BEAUCHÊNEFrenchFrom French place names derived from
beau "beautiful" and
chêne "oak".
BEAUFORTFrenchFrom various French place names derived from
beau "beautiful" and
fort "strong place, fortress".
BEAULIEUFrenchFrom various French place names derived from
beau "beautiful" and
lieu "place".
BLANCFrenchMeans "white" in French. The name referred to a person who was pale, or whose hair was blond.
BOIVINFrenchNickname for a wine drinker, from Old French
boi "to drink" and
vin "wine".
BONFILSFrenchDerived from Old French
bon fils meaning "good son".
BONHEURFrenchFrom Old French
bonne heure meaning "good time", or "lucky".
BORDEFrenchFrom Frankish
bord meaning "board, plank". This name belonged to a person who lived in a house made of planks.
BRISBOISFrenchReferred to a person who cleared land, from Old French
briser "to cut" and
bois "forest".
BUREAUFrenchFrom Old French
burel, diminutive of
bure, a type of woolen cloth. It may have originated as a nickname for a person who dressed in the material or as an occupational name for someone who worked with it.
CHAPUTFrenchFrom a diminutive of the Old French word
chape meaning "cloak, hood". The name referred to a person who made, sold or often wore cloaks.
CHARBONNEAUFrenchDerived from a diminutive form of French
charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
CHARRONFrenchMeant "cart" in Old French, used to denote a carter or a cartwright.
CHASTAINFrenchFrom Old French
castan "chestnut tree" (Latin
castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair.
CHEVALIERFrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
chevalier meaning "knight", itself from
cheval meaning "horse", ultimately from Latin
caballus.
CHEVROLETFrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning "goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
CLOUTIERFrenchDerived from French
clou meaning "nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.
COMTOISFrenchIndicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".
D'ARAMITZFrenchOriginally denoted one who came from Aramits, a the name of a town in the French Pyrenees which is possibly derived from Basque
haran meaning "valley".
DEGARMOFrenchAmericanized form of French
de Garmeaux, which may derive from a place called Garmeaux in Normandy.
DELACROIXFrenchMeans "of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.
DESROSIERSFrenchMeans "from the rose bushes", from French
rosier "rose bush". It probably referred to a person who lived close to, or cared for a rose garden.
DROITFrenchMeans "right, straight" in French, a nickname for an upright person.
DUBOISFrenchMeans "from the forest", from French
bois "forest".
DUFORTFrenchMeans "from the fort", from French
fort "stronghold".
DUFOURFrenchOccupational name for a baker, from French
four "oven".
DUMONTFrenchMeans "from the mountain", from French
mont "mountain".
DUPONTFrenchMeans "from the bridge", from French
pont "bridge".
DURANDFrench, EnglishFrom Old French
durant meaning "enduring", ultimately from Latin
durans. This was a nickname for a stubborn person.
FAUCHERFrenchOccupational name meaning "mower" in French, ultimately from Latin
falx meaning "sickle, scythe".
FAVAGERFrenchPossibly indicated a person from the town of Faverges in eastern France, derived from Old French
faverge meaning "forge".
FAYFrench, EnglishReferred to a person who came from various places named Fay or Faye in northern France, derived from Old French
fau "beech tree", from Latin
fagus.
FÈVREFrenchOccupational name derived from Latin
faber "blacksmith".
FONTAINEFrenchDerived from Old French
fontane meaning "well, fountain", a derivative of Latin
fons.
FORESTEnglish, FrenchOriginally belonged to a person who lived near or in a forest. It was probably originally derived, via Old French
forest, from Latin
forestam (silva) meaning "outer (wood)".
FORTIERFrenchDerived from Old French
fort "stronghold", indicating a person who lived near or worked at such a place.
FOURNIERFrenchOccupational name for a baker, from French
fourneau meaning "oven".
GAGEFrench, EnglishOccupational name derived either from Old French
jauge "measure" (a name for an assayer) or
gage "pledge, payment" (a name for a moneylender). Both words were ultimately of Frankish origin.
GAGNEUXFrenchDerived from Old French
gagnier meaning "to farm, to cultivate".
GAGNONFrenchDerived from old French
gagnon "guard dog". The name most likely originated as a nickname for an aggressive or cruel person.
GRANGEREnglish, FrenchMeans "farm bailiff" from Old French
grangier, ultimately from Latin
granum meaning "grain". It is borne in the Harry Potter novels by Harry's friend Hermione Granger.
GROSFrenchMeans "thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin
grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.
HARDYEnglish, FrenchFrom Old French and Middle English
hardi meaning "bold, daring", of Germanic origin.
JOUBERTFrenchFrom a given name derived from the Germanic elements
gaut (see
JOCELYN) and
beraht "bright".
LACHAPELLEFrenchMeans "the chapel" in French. It was most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.
LAMARFrench, EnglishOriginally from a place name in Normandy, which was derived from Old French
la mare meaning "the pool".
LANE (2)FrenchDerived from a French word meaning "wool", designating one who worked in the wool trade.
LAPOINTEFrenchMeans "point of a lance" in French. The name was originally a nickname for a soldier.
LAVIGNEFrenchMeans "the vineyard" in French. The name referred to a person who lived close to a vineyard, or was from the town of Lavigny.
LAVOIEFrenchDerived from French
voie "road". The name started as a nickname for someone who lived close to a road.
LEBEAUFrenchMeans "the handsome one" from French
le "the" and
beau "beautiful, handsome".
LEBLANCFrenchMeans "the white", from French
blanc "white". The name referred to a person who was pale or whose hair was blond.
LÉCUYERFrenchLiterally means "the shield-bearer" in French. The name was used to denote an esquire (a person of the nobility one rank below a knight).
LEFEBVREFrenchVariant of
LEFÈVRE, the spelling most likely influenced by the Latin word
faber "craftsman".
LEFURGEYFrenchFrom French
forger meaning "to forge". This was an occupational last name taken by blacksmiths, equivalent to the English
Smith.
LEMAIREFrenchMeans "the mayor" in French. It was a title given to a town official, or else a nickname for someone who was pompous and officious.
LÉMIEUXFrenchDerived from the place name
Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.
LEROYFrenchMeans "the king" in French. It referred to one connected in some way with a king's household or one who played the part of a king in a pageant or a play.
LÉVESQUEFrenchDerived from French
évêque meaning "bishop", ultimately derived from Greek
episkopos "overseer".
LINVILLEFrenchRefers to one who came from Linivilla, meaning "Lennius's estate", now Ninville, in France.
LYON (1)English, FrenchHabitational name from either the Lyon in southern central France, or Lyons-la-Forêt in Eure, Normandy.
MARCHANDEnglish, FrenchOccupational surname meaning "merchant", ultimately from Latin
mercari "to trade".
MARTEL (2)French, EnglishNickname for a smith, derived from old French
martel "hammer", ultimately from Latin
martellus.
MONETFrenchDerived from either of the given names
HAMON or
EDMOND. A famous bearer was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).
NOELFrench, EnglishEither from the given name
NOËL, or else derived directly from Old French
noel "Christmas" and given to a person who had a particular connection with the holiday.
PAGEEnglish, FrenchOccupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek
παιδιον (paidion) meaning "little boy".
PATERNOSTEREnglish, French, German, ItalianOccupational name for a maker of rosaries, also called paternosters. They are derived from the Latin phrase
pater noster "our Father", the opening words of the Lord's Prayer.
PETITCatalan, English, FrenchMeans "small, little" derived from Old French
petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.
PLAMONDONFrenchDerived from a diminutive of French
plamont "a flat-topped mountain". The name probably referred to someone who lived close to a flat-topped mountain.
PLOURDEFrenchProbably derived from old French
palorde, a type of a shellfish.
POIRIERFrenchMeans "pear tree" in French. The name was originally a nickname for someone who lived close to a pear tree.
POULINFrenchDerived from Old French
poule "chicken". The name was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.
RAYNEEnglish, FrenchDerived from a Germanic name which was short for longer names beginning with the element
ragin meaning "advice, counsel".
REY (1)English, Spanish, French, CatalanMeans "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin
rex (genitive
regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.
RICHELIEUFrenchFrom the name of the town of Richelieu, derived from French
riche "wealthy" and
lieu "place". The historic figure Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), born Armand du Plessis, was so-called because he became the first Duke of Richelieu. He appears in Alexander Dumas' novel 'The Three Musketeers' (1844).
ROSE (1)English, French, German, JewishMeans "rose" from Middle English, Old French and Middle High German
rose, all from Latin
rosa. All denote a person of a rosy complexion or a person who lived in an area abundant with roses. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental, from Yiddish
רויז (roiz).
ROUSSEAUFrenchDiminutive of
ROUX. A famous bearer was the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) whose ideas influenced the French Revolution.
ROUXFrenchDerived from Old French
ros meaning "red", from Latin
russus, a nickname for a red-haired person.
ROYERFrenchFrom French
roue meaning "wheel", ultimately from Latin
rota, an occupational name for a wheelwright.
SAUVETERREFrenchFrom the name of various towns in France, derived from French
sauve "safe" and
terre "land".
SAVATIERFrenchFrom Old French
savatier "shoemaker", derived from
savate "shoe", of uncertain ultimate origin.
SEGAL (2)FrenchOccupational name for a grower or seller of rye, from Old French, from Latin
secale "rye".
SERGEANTEnglish, FrenchOccupational name derived from Old French
sergent meaning "servant", ultimately from Latin
servire "to serve".
SOUCYFrenchOriginally denoted someone from French towns by this name in Aisne or Yonne, both derived from the Latin name
Suciacum.
TASSEFrenchFrom Old French
tasse "purse, bag", an occupational name for a maker or seller of purses.
TRAVERSEnglish, FrenchFrom an English and French place name that described a person who lived near a bridge or ford, or occasionally as an occupational name for the collector of tolls at such a location. The place name is derived from Old French
traverser (which comes from Late Latin
transversare), which means "to cross".