Belgian Submitted Surnames

Belgian names are used in the country of Belgium in western Europe.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Prieur French
from prieur Old French prior "prior" a monastic official immediately subordinate to an abbot (from Latin prior "superior") hence an occupational name for a servant of a prior or an ironic nickname... [more]
Primeau French
First found in Burgundy France.
Prince English, French
Nickname from Middle English, Old French prince (Latin princeps), presumably denoting someone who behaved in a regal manner or who had won the title in some contest of skill.
Prins Dutch, Jewish
Means "prince" in Dutch, a doublet of Prince. Often a habitational name for someone who lived or worked near a location named Prins, such as an inn or windmill, or sign depicting the Prince of Orange... [more]
Privett French, English, Welsh (?)
French, from the given name Privat (see Privatus). Also an English habitational name from a place so named in Hampshire, derived from Old English pryfet "privet".
Pronk Dutch
Means "flamboyance" in Dutch, derived from pronken "to show off, to display" or "to sulk, be sullen, be displeased".
Proost Dutch, Belgian
Means "provost" in Dutch, a leadership position.
Prophet English, Scottish, French, German
Scottish, English, French, and German: nickname from Middle English and Old French prophete, Middle High German prophet ‘prophet’, ‘seer’, ultimately from Greek prophetes ‘predictor’, from pro ‘before’ + a derivative of phemi ‘to speak’... [more]
Prophète French, Haitian Creole
Originally a nickname (possibly ironic) from French prophète "prophet", making it a cognate of Profeta.
Prost Dutch
Variant or Americanized form of Proost.
Proust French
From a nickname derived from French preux meaning "valiant, brave". A famous bearer was Marcel Proust (1871-1922), a French writer.
Provencher French
From the French word for the flower periwinkle. (pervenche) Brought to Canada from France in 1660 by Sebastien Provencher.
Provost English, French
Derived from the Middle English provost; referring to the person who heads a religious chapter in a cathedral or educational establishment. It was also used as a nickname for a self-important person and is a French variant of Prevost.
Prudhomme French, English, Norman, Medieval French
French (Prud’homme) and English (of Norman origin): nickname from Old French prud’homme ‘wise’, ‘sensible man’, a cliché term of approbation from the chivalric romances. It is a compound of Old French proz, prod ‘good’, with the vowel influenced by crossing with prudent ‘wise’ + homme ‘man’... [more]
Prue English, French
English: nickname for a redoubtable warrior, from Middle English prou(s) ‘brave’, ‘valiant’ (Old French proux, preux).... [more]
Pruitt English, French
French and English: nickname from a pet form of Old French proux ‘valiant’, ‘brave’, or ‘wise’ (see Proulx, Prue).
Pujol Catalan, French
Catalan and French variant of Puig. Spanish tennis player Marcel Granollers (1986-) bears this name.
Pulver Low German, French, English
I comes from the Latin verb meaning "to make powder." This name was given to either an alchemist or one who made gunpowder.
Pusey French
Habitational name form Pusey in Haute-Saône, so named from a Gallo-Roman personal name, Pusius, + the locative suffix -acum.
Pyle Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized form of Dutch Pijl, a metonymic occupational name for a marksman or an arrowsmith, derived from pijl meaning "arrow".
Quackenbos Dutch, English
Variant of Quackenbosch. Mary Grace Quackenbos Humiston (1869–1948) was the first female Special Assistant United States Attorney. She was a graduate of the New York University School of Law and was a leader in exposing peonage in the American South.
Quackenbosch Dutch
Topographic name meaning "night heron woodlands" in Dutch, from Dutch kwak "night heron" and bosch "woodland wilderness". This surname is now extinct in the Netherlands.
Quackenbush Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized spelling of Dutch Quackenbosch.
Quant Dutch, German
From Middle Dutch quant meaning "companion, comrade" or "trickster, prankster, rogue", ultimately from an older term meaning "journeyman, tradesman, small merchant". Compare Quandt.
Questel French, Medieval French (?)
The surname Questel was first found in Normandy. Currently, Questel is the most commonly occurring last name in Saint-Barthélemy, a French island in the Caribbean Sea.... [more]
Raad Dutch
Metonymic occupational name for an adviser, counselor, or member of a town council, from raad "advice, counsel", or derived from a given name containing the element (see rēdaz).
Raaf Dutch, German
Means "raven" in Dutch.
Raat Dutch
From Middle Dutch raet "advice, counsel". Could be an occupational name for a member of a council, or a short form of names containing rēdaz, such as Radulf... [more]
Raben German, Dutch, Danish
Derived from Low German rauben meaning "raven".
Rabiot French
Occupational name for a radish merchant.
Rabtoy French
Unknown history, most likely originated in the Americas in Quebec. A large percentage of Rabtoy families are from Vermont.
Racine French
Means "(tree) root" in French, used as an occupational name for a grower or seller of root vegetables or as a nickname for a stubborn person.
Raeven Dutch
Variant spelling of Raven.
Raimond Estonian, Dutch, French, Croatian
From the given name Raimond.
Raison English, Scottish, French
From a medieval nickname for an intelligent person (from Old French raison "reason, intelligence").
Ramage French, Scottish
From a medieval Scottish nickname for a hot-tempered or unpredictable person (from Old French ramage "wild, uncontrollable" (applied to birds of prey)).
Rambeau French (Rare), Frankish
Altered spelling of the southern French family name Rambaut, from an Old French personal name, Rainbaut, composed of the Germanic elements ragin "counsel" + bald "bold", "brave", or alternatively from the Germanic personal name Hrambehrt or Hrambald, composed of the elements hramn "crow" & berht "bright" or bald "bold", "brave".
Randel French, German
French: from a pet form of the Germanic personal name Rando, a short form of various compound names formed with rand ‘(shield) rim’ as the first element... [more]
Range German, French
German: nickname for a ragamuffin, from Middle High German range ‘naughty boy’, ‘urchin’.... [more]
Ranger English, German, French
English: occupational name for a gamekeeper or warden, from Middle English ranger, an agent derivative of range(n) ‘to arrange or dispose’.... [more]
Raoul French, Breton
From the given name Raoul.
Rave Low German, Dutch
Variant form of Rabe and Raaf, both meaning "raven".
Ravel French, French (African)
Derived from either a place called Ravel in the district of Drome or Provence, or from the word 'rave' meaning a root vegetable, and hence a grower or seller of such items.
Raven English, Dutch
From a variety of sources all ultimately derived from the name of the bird. Could be a patronymic form of a given name such as Raven, Hraban, or Walraven; from a nickname referring to dark hair or thieving tendencies; or from a toponym derived from a given name.
Ravenel English, French
Habitational name from Ravenel in Oise or a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of horseradish, from a diminutive of Old French ravene ‘horseradish’ (Latin raphanus)... [more]
Ravenswaaij Dutch
From the name of a village in Gelderland, Netherlands, meaning "Raven’s ford", derived from the personal name Raven combined with Old Dutch wade "ford, shallows", later reinterpreted as Middle Dutch way "pool, kolk lake".
Raymond English, French
From the Norman personal name Raimund, composed of the Germanic elements ragin "advice, counsel" and mund "protection".
Réal French
This can derive from several different sources: southern French réal "royal", a word which was applied to someone either as a nickname (presumably given to people perceived as being regal) or as an occupational name (given to a person in the service of the king); or the French place name Réal, in which case this is a habitational name taken from any of various places which were named for having been part of a royal domain (also compare Reau, Reaux).
Reese Low German, Dutch, German
Variant of Riese or Reus, from risi meaning "giant". Alternatively, could be a patronymic form of the Germanic given name Razo, derived from rēdaz "counsel, advise", or a habitational name from places called Rees or Reese in Rhineland and Lower Saxony.
Régis French
Occupational name for a local dignitary, from a derivative of Old French régir "to rule or manage".
Régnier French
From the medieval given Régnier the older form of Rainier.
Reille French, Occitan
Topographic name derived from Old Occitan relha meaning "plowshare", or a habitational name from any of several places named Reille or La Reille in southern France. A notable bearer was Honoré Charles Reille (1775-1860), a Marshal of France during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
Reine French
From the given name Reine or Rainier
Reiziger Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)
Derived from Middle Dutch reisiger meaning "traveller, voyager", ultimately from Middle High German meaning "soldier on horseback". It is notably borne by the Dutch former soccer player Michael Reiziger (1973-).
Relyea German, French (Anglicized)
Altered spelling of southern German and French Rellier, or probably a regional variant of Swiss German Reller, especially in the western provinces of Austria... [more]
Remacle French, French (Belgian)
From the given name Remacle.
Remis Greek, Dutch, German, Asturian
Greek from a medieval Greek personal name, Remis, a vernacular form of the personal name Remigius (see French Remy)... [more]
Renan Breton, French (Rare)
From the given name Renan.
Renaudin French
From the given name Renaud.
René French
From the given name René.
Rens Dutch
From the personal name Rens, a reduced form of Laurens. Could also derive from a given name containing the element regin "advice, counsel", such as Reinoud.
Rensenbrink Dutch
Possibly derived from the given name Rens (a short form of Laurens, Emerens, Reinaart, Reinier and other names) combined with Dutch brink meaning "village green, edge, slope"... [more]
Rétif French
Derived from French rétif "restive; rebellious".
Reus Dutch
Means "giant" in Dutch, a nickname for a big man.
Reveille French
Derived from Old French reveille "lively, vivid; alert".
Revelle French
Variant of Revell, derived from the Old French word revel meaning pride, rebellion, etc.
Revere English, French, Judeo-Italian
French: variant of Rivière, Rivoire, or Rivier, topographic name for someone living on the banks of a river, French rivier ‘bank’, or habitational name from any of the many places in France named with this word.... [more]
Rheims French
From the city of Reims in France, also known as Rheims in English.
Rhett Dutch
Anglicized form of Dutch de Raedt, derived from raet "advice, counsel". Compare Raad.
Rhine German, French, English, Irish
A habitational name for an individual whom lived within close proximity of the River Rhine (see Rhein). The river name is derived from a Celtic word meaning 'to flow' (Welsh redan, 'flow').... [more]
Rhoton German, French
Rhoton is a German and French surname from the 1800s. Some people believe that it is derived from the French word for red, but the origin is overall unknown. The name represents strength and power.
Ricard French
From the given name Richard and a variant of Richard.
Riche English, French
English: variant spelling of Rich. ... [more]
Richer French, English, German
From the given name Richer.
Richilde French (Rare)
From the feminine given name Richilde.
Richoux French
French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Ricwulf a compound of rīc ‘power(ful)’ + wulf ‘wolf’. Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Ridder German, Dutch
Dutch form and German variant of Ritter.
Riel French
French variant of Riehl. Most notable bearer is Canadian Métis political leader Louis Riel, best known for his Red River Rebellion.
Rigaud French, Haitian Creole
from the ancient Germanic personal name Ricwald composed of ric "powerful" and wald "power authority".
Rigolet French
Means "creek" in French. From (American) French rigole (“rivulet”), from Old French regol.
Rijkaard Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)
Dutch variant of Richard. A famous bearer of this surname is the retired Dutch soccer player Frank Rijkaard (1962-).
Rijlaarsdam Dutch
Derived from Reguliersdam, a dam named for a nearby monastery from Old French reguler "ecclesiastical, subject to religious or monastic rule".
Rijsbergen Dutch
Variant of Van Rijsbergen. It is borne by the retired Dutch soccer player Wim Rijsbergen (1952-).
Riquier French
From the given name Riquier and a variant of Richer.
Ritchings French, German, English
This surname has at least three distinct separate origins. ... [more]
Ritfeld German, Dutch (Anglicized)
German surname and anglicized Dutch form of Rietveld
Rivard French
Geographical name for someone who lived on a river bank.
Rives French, Jewish
Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish female personal name Rive a back-formation from Rivke (see Rifkin).... [more]
Rivet French, English
French: from a diminutive of Old French rive ‘(river) bank’, ‘shore’ (see Rives).... [more]
Rivett English, French
English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a metalworker, from Middle English, Old French rivet ‘small nail or bolt’ (from Old French river ‘to fix or secure’, of unknown origin).... [more]
Rivette French, English (American, Rare), English (Canadian, Rare)
Topographic name derived from a diminutive of Old French rive, meaning "(river) bank, shore"; see also Rivet.
Riviere French, French (Quebec), French (Acadian)
Possibly from the French word meaning "river"
Robben Dutch, Low German
Patronymic from the given name Robbe, a short form of Robert.
Robertin French (Rare)
Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Robertin, which was a diminutive of the given name Robert.
Robichaux French
An altered spelling of Robichon or Roubichou, pet forms of Robert.
Robideaux French
From the medieval given name Robardeau, a pet form of Robert.
Robineau French
derived from the Old French word robine, which was the word that was used for the communication channel of a salted fountain or barrel pond... [more]
Robinet French
Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Robinet, which was a diminutive (as the -et suffix indicates) of the given name Robin.... [more]
Robitaille French
Of uncertain meaning.
Roblès French
French form of Robles.
Robuchon French
Robuchon is derived from the Old French personal name Robert.
Rochefort French
From various places called Rochefort meaning "strong castle".
Rochelle French, English
habitational name from La Rochelle the name of several places in various parts of France especially that in Manche from a diminutive of Old French roche "rock cliff promontory"... [more]
Rocher French
From French roche, meaning "rock'. It indicates a person who worked at a quarry.
Rochussen Dutch
Means "son of Rochus". Famous bearers of this name are the Dutch prime minister Jan Jacob Rochussen (1797-1871) and the 19th-century painter Charles Rochussen (1814-1894).
Rockett French
From the French "la roche," or "of the rock." Some family histories trace this back to French Hugenots (sp) who immigrated to England in the 1500's from the Normandy region of France.
Rodrigue French
From the given name Rodrigue.
Roel Dutch, German
From the given name Roel, a short form of Roeland or Roelof.
Roelfs Dutch
Means "son of Roelf".
Roelofs Dutch
Variant of Roelfs, meaning "son of Roelof".
Roels Belgian, Dutch
Means "son of Roel".
Roep Dutch
Short form of Ruprecht.
Roest Dutch
Habitational name derived from Old Dutch roest "reed bed, rush forest". Alternatively, from Dutch roest "rust", a nickname for a red-haired person.
Rogier French
From the Old French given name Rogier a variant of Roger. Variant of Roger
Roi French
French variant of Rey 1.
Roland French, German, Scottish
French, German, English, and Scottish: from a Germanic personal name composed hrod ‘renown’ + -nand ‘bold’, assimilated to -lant ‘land’. (Compare Rowland).... [more]
Rolloos Dutch
Possibly derived from the given name Rollo.
Romain French
From the given name Romain.
Romaine French
From the given name Romaine.
Romana Catalan, French, Italian, Polish, English (Rare), German, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
From the feminine form of the Latin personal name Romanus, which originally meant "Roman".
Romine Dutch (Americanized)
Americanized form of Romeijn.
Rommel Upper German, Dutch
Nickname for a noisy and disruptive person, from Middle Dutch rommel "noise, disorder, disturbance". Alternatively, a variant of Rummel.
Romyn Dutch
Variant of Romijn.
Ronde Dutch
Means "round" in Dutch, originally a nickname for a plump person, ultimately from Latin rotundus.
Rondelli Italian, English, French
From the medieval name "Rondello" derived from French "rondel" meaning "go around, round" or "rondel", a French old nickname for a round, plump man.
Ronden Dutch
Possibly derived from Dutch rond meaning "round, circular".
Rood Dutch
Dutch cognate of Read 1.
Roos Estonian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, German (Swiss), Low German
Means "rose" in Estonian and Dutch. Swedish and Danish variant of Ros, also meaning "rose". This could be a locational name for someone living near roses, an occupational name for someone who grew roses, or a nickname for someone with reddish skin.
Roose English, Dutch, German
Variant spelling of Rose 1, Rose 2, Roos or Ross.
Rooster Dutch (Rare)
Possibly related to German Rüster, an occupational name for an arms dealer.
Root Dutch
From Dutch root, a derivative of roten "to ret", a topographic name for someone who lived by a retting place, a place where flax is soaked in tubs of water until the stems rot to release the linen fibers.
Ros Dutch
Could be an occupational name for a horse breeder or trader derived from Middle Dutch ros "horse, steed" (see hros), or a nickname for someone with red hair or ruddy skin derived from Dutch ros "reddish; red-haired, ginger".
Rosamel French
A French surname turned Spanish masculine given name, Rosamel likely derives from the combination of rose + Greek mel “honey”. As a surname, it was borne by a 19th century French naval officer with the wonderful name of Claude Charles Marie du Campe de Rosamel.
Rosenboom Dutch
From Dutch rozeboom meaning "rose tree", a habitational name for someone who lived near such a tree or a sign depicting one, or who come from the neighbourhood Rozenboom.
Rosier French
French for "rose tree" or "rose bush". A common surname in Francophone areas. It is also the name of a fallen angel who was considered the patron demon of tainted love and seduction.
Rosseau French, American
Variant spelling of Rousseau. Comes from the Old French word rous meaning "red", likely a nickname for someone with red hair or a particularly rosy complexion.
Rossignol French
Means "nightingale" in French, used as a nickname for person with a good singing voice, or ironically, for a raucous person.
Rothuizen Dutch
Means "red houses" in Dutch, a habitational name.
Rotterdam Dutch
Denoting someone from a place named Rotterdam "place of the muddy water".
Rou French
Variant of Roux.
Roudebush Dutch (Americanized), Belgian (Americanized)
Americanized form of Dutch and Belgian Ronderbosch or Rondenbosch, a habitational name for someone from Ronderbos in Dilbeek, Brabant, or Ronden Bos in Maldegen, East Flanders.
Rouen French
From the other broad category of surnames that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. ... Ruen is a place-name from in Rouen, the capital of Normandy... [more]
Rouge French
Nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion.
Rougeau French
Diminutive of Rouge, a nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion.
Rouget French
Derived from the French adjective rouge meaning "red" combined with the French masculine diminutive suffix -et.
Rougeul French
“Rouge” means “Red” in French.
Roupert French (Rare)
Derived from the given name Roupert, which is an archaic French variant of Rupert.
Rouppert French (Rare)
Derived from the given name Rouppert, which is a gallicization of Ruppert, the Upper German form of Rupert.... [more]
Routin French
From French route meaning "road".
Routine French
Variant of Routin.
Rouvoet Dutch
From a nickname that meant "rough foot", derived from Middle Dutch ru meaning "rough, wild" and voet meaning "foot". This name is borne by the retired Dutch politician André Rouvoet (1962-).
Rovers Dutch
Patronymic form of the Dutch given name Rover, or an alternative form of De Rover.
Rozelle French
Beautiful flower from France brought over by an immigrant named Page Rozelle. People said when she said something nice or touched you, good luck would come to you.
Rubin French, German, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak
Metonymic occupational name for a jeweler, from Middle High German rubn Old French rubi Slovenian and Croatian rubin Czech and Slovak rubín "ruby"... [more]
Rue French
The name Rue dates back to the days of Medieval France, in the region of Normandy. It is derived from their residence in Normandy. However, the name Ruell is derived from the Old French word ruelle, meaning lane or alley, and indicates that the original bearer lived in such a place... [more]
Ruelas French
A last name common in Mexico which is believed to have derived from the French word ruelle (or Portuguese word ruela) meaning lane or alley.
Ruisard French (Rare, ?)
Originated as a result of trade between France and the Persian Empires before the Iranian Revolution, probably during the Safavid Dynasty. The surname has its roots in the Persian Riahi surname and the Arabic word رِيح (rīḥ) meaning "wind" and the Persian word “sered” before it was altered to fit French spelling rules.... [more]
Ruiter Dutch
Derived from the Dutch noun ruiter meaning "rider, horseman, knight".
Rumfelt German, Dutch
Altered spelling of German Romfeld, derived from Middle Low German rüm- meaning "to clear (land)" and feld meaning "open country, field", hence a topographic name or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a person engaged in clearing woodland, or in some cases a habitational name for someone from Romfelt in the Ardennes... [more]
Rundlett French
this is a french word for little wine barrels.
Rutte Dutch
Derived from the given name Rutger. This surname is borne by the former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte (1967-).
Saba French, Occitan
Nickname from a variant of Occitan sabe meaning "tasty, flavorsome". Compare Sabourin.
Sabat French
Nickname for a noisy, rowdy person, from Middle French sab(b)at "noise", "racket".
Sabatier French
Meaning "cobbler, shoemaker".
Saëns French
From the given name Saëns
Saint English, French
Nickname for a particularly pious individual, from Middle English, Old French saint, seint "holy" (Latin sanctus "blameless, holy"). The vocabulary word was occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name, especially on the Continent, and this may have given rise to some instances of the surname.
Sainte-Marie French, Occitan
French and Occitan cognate of Santamaría.
Saint-exupery French
From the place named Saint-Exupery. Famous bearer of this surname is Antoine Saint-Exupery, the writer of .
Saint-Jean French
Means Saint John in French
Saint-Just French
From Saint Justus of Beauvais, a Catholic Saint. A famous bearer of this name is Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, a figure of the French Revolution who was guillotined.
Saint-saëns French
From any place named Saint-Saens by honor to the saint Sidonius.
Saint-Simon French
A French surname meaning "Saint Simon". Two famous bearers were Duc de Saint-Simon Louis de Rouvroy(1675-1755), a French memoirist, and his younger relative, Henri de Saint-Simon(1760-1825), the founder of French Socialism and modern theoretical Socialism in general.
Saint-xandre French
Derived from Saint Alexander
Sajin French
1 French: metonymic occupational name for a satin merchant or specialist satin weaver, from Middle French satin ‘satin’, a word of Arabic and (ultimately) Chinese origin, a derivative of the Chinese place name Tsinkiang, whence satin silk was brought to the Middle East and Europe in the Middle Ages.... [more]
Saladin French
nickname for a blustering or tyrannical individual from the name of the medieval Egyptian sultan who because of his success in combating the Crusaders became demonized in French and Italian folklore as a monster second only to Herod.
Salaün Breton, French
Form of the given name Solomon.
Sale English, French
English: from Middle English sale ‘hall’, a topographic name for someone living at a hall or manor house, or a metonymic occupational name for someone employed at a hall or manor house. ... [more]
Salm Dutch
Denoted a person from any of various places called Salm. It could also derive from Dutch zalm meaning "salmon", referring to someone who lived near a sign depicting them, or to someone who fished for salmon.
Sand French
Derived from the given name Sando.
Santamaria Italian, French, Spanish
Italian and French cognate of Santamaría as well as a Spanish variant.
Santerre French
Habitational name from a place to the southeast of the Somme river, named with Latin sana terra "healthy, wholesome land".
Sarazen French
From a medieval French nickname for a swarthy person, or for someone who had gone on a Crusade (from Old French sarrazin "Saracen"). It was borne by American golfer Gene Sarazen (1902-99), original name Eugene Saraceni.
Sard English, French, Spanish, Italian
In the book surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary by Henry Harrison and Gyda (Pulling) Harrison 1912 - Reprinted 1996. The Sard surname (which has been in England, Italy and Europe for a long time) is defined thus on page 136.... [more]
Sarrazin French
Means "Saracen" in Old French, a name used to refer to Arab Muslims in the Middle Ages. It was probably used as a nickname for an unruly person, a person with a dark complexion, or for someone who had taken part in a Crusade.
Sartain French
Means, "Tailor".
Sas Dutch
Cognate of Sachs.
Saulnier French
In Middle French (the form of French spoken from 1340 to 1610), it literally means "salt merchant".
Sauve' French
Sauve' from France to Canada. Changed probably due to an "a" and an "o" confusion in cursive. My granfather's was typo-ed on WW II old men's sign up in MA. or RI, USA.
Savant French
Nickname from savant ‘learned’, a nickname for a university graduate or a particularly knowledgeable person.
Savard French
Either from Old French savart meaning "wasteland" or the Germanic elements sab of uncertain meaning and hard meaning "brave, hardy".
Savignac French
Habitational name for someone from various communes by this name in France.