French Surnames

Abel 1 English, French, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese
Derived from the given name Abel.

Abraham Jewish, English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch
Derived from the given name Abraham.

Adam English, French, German, Polish, Romanian, Jewish
Derived from the given name Adam.

Albert English, French, Catalan, Hungarian, Romanian, German
Derived from the given name Albert.

Allard French, English
Derived from the given name Adalhard (or the Old English cognate Æðelræd).

André French
Derived from the given name André.

Archambault French
From the archaic French given name Archambault, which is related to Archibald.

Arnaud French
From the given name Arnaud.

Arthur English, French
From the given name Arthur.

Aubert French
From the given name Aubert.

Augustin French, German
From the given name Augustin.

Babin French
From the given name Babin, a medieval diminutive of Babylas.

Babineaux French
Variant of Babin.

Barbier French
French cognate of Barber.

Barre French
French cognate of Barr.

Baudin French
From the given name Baud, French form of Baldo.

Beauchêne French
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and chêne "oak".

Beaufort French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and fort "strong place, fortress".

Beaulieu French
From various French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and lieu "place".

Beaumont French, English
From French place names derived from beau "beautiful" and mont "mountain".

Bélanger French
From the given name Bérenger.

Bellamy French, English
From Old French bel ami meaning "beautiful friend".

Bellerose French
Means "beautiful rose" in French.

Belmont French, English
French and English form of Belmonte.

Belrose French
Variant of Bellerose.

Benoit French
From the given name Benoît.

Béranger French
From the given name Bérenger.

Berger 1 French
Occupational name meaning "shepherd", from Old French bergier.

Béringer French
From the given name Bérenger.

Bernard French, English, Dutch, German, Czech, Slovene
From the given name Bernard.

Bertrand French
Derived from the given name Bertrand.

Blaise French
Derived from the given name Blaise.

Blanc French
Means "white" in French. The name referred to a person who was pale, or whose hair was blond.

Blanchard French, English
Derived from the given name Blanchard.

Blanchet French
From a diminutive of the name Blanc.

Blanchett French
Variant of Blanchet.

Boivin French
Nickname for a wine drinker, from Old French boi "to drink" and vin "wine".

Bonfils French
Derived from Old French bon fils meaning "good son".

Bonheur French
From Old French bonne heure meaning "good time" or "lucky".

Bonhomme French
Derived from Old French bon homme meaning "good man".

Bonnaire French
French form of Bonner.

Bonnay French
Variant of Bonnet.

Bonnet French
From the given name Bonitus.

Borde French
From Frankish bord meaning "board, plank". This name belonged to a person who lived in a house made of planks.

Bouchard French
From the Germanic given name Burkhard.

Boucher French
Means "butcher" in French.

Bourdillon French
Diminutive form of Borde.

Bourreau French
Variant of Bureau.

Bret French
French form of Brett.

Brisbois French
Referred to a person who cleared land, from Old French briser "to cut" and bois "forest".

Brodeur French
Means "embroiderer" in French.

Brunet French
From a diminutive of French brun meaning "brown".

Bureau French
From 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.

Calvin French (Latinized)
Latinized form of Chauvin, used to refer to the French theologian Jean Cauvin (1509-1564).

Caron French
Variant of Charron.

Carpentier French
French form of Carpenter.

Chaplin English, French
Occupational name for a chaplin, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French chapelain. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977).

Chaput French
From a diminutive of the Old French word chape meaning "cloak, hood". The name referred to a person who made, sold or often wore cloaks.

Charbonneau French
Derived from a diminutive form of French charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.

Charles French
From the given name Charles.

Charpentier French
French cognate of Carpenter, derived from Old French charpentier.

Charron French
Meant "cart" in Old French, used to denote a carter or a cartwright.

Chastain French
From 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.

Chauvin French
From a diminutive of French chauve "bald".

Chevalier French
From a nickname derived from French chevalier meaning "knight", from Late Latin caballarius "horseman", Latin caballus "horse".

Chevrolet French
From a diminutive of chèvre meaning "goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.

Christian English, French, German
Derived from the given name Christian.

Clément French
Derived from the given name Clément.

Cloutier French
Derived from French clou meaning "nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.

Colbert English, French
Derived from the given name Colobert.

Colin French
From a diminutive of given name Nicolas.

Comtois French
Indicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".

Coste French
French form of Costa.

Côté French
French form of Costa.

Courtemanche French
Means "short sleeve" in French.

Courtois French
French form of Curtis.

Cousineau French
Derived from Old French cosin meaning "cousin".

Couture French
Means "tailor" in Old French.

Daniau French
Derived from the given name Daniel.

Daniel English, French, German, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Romanian
Derived from the given name Daniel.

D'Aramitz French
Originally denoted one who came from Aramits, the name of a town in the French Pyrenees that is possibly derived from Basque haran meaning "valley".

Daviau French
From a diminutive form of David.

David English, French, German, Welsh, Czech, Portuguese, Romanian, Jewish
From the given name David.

Deforest French
Means "from the forest" in French.

DeGarmo French (Anglicized)
Americanized form of French de Garmeaux, which may derive from a place called Garmeaux in Normandy.

Delacroix French
Means "of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.

De La Fontaine French
French cognate of De la Fuente.

Deniau French
Variant of Daniel.

Deniaud French
Variant of Daniel.

Deniel French
Variant of Daniel.

Denis French
From the given name Denis.

Dennel French
Variant of Daniel.

Deschamps French
Means "from the fields", from French champ "field".

Descoteaux French
Means "from the hillside", from French coteau "hillside".

Desjardins French
Means "from the gardens", from French jardin "garden".

Desroches French
Means "from the rocks", from French roche "rock".

Desrosiers French
Means "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.

Droit French
Means "right, straight" in French, a nickname for an upright person.

Dubois French
Means "from the forest", from French bois "forest".

Duchamp French
Variant of Deschamps. A famous bearer was the French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968).

Duchamps French
Variant of Deschamps.

Dufort French
Means "from the fort", from French fort "stronghold".

Dufour French
Occupational name for a baker, from French four "oven".

Duguay French
Means "from the ford", from French gué "ford".

Dumas French
Means "from the farm", from Occitan mas "farmhouse", from Latin mansus "dwelling". A famous bearer was the French author Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870).

Dumont French
Means "from the mountain", from French mont "mountain".

Dupond French
Variant of Dupont.

Dupont French
Means "from the bridge", from French pont "bridge".

Dupuis French
Means "from the well", from Old French puts, Latin puteus "well".

Dupuy French
Means "from the hill", from Occitan puy "hill", from Latin podium "platform".

Durand French, English
From Old French durant meaning "enduring", ultimately from Latin durans. This was a nickname for a stubborn person.

Durant English, French
Variation of Durand.

Duval French
Means "from the valley" in French.

Émile French
Derived from the given name Émile.

Fabien French
Derived from the given name Fabien.

Fabre Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Fabron French
Diminutive form of Fabre.

Faucher French
Occupational name meaning "mower" in French, ultimately from Latin falx meaning "sickle, scythe".

Faucheux French
Variant of Faucher.

Faure Occitan, French
Occitan form of Fèvre.

Favager French
Possibly indicated a person from the town of Faverges in eastern France, derived from Old French faverge meaning "forge".

Favre French
Southern French variant of Fèvre.

Favreau French
Diminutive of Favre.

Fay French, English
Referred 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.

Félix French, Spanish, Portuguese
From the given name Felix.

Fèvre French
Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.

Firmin English, French
From the given name Firmin.

Fontaine French
Derived from Old French fontane meaning "well, fountain", a derivative of Latin fons.

Forest English, French
Originally 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)".

Forestier French
French cognate of Forester.

Fortier French
Derived from Old French fort "stronghold", indicating a person who lived near or worked at such a place.

Fosse English, French
Derived from Old French fosse "ditch".

Fournier French
Occupational name for a baker, from French fourneau meaning "oven".

François French
Derived from the given name François.

Gage French, English
Occupational 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.

Gagne French
Variant of Gagneux. This surname is especially common in Quebec.

Gagneux French
Derived from Old French gagnier meaning "to farm, to cultivate".

Gagnier French
Variant of Gagneux.

Gagnon French
Derived from old French gagnon "guard dog". The name most likely originated as a nickname for an aggressive or cruel person.

Garçon French
Means "boy" in French, referring to a servant.

Gardinier French
French form of Gardener.

Garnier 1 French
From the given name Garnier.

Gaspard French
From the given name Gaspard.

Gauthier French
Derived from the given name Gauthier.

Gautier French
From the given name Gautier.

Gérard French
From the given name Gérard.

Germain French
From the French given name Germain.

Géroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Gilbert English, French
Derived from the given name Gilbert.

Girard French
From the given name Gérard.

Giraud French
From the given name Gérald.

Giroux French
Derived from the Germanic name Gerulf.

Gosse French
Derived from the Norman given name Gosse.

Gosselin French
Derived from a diminutive of the French given name Gosse.

Granger English, French
Means "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.

Gros French
Means "thick, fat, big" in French, from Late Latin grossus, possibly of Germanic origin.

Guérin French
From the Germanic given name Warin.

Guillaume French
From the given name Guillaume.

Guillory French
Derived from the Germanic given name Williric.

Guillot French
From a diminutive of the given name Guillaume.

Hardy English, French
From Old French and Middle English hardi meaning "bold, daring, hardy", of Germanic origin.

Hébert French
Derived from the given name Herbert.

Herbert English, German, French
Derived from the male given name Herbert.

Hubert French, German, English
Derived from the given name Hubert.

Jacques French
From the French given name Jacques.

Jacquet French
From a diminutive of the given name Jacques.

Janvier French
Either from the given name Janvier or the French word janvier meaning "January", perhaps indicating a person who was baptized in that month.

Jean French
From the given name Jean 1.

Jérôme French
Derived from the given name Jérôme.

Joly French
From Old French joli meaning "happy, jolly, pretty".

Jordan 1 English, French, German
Derived from the given name Jordan.

Joseph English, French
Derived from the given name Joseph.

Joubert French
From the given name Gaubert.

Julien French
From the given name Julien.

Labelle French
Means "fair, beautiful" in French.

Lachance French
Means "chance, luck" in French, a nickname for a lucky person.

Lachapelle French
Means "the chapel" in French, most likely used to denote a person who lived by a church or a chapel.

Lacroix French
Means "the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads.

Lamar French, English
Originally from a place name in Normandy, derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool".

Lamarre French
Variant of Lamar.

Lambert French
Derived from the given name Lambert.

Lane 2 French
Derived from a French word meaning "wool", designating one who worked in the wool trade.

Langlais French
Means "the Englishman" in French.

Langley 2 French (Anglicized)
Americanized spelling of Langlais.

Langlois French
Variant of Langlais.

Lapointe French
Means "the point (of a lance)" in French, possibly a nickname for a soldier.

Larue French
Means "the street" in French.

Laurent French
From the given name Laurent.

Lavigne French
Means "the vineyard" in French, referring to a person who lived close to a vineyard, or was from the town of Lavigny.

Lavoie French
Means "the road, the lane" in French, a name for someone who lived close to a road.

Léandre French
Derived from the given name Léandre.

Lebeau French
Nickname for a handsome person, from French le "the" and beau "beautiful, handsome".

Leblanc French
Means "the white", from French blanc "white". The name referred to a person who was pale or whose hair was blond.

Lebrun French
From a nickname meaning "the brown", from French brun "brown".

Leclair French
Either a variant of Leclerc or from French clair meaning "bright".

Leclerc French
Means "the clerk" in French.

Leclercq French
Variant of Leclerc.

Lécuyer French
From French écuyer meaning "squire, shield-bearer".

Lefebvre French
Variant of Lefèvre.

Lefèvre French
Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.

Legrand French
Means "the tall, the large" in French.

Lemaire French
Means "the mayor" in French. It was a title given to a town official, or else a nickname for someone who was pompous and officious.

Lémieux French
Derived from the place name Leymieux, a town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France.

Lemoine French
Means "the monk" in French. This was typically a nickname or a occupational name for a person who worked in a monastery.

Léon French
Variant of Lyon 1, Lyon 2 or Lyon 3.

Leroux French
Means "the red", from Old French ros "red". This was a nickname for a person with red hair.

Leroy French
Variant of Rey 1, using the definite article.

Lesauvage French
French form of Savage.

Lestrange French
From Old French estrange, a cognate of Strange.

Lévêque French
Variant of Lévesque.

Lévesque French
Derived from French évêque, a cognate of Bishop.

Louis French
From the given name Louis.

Lucas English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch
Derived from the given name Lucas. A famous bearer of this surname is George Lucas (1944-), the creator of the Star Wars movies.

Lyon 1 English, French
Originally denoted a person from the city of Lyon in central France, originally Latin Lugdunum, of Gaulish origin meaning "hill fort of Lugus". It could also denote a person from the small town of Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy.

Lyon 2 English, French
From a nickname derived from Old French and Middle English lion meaning "lion".

Lyon 3 French, English
From the given name Leon.

Maçon French
French cognate of Mason.

Marchand English, French
Occupational name meaning "merchant", ultimately from Latin mercari "to trade".

Marie French
From the given name Marie.

Marin Romanian, French
From the given name Marin.

Marion French
Derived from the given name Marion 1.

Martel 1 English, French
Derived from the given name Martel, a medieval diminutive of Martin.

Martel 2 French, English
Nickname for a smith, derived from Old French martel "hammer", ultimately from Late Latin martellus.

Martin English, French, German, Swedish
Derived from the given name Martin. This is the most common surname in France.

Masson 1 French, Scottish
Variant of Mason.

Masson 2 French
From a short form of the given name Thomasson, itself a diminutive of Thomas.

Mathieu French
Derived from the given name Mathieu.

Mercier French
French form of Mercer.

Merle French
French form of Merlo.

Meunier French
Means "miller" in French.

Michaud French
Derived from the given name Michel.

Michel French, German, Dutch, Basque
Derived from the given name Michel, Michiel or Mitxel.

Monet French
Derived from either of the given names Hamon or Edmond. A famous bearer was the French impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926).

Monette French
Variant of Monet.

Montagne French
French cognate of Montagna.

Moreau French
Derived from a diminutive of Maurus.

Morel French
Derived from a diminutive of Maurus.

Moulin French
Means "mill" in French.

Neuville French
From the names of various French towns meaning "new town".

Nicolas French
Derived from the given name Nicolas.

Noel French, English
Either 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.

Noyer French
French form of Nogueira.

Oliver English, Catalan, German, French
Derived from the given name Oliver.

Olivier French
Derived from the given name Olivier.

Page English, French
Occupational name meaning "servant, page". It is ultimately derived (via Old French and Italian) from Greek παιδίον (paidion) meaning "little boy".

Paget English, French
Diminutive of Page.

Pape French
French cognate of Pope.

Paquet 1 French
Occupational name for a firewood gatherer, from Old French pacquet "bundle".

Paquet 2 French
From a diminutive of the given name Pascal.

Parent English, French
Derived from Old French parent meaning either "notable" (from Latin pārēre meaning "to be apparent") or "parent" (from Latin parere meaning "to produce, to give birth").

Paris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

Parris English, French
Variant of Parish 1.

Pascal French
Derived from the given name Pascal.

Patenaude French (Quebec)
French form of Paternoster.

Paul English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Paul.

Pellé French
From French pelé meaning "bald".

Pelletier French
Derived from Old French pelletier "fur trader".

Pelley French
Anglicized form of Pellé.

Périgord French
From the name of a region in southern France, possibly of Gaulish origin.

Perrault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perreault French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perrin French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Perrot French
From a diminutive of the given name Pierre.

Petit French, Catalan, English
Means "small, little" derived from Old French and Catalan petit. It was perhaps used for a short, small person or to denote the younger of two individuals.

Pherigo French
Anglicized form of Périgord.

Philippe French
From the given name Philippe.

Picard French
Originally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French pic meaning "pike, spike".

Pierre French
From the given name Pierre.

Plamondon French
Derived from French plat "flat" and mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.

Planche French
French form of Plank.

Planque French
French form of Plank.

Plourde French
Possibly derived from French palourde, a type of a shellfish.

Poirier French
Means "pear tree" in French, originally a nickname for someone who lived close to such a tree.

Poirot French, Literature
From a diminutive of French poire "pear", originally referring to a pear merchant or someone who lived near a pear tree. Starting in 1920 this name was used by the mystery writer Agatha Christie for her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Christie based the name on that of Jules Poiret, a contemporary fictional detective.

Porcher English, French
Means "swineherd" from Old French and Middle English porchier, from Latin porcus "pig".

Poulin French
Derived from Old French poule meaning "chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.

Proulx French
Derived from Old French preu meaning "valiant, brave".

Rayne English, French
Derived from a Germanic name that was short for longer names beginning with the element ragin meaning "advice, counsel".

Renard French
From the given name Renard.

Renaud French
From the given name Renaud.

Rey 1 English, Spanish, French, Catalan
Means "king" in Old French, Spanish and Catalan, ultimately from Latin rex (genitive regis), perhaps originally denoting someone who acted like a king.

Richard English, French, German, Dutch
From the given name Richard.

Richelieu French
From 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).

Robert French, English
From the given name Robert.

Robin French
From the given name Robin.

Roche French
French cognate of Roach.

Roger French
From the given name Roger.

Rolland French
From the given name Roland.

Rome French, English
English and French form of Romano 2.

Romilly English, French
Originally denoted a person who came from any of the various places in northern France called Romilly or from Romiley in England.

Rose 1 English, French, German, Jewish
Means "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).

Rousseau French
Diminutive of Roux. A famous bearer was the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) whose ideas influenced the French Revolution.

Roussel French
French form of Russell.

Roux French
Derived from Old French ros meaning "red", from Latin russus, a nickname for a red-haired person.

Roy 1 French, English
Variant of Rey 1.

Royer French
From French roue meaning "wheel", ultimately from Latin rota, an occupational name for a wheelwright.

Salmon English, French
Derived from the given name Solomon.

Salomon French, German, Jewish
Derived from the given name Salomon or Salomo.

Samson English, French
Derived from the given name Samson.

Samuel English, Welsh, French, Jewish
Derived from the given name Samuel.