the 16th century as huguenot refugees.
Amarante French
From the given name Amarante
Amaury French
From the given name Amaury... [more]
Amelin Russian, French
Russian feminine counterpart is Amelina (Амелинa)
Amory English, Norman
English from a Germanic personal name, Aimeri, composed of the elements haim ‘home’ + ric ‘power’... [more]
Amy French
From the given name Amé or Aimé.
Andrieux French
From the given name André.
Andrin French
From the given name André.
Anouilh French
From Catalan anull, meaning "slow worm". It is originally a nickname given to a spineless and slow person. The French author Jean Anouilh is a famous bearer of this surname.
Anselme French
From the given name Anselme.
Antoine French
From the given name Antoine.
Arabie French
Ethnic name denoting someone from Arabia or an Arabic-speaking person.
Aragon Spanish, Catalan, French
A surname and an autonomous community of Spain.
Arbour French (Quebec)
Variant of Harbour or possibly a variant of Harbaud or Herbert.
Archeambeau French
The name Archambeau is derived from the Latin personal name 'Arcambaldus'. In turn the name 'Arcambaldus', is derived from the Germanic word 'Ercan', which means precious in Germanic, and 'bald', meaning bold and daring.... [more]
Aries English, French
The name means either a person who worked in a fashion of the "Arras" cloth, as in the quotation "one bede Coveringe of Aries" (1562), or someone who was a former inhabitant of Arras in France, or Arras in Yorkshire; the latter being a particularly popular source of the name.
Armand Pilon French
Armand is the original surname, and it is a French modification from a German surname. The original being Hartmann, that spelled by a francophone becomes Armand.... [more]
Armuier French
French for "armorer."
Arouet French
A famous bearer was French philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778), whose birth name was François-Marie Arouet.
Arquette French
From arquet meaning "little bow" or "little arch" (diminutive of arche, from Latin arcus). It was originally an occupational name for an archer, but the French word arquet(te) is also found in the sense 'market trader' (originally, perhaps, one with a stall underneath an arch)... [more]
Arsenault French (Acadian)
From French arsenal meaning "workshop". This is the occupational surname for someone who worked at an arsenal.
Auberjonois French
A French last name meaning "armourer". Actor René Murat Auberjonois is a notable bearer.
Aubin French
From the French given name Aubin.
Aubine French (Rare)
Derived from the medieval French feminine given name Aubine, which was the French form of Albina. But in other words, you could also say that Aubine was the feminine form of Aubin.
Aubinet French (Rare)
Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Aubinet, which was a diminutive (as the -et suffix indicates) of the given name Aubin.... [more]
Aubuchon French (Modern, ?)
The Aubuchon name is French, but of uncertain origin. It is probably from the patronymic prefix au + buchon, a dialect term for a woodcutter (Standard French bûcheron).
Aubut French
The surname "Aubut" is Old French and was first found in the Burgundy region of France. It is derived from the Germanic name "Alberic" which is from the Latin name "Albericus."
Auclair French
Patronymic from the personal name Clair or the nickname Leclair (‘the cheerful one’): (fils) à Leclair ‘(son) of Leclair’. It has also absorbed cases of Auclerc (from LeClerc).
Aucoin French (Cajun)
From French *au coin* meaning “at the corner”, referring to someone who lived at the corner of a block or town.
Audelin French
Variant of Odelin, which is not to be confused with Odelín as it is Spanish while the other one is French, though they could have similar origins in name.
Audet French
Southern French nickname from Gascon dialect audet "bird", variant of standard Occitan ausèl (modern French oiseau).
Audrin French
Derived from the Breton given name Aodren.
Audy French
Occitan form of Audin.
Auger French
From the given name Auger.
Auguste French
From the first name Auguste 1.
Auric French
Meaning unknown. Georges Auric (15 February 1899 – 23 July 1983) was a French composer, considered one of Les Six, a group of artists informally associated with Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie.
Auriol Occitan, French
Possibly derived from Occitan oriol, meaning "oriole". Alternatively, it may be derived from the given name Aurelius.
Autry English, French
A habitational name from any of the places in France named Autrey or Autry. French: from the Old French personal name Audry, from Germanic Aldric ‘ancient power’.
Aveline French
Derived from the medieval given name Aveline or Avelin.
Aven Scandinavian, English, German, Dutch, French (Anglicized)
Scandinavian: unexplained.... [more]
Avril French
Derived from French avril meaning "April", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.
Ayotte French
It means 'small hedge' or 'small woody plot of land' in Old French.
Babel French
Either (i) from the medieval French personal name Babel, apparently adopted from that of St Babylas, a 3rd-century Christian patriarch of Antioch, the origins of which are uncertain; or (ii) an invented Jewish name based on German or Polish Babel "Babylon".
Bacon English, French, Norman
An occupational surname for someone who sold pork, from Middle English and Old French bacun or bacon, meaning 'bacon', which is ultimately of Germanic origin. Can also be derived from the Germanic given names Baco, Bacco, or Bahho, from the root bag-, meaning 'to fight'... [more]
Bacot French
Derived from the root bac-, which is of unknown meaning.
Bail French, Walloon
Nickname from Old French bail for "governor, regent, bailiff".
Bailly French, English
French cognate of Bailey, as well as an English variant; derived from Old French baillif "bailiff" (from Latin baiulus).
Bain Scottish, French, English
Nickname for a hospitable person from northern Middle English beyn, bayn meaning "welcoming", "friendly".... [more]
Ballou Haitian Creole, French (Caribbean), French
The Ballou name comes from that Medieval landscape of northwestern France known as Brittany. The name Ballou was originally derived from the family having lived in Brittany, where this distinguished family was established from ancient times... [more]
Ballut French
Derived from Old Occitan baluter, cognate of French bluter (via Middle French beluter), meaning "to sift, to sieve, especially the flour from the bran", this name used to denote a miller.
Balzak French
Variant of Balzac.
Banville French, English, Irish
From a place in france derived from the Germanic name Bada and French ville "village, town".
Barbe French
Nickname for someone with a beard, Old French barbe (Latin barba).
Barbe French
From the given name Barbe.
Barbeau French
Derived from barbeau meaning "barbel", a type of fish, hence a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or a nickname for a man with a sparse beard, the fish being distinguished by beardlike growths on either side of its mouth... [more]
Barbin French
Diminutive of Barbe.
Barbon French (Quebec)
Derived from the nickname barbon meaning "old codger" as well as referring to a "confirmed bachelor".
Bareilles French, Occitan
Derived from the place name Bareilles, a village in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitania region of France. A famous bearer is the American musician and actress Sara Bareilles (1979-).
Baril French
During the middle ages, when people were named after their given job, Baril was what winemakers and brewers were named. Baril simply means "Barrel" or "Keg"
Barnette English, French (?)
Variant of Bernet and perhaps also a variant of English Barnett, under French influence.
Barno Italian, Ukrainian, French, Ancient Aramaic, Russian
The surname Barno was first found in the north of Italy, especially in Tuscany. The name occasionally appears in the south, usually in forms which end in "o," but the northern forms ending in "i" are much more common... [more]
Baron English, French
From a title of nobility derived from Old French baron of uncertain origin and meaning, possibly from Frankish barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or for a peasant with ideas above their station.
Barreau French
Possibly a variant of Barreur, an agent derivative of barrer ‘to bar’, ‘to close or block off’, hence possibly an occupational name for a jailer or doorkeeper.
Barriere French
Occupational name for a gatekeeper, from Old French barier.
Barrineau French
The history of the Barrineau family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northern France, to that coastal region known as Normandy. Barrineau is a habitation name, derived from the place name Barrault, in Normandy.... [more]
Barthélémy French
From the given name Barthélémy.
Bascöurt French
The Bascourt or Bascur surname is from France, from that place dates the beginning of the surname, however the French of previous centuries had no records of that surname. ... [more]
Bastiat French
Meaning of this name is unknown. Possibly derived from Sebastian The surname Bastiat was first found in Poitou, where this family held a family seat since ancient times.
Bastien French
From the given name Bastien.
Bataille French
nickname for a bellicose man from bataille "battle" (from Latin battualia) or a habitational name from (La) Bataille the name of several places in France all named as the site of a battle in former times.
Baud French
Derived from the given name Baldo.
Baudelaire French
A French surname, coming from the word "baudelaire", which is a short, broad, and curved sword used in heraldry.
Baudoin French
From the given name Baudoin.
Baudouin French
From the given name Baudouin.
Baudric French (Rare)
Derived from the medieval French given name Baudric, which was a variant form of Baldéric, the French form of Baldric.
Baudry French
Derived from the medieval French given name Baudry, which was a variant form of Baudric, a given name that itself was a variant form of Baldéric (see Baldric)... [more]
Bault French
Variant of Baud.
Bay English, French, Dutch
Derived from Middle English and Old French bay, bai and Middle Dutch bay, all meaning "reddish brown". It was originally a nickname for someone with a hair color similar to that.
Bayle French
Occupational name for a Bailiff from Old French Bailli "bailiff" (from Latin baiulus).
Beauchamp English, French
From the name of various places in France, for example in Manche and Somme, which was derived from Old French beu, bel meaning "fair, lovely" and champ, champs "field, plain".
Beaufay French (Rare)
In most cases, this surname is a locational surname that most likely took its name from the village of Beaufay, which is nowadays located in the Sarthe department of France. The village was called Bello Faeto, Bellofaido and Belfaidus during the Early Middle Ages, ultimately deriving its name from Latin bellus fagus (or bellum fagetum) meaning "beautiful beech tree(s)" or "beautiful beech woodland"... [more]
Beaufoy French (Anglicized, Rare), English (Rare)
Anglicized form of Beaufay. Known bearers of this surname include the English astronomer and physicist Mark Beaufoy (1764-1827) and the British screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (b... [more]
Beaune French
Refers to Beaune, France.... [more]
Beauregard French
Habitational name from any of various places in France named Beauregard for their fine view or fine aspect, for example in Ain, Dordogne, Drôme, Lot, and Puy-de-Dôme, from beau "fair, lovely" and regard "aspect, outlook".
Beauregarde French
Variant of Beauregard used by one of the main characters in Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as well as its film and broadway adaptations.
Beauséjour French (Rare)
Literally means "beautiful sojourn", derived from French beau "beautiful, nice, fine" and French séjour "sojourn, short stay". As such, this surname is most likely a locational surname, in that it originally referred to a scenic place to sojourn in... [more]
Beausire French
French form of Bowser.
Beauvais French
From French place names derived from "beautiful sight".
Becquerel French
A notable bearer was French scientist Henri Becquerel (1852-1908) who discovered radioactivity. A becquerel (Bq), the SI unit for radioactivity, is named after him.
Bégon French
Probably from French béguin "(male) Beguin", referring to a member of a particular religious order active in the 13th century, and derived from the surname of Lambert le Bègue, the mid-12th-century priest responsible for starting it... [more]
Bègue French
Means "stutterer, stammerer" in French, used as a nickname for someone with a stutter.
Béguin French
Nickname from beguin, a member of a medieval Christian male religious community (ultimately named after a priest called Lambert le Bègue) that followed a monastic rule without making perpetual vows and was quickly considered heretic; by extension the term came to mean "sanctimonious person".
Béliveau French (Rare), French (Quebec)
Derived from Old French besliver meaning "to stagger along", originally a nickname referring to a drunkard. It could also denote a person who lived in a beautiful, lovely valley, derived from French beau "beautiful" or Old French beu, bel "fair, lovely", combined with val meaning "valley"... [more]
Belland French
Variant of Beland.
Bellegarde French
Derived from a toponym meaning "beautiful watch-tower, look-out".
Belleisle French
Name for someone from an island named Belle Isle, French for "beautiful island".
Bellet French
Comes from a derivative of bel ‘handsome’.
Bellon French (Swiss)
Derived from the given name Apollonius.
Bellut French
Variant of Ballut.
Belonger French (Quebec)
variant of French Belanger or Boulanger
Benefiel French (Modern, Rare)
Meaning: Bean field
Benware French
Americanized spelling of Benoit.
Bérard French
From the given name Bérard.
Béraud French
Derived from the given name Berwald.
Berchel French
French form of Burchell.
Bergeron French
Diminutive of French berger meaning "shepherd".
Bernadotte French, Swedish
Possibly from the name of a historical province in Southern France named Béarn. This was originally a French non-noble surname. French general Jean Baptise Bernadotte (1763-1844) became the king of Sweden as Charles XIV John (Swedish: Karl XIV Johan) in 1818 and founded the current royal house in Sweden, House of Bernadotte.
Bernal French, English, Dutch, Czech
Possibly a French, English, Dutch, and Czech version of Bernal or a variant of Bernard.
Berner English, Norman
From the Norman personal name Bernier from Old English beornan ‘to burn’, hence an occupational name for a burner of lime (compare German Kalkbrenner) or charcoal... [more]
Bernet French
From a pet form of Bernard.
Bernier French
From the personal name Bernier composed of the ancient Germanic elements bern "bear" and hari "army". Compare Barney and Barnier.
Bernoulli French
French patronymic surname that was derived from the first name Bernoul (which was probably derived from Bernold or Bernolf).
Berthiaume French
French: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’ + helm ‘helmet’.
Bertin French
From the given name Bertin a diminutive of the ancient Germanic personal name Berhto a short form of various compound names formed with berht "bright famous".
Bérubé French
Habitational name from some minor place named with Old French bel ru "beautiful stream", with the subsequent pleonastic addition of , variant of bel "beautiful".
Besson French, Provençal, Occitan
Southern French nickname from Occitan besson "twin" (from Latin bis) or from the various places (Le) Besson in southern France.
Beste French, English
Nickname from Middle English beste Old French beste "beast animal" (especially those used for food or work) applied either as a metonymic occupational name for someone who looked after beasts such as a herdsman or as a nickname for someone thought to resemble an animal... [more]
Bethencourt French, English, Portuguese (Rare)
Bettencourt and Bethencourt are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element -court (courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm) is typical of the French provinces, where the Frankish settlements formed an important part of the local population... [more]
Bettencourt French, English, Portuguese (Rare)
Bettencourt and Bethencourt are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element -court (courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm) is typical of the French provinces, where the Frankish settlements formed an important part of the local population... [more]
Bevier French (Germanized)
From Old French bevier, meaning "a measure of land". This was probably a nickname for someone who owned or worked such a piece of land. This surname was first found in Austria, where the name Bevier came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging medieval society.
Bey French, German, Frisian
North German and Frisian: from the Old Frisian personal name Beyo or Boy/Boye (see Boye).... [more]
Beyincé French, Louisiana Creole
Louisiana Creole form of Boyancé.... [more]
Bigot French
Either from Old French bigot possibly meaning "beggar" or from the Norman interjection bî got ("by God"), used as a pejorative nickname for the Normans... [more]
Billard English, German, French
From a short form of the personal name Robillard, a derivative of Robert.... [more]
Billeaud French
From a personal name composed of the Germanic elements bil "sword" (or possibly bili "gentle") + wald "ruler".
Binette French (Quebec)
Altered spelling of French Binet, a short form of Robinet, a pet form of Robert... [more]
Bissonnette French (Quebec)
North American spelling of French Bissonet, a topographic name from a diminutive of Old French buisson meaning "bush, scrub".
Bitencourt Brazilian, Portuguese (Brazilian), French (Rare), English
BITENCOURT, derives from Bittencourt, Bettencourt and Bethencourt; They are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element -court (courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm) is typical of the French provinces, where the Frankish settlements formed an important part of the local population... [more]
Bizet French
Derived from the name “Byset or Bisset”
Blacher French
Mainly used in Southern France. Topographic name for someone who lived by an oak grove, originating in the southeastern French dialect word blache ‘oak plantation’ (said to be of Gaulish origin), originally a plantation of young trees of any kind.
Blasey French
The name may have been associated with a 4th century (316) French saint Blasius of Armenie (Armienes,) and later introduced into and adopted by Yorkshire people as their saint of wool-combers from a Norman noble.
Bleau French
Roughly translated into " blue water".
Blesse English (British), Filipino, Indian, French
The last name Blesse was first discovered in Oxfordshire and held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. In the Philippines, Blesse means "a blessing in the family." In India, Blesse means "bless you."
Bleu French
"Blue."
Bloch Jewish, German, French
Regional name for someone in Central Europe originating from Italy or France, from Polish "Włoch" meaning "Italian" (originally "stranger / of foreign stock"), ultimately derived – like many names and words in various European languages – from the Germanic Walhaz.
Blond French
Nickname from old French blund blond "fair-haired" a word of ancient Germanic origin.
Blondeau French
Diminutive of Blond.