DeMilleFrench (Belgian) Denoted a person from Hamme-Mille, a section of the municipality of Beauvechain, in the province of Walloon Brabant in Wallonia, Belgium. This surname was borne by the American filmmaker and producer Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959).
DemontignyFrench habitational name with fused preposition de "from" for someone from any of several places in various parts of France named Montigny (see Montigny).
DepardieuFrench Means "of by God", derived from French pardieu meaning "by God", originally a nickname for someone who blasphemously uttered the name of God. It could also indicate a person who came from various places in France called Part-Dieu or Pardieu, for example the Lyon-Part-Dieu Business District in the city of Lyon... [more]
DesaillyFrench Originally denoted a person who came from any of the various places in northern or eastern France called Sailly, which is possibly derived from Old French saillir, salir meaning "to spring", ultimately from Latin saliō... [more]
DesangesFrench (Rare) Means "from the angels", possibly connected to the French title of the Virgin Mary Notre Dame des Anges, meaning "Our Lady of the Angels". Bearers of this surname include Louis William Desanges (1822-1905), an English artist of French descent, and French historian Jehan Desanges (1929-).
DesaulniersFrench (Quebec) Topographic name denoting a property distinguished by a grove of alder trees, derived from Old French au(l)ne meaning "alder".
DescatoireFrench Alexandre Descatoire was a French sculptor (1874-1949)... [more]
DeschainFrench, Literature Of French origin. This is the last name of the character of the Gunslinger Roland in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series.
DeschanelFrench Derived from French eschamel meaning "stepladder" or des chanels meaning "from the channels, from the little jugs". An occupational nickname for a trader, it supposedly originated in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France... [more]
DeschenesFrench "Chenes" is French for "oak tree". In French, "Des" means more than one. "Des"+ "Chenes"= Deschenes meaning "Many oak trees."
DeslauriersFrench (Quebec) A topographic name for someone living among laurels, a combination of the fused preposition and plural definite article des ‘from the’ + the plural of Old French lorier ‘laurel’.
DesmaraisFrench Habitational name for someone from any of various places named with Old French mareis, maresc ‘marsh’, as for example Les Marets, in Seine-et-Marne, Centre, Nord, and Picardy.
Des RochesFrench Either a topographic name for someone living among rocks or a habitational name from any of several places named with this word, meaning "from the rocks" in French.
DesrouleauxFrench, Haitian Creole Means "of the scrolls" in French. It is a occupational name for a scribe, a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing... [more]
DesruisseauxFrench, French (Quebec) Topographic name for someone who lived in an area characterized by streams, from the fused preposition and plural definite article des meaning "from the" and ruisseaux (plural of ruisseau) meaning "stream".
d'EstaingFrench Derived from Estaing, a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. A famous bearer was the French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (1926-2020).
De TalleyrandFrench A French noble surname. A cadet branch of the family of sovereign counts of Périgord, they took their name from the estate of Périgord owned by these counts, and date back to Boso I, count of la Marche... [more]
DevallFrench, English Devall (also DeVall) is a surname of Norman origin with both English and French ties.Its meaning is derived from French the town of Deville, Ardennes. It was first recorded in England in the Domesday Book.In France, the surname is derived from 'de Val' meaning 'of the valley.'
De VignerotFrench, French (Belgian) The surname Vignerot was first found in Belgium, where the name became noted for its many branches in the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region... [more]
DevoreFrench French: variant of De Var, a habitational name for someone from a place named Var, for example in Charente. Respelling of French Devors, a habitational name, with the preposition de, for someone from Vors in Aveyron.
DieuFrench, Walloon From French dieu "god" given as a nickname for someone who played Christ in medieval mysteries or for a presumptious or an overly religious person, or from a short for of the given name Dieudonné.
DieulafoyFrench From Old French Dieu la foy meaning "God the faith". Famous bearers were the married couple of French archeologists Marcel Dieulafoy (1844-1920) and Jane Dieulafoy (1951-1916). A medical condition of the stomach causing gastric bleeding called "Dieulafoy's lesion" was named after Dr... [more]
DigginsNorman Diggins came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066; from the Norman baptismal name which means the son of Diccon, a diminution of the parent name, Richard.
DigneFrench From French digne "dignified, worthy" perhaps a nickname for a hardworking person.
DionFrench Meaning uncertain. It may be a habitational name from any of various locations called Dion or Dionne, derived from the Gaulish element divon- meaning "(sacred) spring" or Celtic dēwos meaning "god, deity"... [more]
DisharoonFrench (Americanized) Americanized form of an unidentified French name, possibly de Charente. This name was established in MD by the end of the 17th century.
D'orivalFrench Variant form of D'oreval. This is also one of the very few forms (of what is ultimately the D'aurevalle surname) that is still in use nowadays.
DouxFrench From French meaning "sweet". Probably a nickname for someone who's gentle and kind-hearted.
DozierFrench Meaning "lives near willow trees" or possibly someone who made goods, such as baskets, from willow wood.
DragonFrench, English Nickname or occupational name for someone who carried a standard in battle or else in a pageant or procession, from Middle English, Old French dragon "snake, monster" (Latin draco, genitive draconis, from Greek drakōn, ultimately from derkesthai "to flash")... [more]
DragooAmerican, French (Huguenot) Americanized form of Dragaud, a French (Huguenot) surname derived from the Germanic given name Dragwald, itself derived from the elements drag- meaning "to carry" and wald "power, rule".
DreikFrench Derived from the Old Norse given name Draki or the Old English given name Draca both meaning "dragon".
DrewittEnglish, French English (Wiltshire Berkshire and Surrey): of Norman origin from the Old French personal name Druet a diminutive of Drue Dreu (from ancient Germanic Drogo); see Drew Alternatively the name may be from a diminutive of Old French dru ‘lover’
DrouillardFrench Probably a derogatory nickname, from a derivative of the regional term drouiller "to defecate", which also has various figurative senses.
DruryEnglish, French, Irish Originally a Norman French nickname, derived from druerie "love, friendship" (itself a derivative of dru "lover, favourite, friend" - originally an adjective, apparently from a Gaulish word meaning "strong, vigourous, lively", but influenced by the sense of the Old High German element trut, drut "dear, beloved").... [more]
Du AiméFrench The Duaime surname comes from an Old French word "hamel," which meant "homestead." It was likely first used as a name to describe someone who lived at a farm on the outskirts of a main town, or for someone that lived in a small village.
DubreuilFrench Topographic name derived from Old French breuil meaning "marshy woodland" (also derived from Late Latin brogilum, of Gaulish origin). In French the term later came to mean "enclosed woodland" and then "cleared woodland", and both these senses may also be reflected in the surname.
DubuissonFrench A topographic name for someone who lived in an area of scrub land or by a prominent clump of bushes, derived from Old French buisson meaning "small tree, bush, scrub".
DucasseFrench French: topographic name for someone who lived by an oak tree, from Old French casse ‘oak (tree)’ (Late Latin cassanos, a word of Celtic origin), with the fused preposition and article du ‘from the’... [more]
DucheminFrench Either a topographic name with fused preposition and definite article du "from the" for someone who lived beside a path from chemin "path way" (from Late Latin caminus a word of Gaulish origin); or a habitational name for someone from Le Chemin the name of several places in various parts of France.
DuchêneFrench Means "from the oak (tree)" in French, used to denote a person who lived near an oak tree or an oak forest.
DuclosFrench du 'from the' from Old French clos 'enclosure' (see Clos ) or a habitational name for someone from Le Clos the name of several places in various parts of France so it means "from the enclosure"
DufauFrench The name DUFAU come from two French words DU which means « of the » and FAU which is old French for a beech tree. Surnames in France were given later so the person with this name meant he/she had a beech tree in his property... [more]
DufaultFrench Alternate spelling of Dufau, meaning "of the beech tree."
DufresneFrench Topographic name for someone who lived near a prominent ash tree from Old French fraisnefresne "ash" from Latin fraxinus "ash".
DuhamelFrench Topographic name for someone who lived in a hamlet, from Old French hamel, a diminutive of ham "homestead", with fused preposition and definite article du.
DulinFrench The surname Dulin is most common in France and is an occupational name meaning "from flax". Pronounced "du LIN" in English; however, in French it is pronounced "du LON". Anglicized in some cases as Duling, Dowling, or Dulong (a more common French surname brought to England, Ireland and Scotland from French Normans and later Huguenots).
DumoulinFrench, Walloon Variant with fused preposition and definite article du "from the" of Moulin meaning "from the mill" and This surname is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium and in the Netherlands.
DupainFrench Means "of the bread" in French, probably used as an occupational name for a baker.
DupinFrench Means "of the pine tree" in French, referring to a person who lived near a pine tree or was from any of various locations named Le Pin.
DuplainFrench topographic name from Old French plain an adjective meaning "flat" and a noun meaning "plain" with fused preposition and definite article du "from the".
du PlessisAfrikaans, French Creole, French (Cajun), French (Huguenot) French topographic name for someone who lived by a quickset fence, Old French pleis (from Latin plexum past participle of plectere ‘plait’, ‘weave’), with fused preposition and definite article du ‘from the’... [more]
DuvernayFrench Means "from the alder grove," from Gaulish vern meaning "alder" combined with Latin -etum, whence Modern French -aie, forming names of orchards or places where trees/plants are grown)... [more]
DuvillardFrench French surname, pronounced /dyvilaʁ/, whose bearers mainly live in Haute-Savoie. It means "from Le Villard", a village in the Rhône-Alpes region, whose name comes from the Latin 'villare' which means 'hamlet'... [more]
EmbiidFrench (African) Meaning unknown. A famous bearer is Philadelphia 76ers player Joel Embiid. (1994-)
EmeryEnglish, French, Norman English and French from a Germanic personal name, Emaurri, composed of the elements amja ‘busy’, ‘industrious’ + ric ‘power’... [more]
EngelbertGerman, English, French From a Germanic personal name composed of engel (see Engel) + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’. The widespread popularity of the name in France during the Middle Ages was largely a result of the fact that it had been borne by a son-in-law of Charlemagne; in the Rhineland it was more often given in memory of a bishop of Cologne (1216–25) of this name, who was martyred.
ErmanGerman (Modern), French (Modern) Erman is a shortened French adaption of the Swiss-German surname Ermendinger, itself derived from the older surname Ermatinger, a name connected to the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance, and came into existence during the early or middle 18th century when Jean-Georges Ermendinger (1710-1767), a Swiss fur trader from Geneva, married into a French speaking Huguenotte family... [more]
FafardFrench Possibly derived from the french 'fard' meaning 'made-up' or 'make-up'. This is in a theatrical sense and does not imply lying. Very possibly a derivation form a theatrical occupation
FargeFrench Reduced or Americanized form of La Farge/Lafarge.
FarragutBreton, French, Catalan, American A Breton-French surname of unknown origin. A notable bearer was American naval flag officer David Farragut (1801-1870), who is known for serving during the American Civil War. His father was of Catalan ancestry... [more]
FerrandFrench, English This French surname can be derived from a given name (thus making it a patronymic surname) as well as from a nickname (thus making it a descriptive surname). In the case of a patronymic surname, the surname is derived from the medieval French masculine given name Ferrand, which was a variant form of the name Fernand, itself a contraction of Ferdinand.... [more]
FerrandinFrench (Rare) This French surname can be derived from a given name (thus making it a patronymic surname) as well as from the name of a profession (thus making it an occupational surname). In the case of a patronymic surname, the surname is derived from the masculine given name Ferrandin, which was a diminutive of the medieval French given name Ferrand... [more]
FeuilleFrench This is actually a standard word in French, correctly pronounce like "furry" without the r's. It means "leaf", or "sheet" (i.e. feuille de papier).
FiguierFrench (Rare) From French figuier meaning "fig tree" (ultimately from Latin ficus; a cognate of Figueroa), possibly indicating a person who lived near a fig tree or one who owned a plantation of fig trees.
FillionFrench, French (Quebec) Probably a diminutive of fils or fille, respectively "son" and "daughter". May have alluded to the bearer being the youngest amongst siblings.
FilsFrench From fils "son", used to identify the younger of two bearers of the same personal name in a family.
FirmanEnglish, French From a medieval personal name meaning "firm, resolute, strong man." Borne by early saints and bishops. First name variants Firman and Firmin... [more]
FlamelFrench Meaning unknown. Proposals include french flamme meaning "flame" or a description of origin, such as "Flemish", or the French term for the same word, Flamand.... [more]
FlavignyFrench French form of Flavinius. The Flavigny Abbey, in the French region of Burgundy, became famous because of the candies made by its Benedictine monks, called the anise of Flavigny... [more]
FleuryFrench, English Either a habitational name from Fleury the name of several places in various parts of France which get their names from the Gallo-Roman personal name Florus (from Latin florus "blooming flowering") and the locative suffix -acum or from the given name Fleury.