DagotFrench Derived from the Old French word "fagot", meaning "bundle of firewood". This was likely given as an occupational surname to a gatherer or seller of firewood.
DaigleFrench Referred as a habitual name (someone from L’Aigle) in Orne.
DamasFrench French form of Damascus. Famous bearer Léon-Gontran Damas (1912-1978) was a French poet and politican from French Guiana, cofounder of the Négritude Mouvement and author of the collection "Black Label".
d'AmboiseFrench Denoted a person from Amboise, a commune located in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.
DameFrench, English From the old French dame, "lady" ultimately from Latin domina, "mistress".
DameronFrench Nickname for a foppish or effeminate young man, Old French dameron, a derivative of Latin dominus "lord", "master" plus two diminutive endings suggestive of weakness or childishness.
DamianFrench, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Slovak, Polish From the medieval personal name Damian, Greek Damianos (from damazein "to subdue"). St. Damian was an early Christian saint martyred in Cilicia in ad 303 under the emperor Domitian, together with his brother Cosmas... [more]
D'aoustFrench D'Aoust, denotes someone from Aoust(e) in France. Aouste is situated in the Ardennes department (Champagne-Ardenne region) in the north-east of France at 29 km from Charleville-Mézières, the department capital... [more]
DapperDutch Nickname from dapper meaning ‘brave, gallant’ in Dutch. Famous bearers of this surname include the American actor and model Marco Dapper (1983-), and Dutch physician and writer Olfert Dapper (1636-1689).
D'artagnanFrench, Literature Surname given to a person from Artagnan, France. It is also used by Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan, the captain of the Musketeers from the novel, "The Three Musketeers".
D'aurevalleFrench (Archaic) This medieval surname literally means "from Aurevalle". Aurevalle can refer to any of the three French communes that are nowadays known by the more modern spelling Orival. All of them ultimately derive their name from Latin aurea vallis meaning "golden vale" or "golden valley".
D'aurevilleFrench This surname literally means "from Aureville". Aureville is a commune in southwestern France, which was established in late medieval times. It derives its name from Latin aurea villa or villa aurea which literally means "golden country-house, golden farm" but of course later came to mean "golden village".
D'aurevillyFrench Variant form of D'aureville. A known bearer of this name was the French novelist Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly (1808-1889).
DauteriveFrench Originally denoted a person hailing from any of the various places in France called Hauterive. This surname is no longer found in France. A famous fictional bearer is the character Bill Dauterive from the American animated series King of the Hill, starting 1997.
DebeauFrench, English (British), History Some characteristic forenames: French Armand, Normand, Andre, Pierre, Fernand, Gaston, Solange, Adelard, Baptiste, Cecile, Chantel, Donat.... [more]
De BeerDutch, Afrikaans, South African Means "the bear" or "the boar" in Dutch and Afrikaans, a nickname for a person who resembled the animal in some way, such as being very large, strong, or aggressive, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting one... [more]
DeberryFrench Habitational name for someone from Berry-au-Bac in Aisne, France.
DeBevoiseFrench Denoted someone from Beauvais, a city and commune in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
De BieDutch Means "the bee" in Dutch, a nickname for a beekeeper or a for a busy person, or perhaps a habitational name for someone who lived near a sign depicting a bee.
DebloisFrench French surname meaning "From Blois", a town in Mid-Western France. The origins of the surname started back in the 1600s when a man named Grégoire Guérard traveled to Flanders (Now Belgium) and immigrated to New France (Now Canada) in 1658... [more]
De BonteDutch Means "the colourful", from Dutch bont meaning "motley, multi-coloured; varied, mixed". Probably a nickname for someone known for wearing bright clothing, or perhaps figuratively referring to someone who behaves oddly or unpredictably.
De BoonDutch Variant of Boon with the etymological element De, literally 'of (a family called) Boon'.
De BruyneDutch, French, Flemish Derived from Middle Dutch bruun meaning "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion. A famous bearer is Belgian soccer player Kevin De Bruyne (1991-).
DebsFrench From the given name Debus, a variant of Thebs or Thebus, which was an altered short form of Mattheus. This was borne by American union leader Eugene V. Debs (1855-1926).
DebussyFrench Means 'from Bussy'—the place name 'Bussy' refers to several communes in France. Variants include De Bussy and Bussy.... [more]
DebyeDutch Variant of De Bie. A notable bearer of the surname was the Dutch-American physicist and physical chemist Peter Debye (1884-1966), born Petrus Debije.
De CatersDutch Nickname for someone thought to resemble a tom cat, derived from Middle Dutch cater, kater literally meaning "tom cat".
DecaturDutch Variant spelling of De Caters. A notable bearer was Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), an American naval officer and commodore during the War of 1812, the Barbary Wars and the Quasi-War.
DecazesFrench The surname Decazes was first found in Gascony (French: Gascogne), an area of southwest France bordering Spain, that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution, where the family held a family seat in ancient times.... [more]
DeforgeFrench This is a surname of French origins. Introduced into England after the famous Invasion and Conquest of 1066, it is residential, but also possibly occupational. It is a surname which in its different forms is widely recorded heraldically, and particularly in the French regions of Brittany and Normandy... [more]
De GeerDutch, Swedish Derived from the town of Geer near Liège, Belgium. The town lies along the course of the river Jeker, which is called Geer in French. Alternatively, it could derive from Dutch geer "wedge-shaped piece of land".
De GeusDutch Means "the beggar" in Dutch, derived from French geaux "beggar, poor", itself from Middle Dutch guyte "rascal, rogue, vagabond, freeloader". In many instances, this surname would derive from an association with the Geuzen ("The Beggars"), a group of Dutch rebels opposing Spanish rule in the Netherlands.
De GoedeDutch Means "the good (person)" in Dutch, a nickname for someone considered especially kind or gentle, or perhaps for someone gullible.
De GoeijDutch From Dutch goei meaning "good", making this a cognate of Good. A famous bearer is the retired Dutch soccer goalkeeper Eduard de Goeij (1966-), better known as Ed de Goey.
De GoeyDutch Variant of De Goeij. Famous bearers of this name include former Dutch soccer goalkeeper Ed de Goey (1966-) and Australian rules footballer Jordan De Goey (1996-).
De GraaffDutch Variant spelling of De Graaf "the count", an occupational name for someone who worked for a count, or perhaps a nickname for someone who behaved like one.
De GroeveFlemish Etymology uncertain. Possibly a habitational name from any of several places called De Groeve, derived from groeve "quarry, pit; excavated watercourse"... [more]
De HartDutch Can mean "the hart", "the heart", or "the hard", derived from Middle Dutch hart "male deer, stag" (see Hart), harte "heart" (see Hertz), or hart "hard, solid, sturdy; harsh, cruel"... [more]
De HeerDutch Means "the lord" or "the gentleman" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch hêre "feudal lord, master, leader, gentleman". Could be a nickname for a person who acted as a leader, or an occupational name for someone who worked for a lord... [more]
De HoogDutch Means "the high" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch hooch "high, tall; important, noble". Either a nickname for a tall person, or for someone who is high in rank or behaves as though they are, or a habitational name from a settlement built on relatively high ground.
De JagerDutch, South African Means "the hunter" in Dutch, an occupational name. In some cases, it could derive from the name of a house or ship.
DejeanFrench Patronymic with fused preposition de, meaning “of”, from the personal name Jean. This surname is also found in Haiti.
De LaatDutch Derived from Middle Dutch laet "serf, freed serf, tenant", probably an occupational name for a tenant farmer.
De La BoulayeFrench This indicates familial origin within the Bourgignon commune of La Boulaye.
De La ChaumetteFrench Name for someone from one of several places in central France named La Chaumette; or someone who lived on a chaumette, a high, arid plateau with little vegetation. The term is a diminutive of chaume "bare land", from a specialized sense of Latin calmus "calm, unruffled".
DelacourFrench Probably based off the term "de la cœur", meaning "on the court".
DelacourtFrench Denoting someone who lived or worked at a manorial court a courtly retainer. Derived from French de la meaning "of the" or "from the" and court meaning "court, yard".
de LaenderFlemish Possibly from Middle Dutch laenre meaning "stone falcon", a kind of small bird of prey such as a merlin or sparrowhawk.
DelafoyFrench From Old French de la foy meaning "of the faith". This is probably a name given to a cleric or a very pious person among the French Catholics.
DelagardelleFrench Habitational name for someone from Lagardelle, a place in Haute Garonne.
DelageFrench From the dialect word age "hedge" for someone who lived by a hedge or from the various places in France called L'Age.
De La HalleFrench Means "of the hall" or "of the covered market" in French, from French halle "hall, covered market". Adam de la Halle (1245-1306) was a French poet-composer trouvère, widely considered as both a conservative and progressive composer.
DelalandeFrench French surname, pronounced /dølalɑ̃də/, which means "from the moor", "from the heath". Famous bearer Michel-Richard Delalande (1657-1726), French baroque composer and organist nicknamed "the Latin Lully", changed its spelling in "de Lalande" in order to give it aristocratic looks.
DelaurierFrench Altered form of French Deslauriers or a topographic name with fused preposition de meaning “from” denoting someone who lived by a laurel, from laurier.
De LeeuwDutch, Flemish Means "the lion" in Dutch, a habitational name for someone who lived at a house or tavern with a sign depicting a lion. In some cases, it may have been a nickname denoting a wild or courageous individual.
DelevingneFrench, English Means "of the vine" in French. It is the surname of Poppy Delevingne and Cara Delevingne, both English actresses and models; it is also the surname of French-born photojournalist Lionel Delevingne
De LévisFrench This indicates familial origin within the Orléanais commune of Lévis-Saint-Nom.
DelgerDutch Possibly an occupational name from an agent derivative of (ver)delgen, meaning “to nullify” or “to exterminate.”
De LiniersFrench This indicates familial origin within the Poitevin commune of Liniers.
DelongFrench Habitational name with fused preposition de meaning “from,” denoting someone from a place called Long of which there are examples in Cher Dordogne and Somme.
DeloreyFrench (Anglicized) Anglicized version of Deslauriers, 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’.
DeloyeFrench An occupational name for a keeper of geese, derived from the Old French word oie "goose", combined with de "of" and l' "the" (all together "of the goose").
de MaagdDutch Derived from Middle Dutch maech, mage "a member of one's kin, a blood relative".
De ManDutch Means "the man" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch man "person, man; husband, vassal". Could be a nickname, perhaps to differentiate an older individual (compare Mann), or a habitational name derived from a house name such as De Geleerde Man ("The Learned Man") or De Zwarte Man ("The Black Man").
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).
Den HartogDutch Derived from Dutch hertog "duke", a nickname for someone behaved in a haughty manner, or an occupational name for someone who worked for a duke’s household.
Den OudenDutch Means "the elder, the senior", from Middle Dutch out "old".
Den UijlDutch Means "the owl" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch ule. A notable bearer was the Dutch prime minister Johannes den Uijl (1919-1987), also known as Joop den Uyl.
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]
De PoorterFlemish, Dutch Means "the burgher, the citizen (of a city)", ultimately derived from poort "gate".
DepooterFlemish Variant of De Poorter, or alternatively, an occupational name for a farmer or gardener derived from poten "to plant, to sow seeds". Compare Potter.
DepuydtBelgian Flemish (also De puydt): nickname from Middle Dutch puyt puut ‘frog’ with the addition of the definite article de ‘the’. "Depuydt" means "the frog". It's origins are in Ypres.
DeremerDutch Occupational name for a belt maker or cutter of leather straps, from Dutch riem "belt, strap". It could also be a name for a peat digger, someone who "riems" peat.
De RijkeDutch Means "the rich one", from Dutch rijk "rich, wealthy, abundant".
DeruelleFrench Habitational name for someone who lived near a place called (la) Ruelle, for example Ruelle-sur-Touvre.
De RuiterDutch Means "the rider" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch ruter "freebooter, vagrant, robber", later meaning "cavalryman, soldier, armed horseman". It could also be a nickname based on an event, in one case deriving from an incident involving a ride on a runaway pig.
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-).
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."
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.
DesmoinesFrench (Archaic), French (American) An archaic French surname that begins in the US. It denotes a person who lived in places named Des Moines. From French meaning "from the monks" or "of the monks".
DesmoulinsFrench A French surname meaning “of the windmills.” A famous bearer of this surname is Camille Desmoulins, a journalist and politician during the French Revolution who was guillotined.
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]