Beauchêne FrenchFrom French place names derived from
beau "beautiful" and
chêne "oak".
Berger 1 FrenchOccupational name meaning
"shepherd", from Old French
bergier.
Boivin FrenchNickname for a wine drinker, from Old French
boi "to drink" and
vin "wine".
Brunet FrenchFrom a diminutive of French
brun meaning
"brown".
Bureau FrenchFrom Old French
burel, a diminutive of
bure, a type of woollen 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.
Chaput FrenchFrom a diminutive of the Old French word
chape meaning
"cloak, hood". The name referred to a person who made, sold or often wore cloaks.
Chevalier FrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
chevalier meaning
"knight", from Late Latin
caballarius "horseman", Latin
caballus "horse".
Chevrolet FrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning
"goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
Dąbrowski m PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various locations named
Dąbrowa or
Dobrów, derived from Polish
dąb meaning "oak".
Delacroix FrenchMeans
"of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads. A notable bearer was the French painter Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863).
Dubois FrenchMeans
"from the forest", from French
bois "forest".
Dufort FrenchMeans
"from the fort", from French
fort "stronghold".
Dufour FrenchOccupational name for a baker, from French
four "oven".
Dumont FrenchMeans
"from the mountain", from French
mont "mountain".
Dupont FrenchMeans
"from the bridge", from French
pont "bridge".
Dupuis FrenchMeans
"from the well", from Old French
puts, Latin
puteus "well".
Durand French, EnglishFrom Old French
durant meaning
"enduring", ultimately from Latin
durans. This was a nickname for a stubborn person.
Fay 1 French, 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.
Forest English, 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)".
Gagnon FrenchDerived from old French
gagnon "guard dog". The name most likely originated as a nickname for an aggressive or cruel person.
Górski m PolishFrom the Polish word
góra meaning
"mountain".
Grabowski m PolishHabitational name for someone from any of the various places called
Grabów,
Grabowa or
Grabowo, all derived from Polish
grab meaning "hornbeam tree".
Jabłoński m PolishOriginally denoted someone who lived by an apple tree, from Polish
jabłoń meaning
"apple tree".
Jankowski m PolishHabitational name for a person from a town named
Jankowo or
Janków, all derived from the given name
Janek.
Jaskólski m PolishOriginally indicated a person from various Polish towns named
Jaskółki, derived from Polish
jaskółka "swallow (bird)".
Jeż PolishMeans
"hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.
Kaczmarek PolishOccupational name for a person who worked as an innkeeper, derived from Polish
karczma meaning "inn".
Kozioł PolishMeans
"male goat" in Polish, probably used to denote a goatherd.
Kozłowski m PolishOriginally a name for a person from Kozłów, Kozłowo, or other places with a name derived from Polish
kozioł meaning "male goat".
Lavoie FrenchMeans
"the road, the lane" in French, a name for someone who lived close to a road.
Lebeau FrenchNickname for a handsome person, from French
le "the" and
beau "beautiful, handsome".
Lebrun FrenchFrom a nickname meaning
"the brown", from French
brun "brown".
Leroux FrenchMeans
"the red", from Old French
ros "red". This was a nickname for a person with red hair.
Lis PolishMeans
"fox" in Polish, a nickname for a sly person.
Martel 2 French, EnglishNickname for a smith, derived from Old French
martel "hammer", ultimately from Late Latin
martellus.
Michalski m PolishHabitational name for a person from a village named
Michale or
Michały, both derived from the given name
Michał.
Moździerz PolishMeans
"mortar" in Polish. It probably referred to someone who worked with or sold mortar.
Olszewski m PolishOriginally denoted someone who lived near an alder tree, from Polish
olsza meaning
"alder tree".
Paquet 1 FrenchOccupational name for a firewood gatherer, from Old French
pacquet "bundle".
Parent English, FrenchDerived 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").
Pasternak Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, YiddishMeans
"parsnip" in various Slavic languages, ultimately from Latin
pastinaca. A famous bearer was Boris Pasternak (1890-1960), author of
Doctor Zhivago.
Pawłowski m PolishHabitational name for someone from a town named
Pawłowo, derived from the given name
Paweł.
Piątek PolishMeans
"Friday" in Polish, derived from the word
piąty meaning "fifth".
Picard FrenchOriginally denoted a person from Picardy, a historical region of northern France. It is derived from Old French
pic meaning "pike, spike".
Plamondon FrenchDerived from French
plat "flat" and
mont "mountain", referring to someone who lived near a flat-topped mountain.
Poirot French, LiteratureFrom 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.
Poulin FrenchDerived from Old French
poule meaning
"chicken". It was most likely used to denote a person who raised or sold poultry.
Proulx FrenchDerived from Old French
preu meaning
"valiant, brave".
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.
Richelieu FrenchFrom 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).
Sartre FrenchFrench cognate of
Sarto. A famous bearer was the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980).
Ślusarski m PolishOccupational name for a locksmith, from Polish
ślusarz, of Germanic origin.
Smolak PolishOccupational name for a distiller of pitch, derived from the Old Slavic word
smola meaning
"pitch, resin".
Starek PolishFrom a nickname derived from Polish
stary meaning
"old".
Szweda PolishDerived from Polish
Szwed meaning
"Swede, person from Sweden".
Wiater PolishDerived from Polish
wiatr "wind", a nickname for a quick person.
Wieczorek PolishFrom a nickname meaning
"bat" in Polish, ultimately from
wieczór meaning "evening".
Witkowski m PolishFrom the name of various Polish places called
Witkowo,
Witków or
Witkowice, all derived from the given name
Witek.
Wójcik PolishFrom the Polish word
wójt meaning
"chief, mayor" (related to German
Vogt).
Żbikowski m PolishFrom Polish towns named
Żbikowice or
Żbików, which are derived from
żbik "wildcat".
Zdunowski m PolishDenoted a person from one of the various towns named
Zduny in Poland, which is derived from Polish
zdun meaning "potter". It can also be an occupational surname derived directly from
zdun.
Zieliński m PolishFrom Polish
zieleń meaning
"green". It was possibly a nickname for a person who dressed in green clothing.
Ziętek PolishPossibly from a diminutive of Polish
zięć meaning
"son-in-law".