Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
MEAUX FrenchHabitational name from a place in Seine-et-Marne, so named from the Gaulish tribal name
Meldi, or from Meaux-la-Montagne in Rhône.
MÉE FrenchFrench habitational name from places called (Le) Mée in Mayenne, Eure-et-Loir, and Seine-et-Marne, derived from Old French
me(i)s ‘farmstead’ (Latin
mansus).
MESSIAEN Dutch, FrenchDerived from
Messiaen, the (archaic) Dutch form of the latinate first name
Messianus, which itself is ultimately derived from the Roman praenomen
Messus. The meaning of
Messus is not wholly certain; it may be derived from the Latin verb
meto "to reap, to harvest, to cut, to sever", or from the latinized form of Greek
mesos or
messos "(the) middle, (the) middle one"...
[more] MESSIER FrenchOccupational name for someone who kept watch over harvested crops, Old French messier 'harvest master' (Late Latin messicarius, agent derivative of messis 'harvest').
METREJON Louisiana Creole (?), French (?)Maiden surname of Constance Leto (nee Metrejon). She was born in Louisiana and has Cajun(French) ancestry. The Metrejon line is traced back to Joseph Marie Maitrejean, who was born c. 1778, in Belle-Île-en-Mer, France, an island off the coast of Brittany.
MICKLEY FrenchIt originated when an immigrant family named Michelet came to New York from Northern France. Because they had a foreign surname, they made up the names Mickley and Michelin. The originator was Jean Jacques Michelet (John Jacob Mickley), a private in the Revolutionary War...
[more] MONNIER FrenchIt means Miller, someone operating a mill; from "meunier" or "mounier" in Old French.
MONTESQUIEU FrenchFrom French
montagne, meaning "mountain" and possibly also from
queue, meaning "line". Charles Montesquieu was a 17th-century French aristocrat, philosopher and politician.
MONTY French, EnglishTopographic name for a mountain dweller, from Old French mont 'mountain' (Latin mons, montis).
MORALEE English, FrenchFirst found in Norfolk where they were seated from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings.
MORANT English, FrenchFrom the Old French personal name
Morant, perhaps from a nickname meaning "steadfast", or alternatively of Germanic origin and meaning literally "courage-raven". A known bearer was the British-born Australian soldier and poet Breaker Morant, original name Edwin Henry Murrant (?1864-1902).
MOTEL FrenchTopographic name from a derivative of Old French motte ‘fortified stronghold’.
MULLINIX FrenchA locational name "of de Moloneaux" probably from the noble family who trace their descent from William the Conqueror, from Molineaux-sur-Seine, near Rouen. The name came to England during the wake of the Norman Conquest...
[more] NAULT FrenchFrom a short form of various medieval personal names derived from Germanic personal names formed with wald 'rule' as the final element, in particular Arnold.
NAVARRE FrenchThe name means "By the sea". Originally a country of its own, located between Spain and France, Navarre became a part of France in 1284 when the Queen of Navarre married King Philip IV of France. After much war, becoming independent once again, and falling into Spanish rule, the Kingdom of Navarre is now split between Spain and France.
NEUGER German, French (?)Was popularized by the German community. Famous bearers include investors Win Neuger and Dan Neuger, author Christie Cozad Neuger.
NOBLE English, Scottish, Irish, FrenchNickname from Middle English, Old French
noble "high-born, distinguished, illustrious" (Latin
nobilis), denoting someone of lofty birth or character, or perhaps also ironically someone of low station...
[more] NOIR FrenchMeans "black" in French, originally used in Northern France as an ethnic nickname for someone from Southern France, Spain, Italy or North Africa. It also may have been used for someone who wore dark clothing or for someone who had an occupation during the night or was associated with the night.
NUGENT English, Irish, FrenchAn English, Irish (of Norman origin) and French habitational surname derived from any of several places in northern France (such as Nogent-sur-Oise), From Latin
novientum and apparently an altered form of a Gaulish name meaning "new settlement".
ODELIN FrenchNot to be confused with the similarly spelled
ODELÍN, which is Spanish rather than French, though they could have similar origins in name.
ODIGE French, AfricanA Name from french Odige (O.DI Zeouf) zeouf with means egg Zeouf is spelled as ge to shorten the name. This surname means fighter The French has been known to be Lovely and the language of love un-violent...
[more] ORGERON French (Cajun)From the Norman French family name Orger, which is a abbreviated form of the ancient Norman name Orglander.
PADGETT FrenchIn French the meaning of the name Padgett is: Attendant
PASTEUR FrenchFrench for "shepherd" or "preacher, pastor". Famous bearer Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), French chemist who created the first rabies vaccine, gave his name to the process of 'pasteurization'.
PEEVEY Norman, EnglishMeans "a place with a fine view". Composed of the Old French roots
beu, which means "fair" and "lovely", and
voir, which means "to see".
PENSE FrenchPense is, quite literally, a French word meaning "to think" or "thought", but is also a surname. Sometimes confused with the surname Pence, which is German.
PÉPIN FrenchFrom the Old French name
Pepis, itself a form of the given name
PÉPIN. Alternatively, it may be derived from French
pépin meaning "(fruit) seed", thus making it an occupational name for a gardener or someone who grew fruit-bearing trees.
PERDUE English, Irish, FrenchEnglish and Irish from Old French
par Dieu ‘by God’, which was adopted in Middle English in a variety of more or less heavily altered forms. The surname represents a nickname from a favorite oath...
[more] PETITJEAN FrenchCombination of Old French
petit "small" and the given name
JEAN (1), hence a nickname for a small or little man.
PEUREUX FrenchIn the war there was a French resistance fighter named Maurice Peureux.
PEYRON FrenchUnknown meaning. French surname. Famous bearer of this name is Bruno Peyron and the German princess Louise Peyron (1918-1989)....
[more] PIAGET French (Swiss)Meaning unknown. A famous bearer of this surname was Jean Piaget (1896-1980), a Swiss child psychologist noted for his studies of intellectual and cognitive development in children.
PICARD FrenchPicard is the name given to a person from Picardy, a historical region and cultural area of France. The Star Trek: Next Generation Jean-Luc Picard has this name.
PICQUET FrenchA variant of
Piquet of which it's meaning is of a military terminology of one soldier/small group of soldiers on a line forward of a postion to provide a warning of an enemy advance...
[more] PIÉNOEL French (Rare)French surname that possibly refers to the buckled shoes that the original bearer was wearing, in which case it is derived from Old French
pié meaning "foot" combined with Old French
noiel meaning "buckle"...
[more] PIGUE FrenchFrench family last name may have been changed from the original French
PIKETTY FrenchPerhaps related to the English surname
PICKETT. A notable bearer is French economist Thomas Piketty (1971-).
PILLOT FrenchMeaning unknown, possibly derived from Middle French
pilot or
pillot both meaning "stake, pole". This is the name of a wealthy merchant family from Besançon, France.
PIN French, DutchA topographic name for someone living by a pine tree or in a pine forest, or a habitational name from a place named with the Old French word
pin, meaning ‘pine’.
PITTLER FrenchA surname which originally belonged to a person who lived by a pit or hollow. Meaning "King of the Pit" or "King of the Hollow".
PLIMSOLL French (Acadian)I don't know the meaning, but it is my maiden name, and I understand it to be French. Samuel Plimsoll is my ancestor. He was born in Bristol, UK. He was an MP who spoke up in parliament and subsequently the Plimsoll or loading line was introduced on ships...
[more] PLUMIER French, BelgianPossibly an occupational name for a dealer in feathers and quills, from an agent derivative of Old French
plume "feather, plume" (compare English and Dutch
PLUMER)...
[more] POIROT French, LiteratureA French occupational name referring to a merchant who sells pears (
poire). Used by Agatha Christie for her Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot, but she came up with the name by combining the surnames
Poiret and
Popeau, the names of two contemporary fictional detectives.
POISSON FrenchPoisson is the French word for fish, and was given to one who was a fishmonger, fisherman, or could be a nickname for one who had the appearance similar to a fish.
POLAND English, German, French (Anglicized), Irish (Anglicized)English and German name is derived from the Middle High German
Polan, which means "Poland". The surname originally signified a person with Polish connections.This French surname originated from an occupational name of a poultry breeder, or from a fearful person; it is derived from the Old French
poule, which means "chicken".In other cases, particularly in Ireland, the English Poland is a variant of Polin,which is in turn an Anglicised form of the original Gaelic spelling of
Mac Póilín, which translated from Irish means "son of little Paul"...
[more] POLNAREFF FrenchMost known by famous French singer Michel Polnareff, and fictional Jojo's Bizarre Adventure character Jean-Pierre Polnareff (who is named after the singer).
PONTIFF FrenchMeans "bridge builder". Comes from the French word
pont, which means bridge. ...
[more] PORTUGAL Spanish, Portuguese, English, Catalan, French, JewishSpanish, Portuguese, Catalan, English, French, and Jewish surname meaning ethnic name or regional name for someone from Portugal or who had connections with Portugal. The name of the country derives from Late Latin Portucale, originally denoting the district around Oporto (Portus Cales, named with Latin portus ‘port’, ‘harbor’ + Cales, the ancient name of the city)...
[more] POSEY English, FrenchDerived from the Greek word "desposyni." The Desposyni is a term referring to a group of people that are allegedly direct blood relatives to Jesus. They are mentioned in Mark 3:21 and Mark 3:31. American actress Parker Posey is a famous bearer.
POTEET English, FrenchFrom the French name
Pottet, which is derived from
pot meaning "pot", originally a name for a potter.
PRÉVOST FrenchFrom Old French
prevost meaning "provost", a status name for officials in a position of responsibility.
PREVOT FrenchA prevot was a govenment position during the Ancient Régime
PRINCE English, FrenchNickname 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.
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".
PROPHET English, Scottish, French, GermanScottish, 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] PROUST FrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
preux meaning "valiant, brave". A famous bearer was Marcel Proust (1871-1922), a French writer.
PROVENCHER FrenchFrom the French word for the flower periwinkle. (pervenche) Brought to Canada from France in 1660 by Sebastien Provencher.
PROVOST English, FrenchDerived 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 FrenchFrench (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, FrenchEnglish: nickname for a redoubtable warrior, from Middle English
prou(s) ‘brave’, ‘valiant’ (Old French
proux,
preux)....
[more] PULVER Low German, French, EnglishI comes from the Latin verb meaning "to make powder." This name was given to either an alchemist or one who made gunpowder.
PUSEY FrenchHabitational name form Pusey in Haute-Saône, so named from a Gallo-Roman personal name, Pusius, + the locative suffix -acum.
RAMAGE French, ScottishFrom a medieval Scottish nickname for a hot-tempered or unpredictable person (from Old French
ramage "wild, uncontrollable" (applied to birds of prey)).
RANDEL French, GermanFrench: 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, FrenchGerman: nickname for a ragamuffin, from Middle High German
range ‘naughty boy’, ‘urchin’....
[more] RANGER English, German, FrenchEnglish: occupational name for a gamekeeper or warden, from Middle English
ranger, an agent derivative of
range(n) ‘to arrange or dispose’....
[more] 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.
RAVENEL English, FrenchHabitational 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] RAYMOND English, FrenchFrom the Norman personal name
Raimund, composed of the Germanic elements
ragin "advice, counsel" and
mund "protection".
RÉAL FrenchThis 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).
RHINE German, French, English, IrishA 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, FrenchRhoton 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.
RIEL FrenchFrench variant of
RIEHL. Most notable bearer is Canadian Métis political leader Louis Riel, best known for his Red River Rebellion.
RIVETT English, FrenchEnglish (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] ROBBEN French, DutchIt is a French surname that was originally derived from the Germanic name
ROBERT, which is composed of the elements hrod, meaning famous, and berht, meaning bright.
ROBICHEAU French (Acadian)Patronymic name derives from Robert or Robin. Origin, Poitou province of France. Emigrated to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Canada.
ROBINET FrenchDerived from the medieval French masculine given name
Robinet, which was a diminutive (as the
-et suffix indicates) of the given name
ROBIN....
[more] ROCHER FrenchFrom French
roche, meaning "rock'. It indicates a person who worked at a quarry.
ROCKETT FrenchFrom 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.
ROLAND French, German, ScottishFrench, German, English, and Scottish: from a Germanic personal name composed
hrod ‘renown’ +
-nand ‘bold’, assimilated to
-lant ‘land’. (Compare
ROWLAND)....
[more] ROMAN Catalan, French, Polish, English, German, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, BelarusianFrom the Latin personal name
ROMANUS, which originally meant "Roman". This name was borne by several saints, including a 7th-century bishop of Rouen.
ROMANA Catalan, French, Italian, Polish, English (Rare), German, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, BelarusianFrom the feminine form of the Latin personal name
ROMANUS, which originally meant "Roman".
ROSIER FrenchFrench 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, AmericanVariant 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 FrenchMeans "nightingale" in French, used as a nickname for person with a good singing voice, or ironically, for a raucous person.
ROUGE FrenchNickname for someone with a ruddy complexion.
ROUGEAU FrenchDiminutive of
Rouge, a nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion.
ROZELLE FrenchBeautiful 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.
RUELAS FrenchA 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] SABAT FrenchNickname for a noisy, rowdy person, from Middle French
sab(b)at "noise", "racket".
SABOURIN French (Quebec), French (Huguenot)Southern French surname, originally a nickname for a pleasant or amiable person, from a diminutive of
sabor meaning "flavor, taste" (Old French
saveur). The Huguenots brought this surname to England, and from there it may have been introduced to North America.
SAINT English, FrenchNickname 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.
SALE English, FrenchEnglish: 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] SANTERRE FrenchHabitational name from a place to the southeast of the Somme river, named with Latin
sana terra "healthy, wholesome land".
SARAZEN FrenchFrom 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, ItalianIn 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 FrenchMeans "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.
SAULNIER FrenchIn Middle French (the form of French spoken from 1340 to 1610), it literally means "salt merchant".
SAUVE' FrenchSauve' 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.
SAVARD FrenchEither from Old French
savart meaning "wasteland" or the Germanic elements
sab of uncertain meaning and
hard meaning "brave, hardy".
SEBERT German, FrenchFrom a German personal name composed of the elements sigi meaning "victory" + berht meaning "bright", "famous".
SOULIER FrenchMetonymic occupational name for a shoemaker, from Old French
soulier ‘shoe’, ‘sandal’....
[more] SOVEREIGN FrenchTranslation of the French surname
Souverain which is derived from Old French
souverain meaning "high place".
SOYER FrenchFrench surname (Alexis Benoist Soyer is a famous bearer).
ST-GELAIS French (Quebec)From the French place name
Saint-Gelais which was allegedly named for a 5th-century bishop of Poitiers. The name
Gelais is a variant of
GÉLASE.
STLOUIS FrenchHabitational name from any of several places named with a religious dedication to a St. Louis.
TALBERT English, FrenchFrom a continental Germanic personal name composed of the elements
tal "valley" and
berth "bright".
TALBOT English, NormanDisputed origin, but likely from a Germanic given name composed of the elements
tal "to destroy" and
bod "message". In this form the name is also found in France, taken there apparently by English immigrants; the usual French form is
TALBERT.
TALLANT English (British, ?), Norman, IrishEnglish (of Norman origin) occupational name for a tailor or nickname for a good swordsman, from
taillant ‘cutting’, present participle of Old French
tailler ‘to cut’ (Late Latin
taliare, from
talea ‘(plant) cutting’)...
[more] TALLON English, Irish, Norman, FrenchEnglish and Irish (of Norman origin), and French from a Germanic personal name derived from
tal ‘destroy’, either as a short form of a compound name with this first element (compare
TALBOT) or as an independent byname...
[more] TANGUAY French, EnglishFrom a personal name, a contraction of
Tanneguy, from Breton
tan meaning 'fire', and
ki meaning 'dog', which was the name of a 6-th century Christian saint associated with Paul Aurelian.
TAPON FrenchFrom the old French word
tapon, meaning "cork". Hence this surname was first given to corks makers.
TEMPLE English, FrenchOccupational name or habitational name for someone who was employed at or lived near one of the houses ("temples") maintained by the Knights Templar, a crusading order so named because they claimed to occupy in Jerusalem the site of the old temple (Middle English, Old French temple, Latin templum)...
[more] TERRIEN FrenchTopographic name from an adjectival derivative of
terre "land", denoting someone who lived and worked on the land, i.e. a peasant. It is Americanized frequently as Landers, and occasionally as Farmer.
THEROUX French (Quebec)Southern French (Théroux): of uncertain origin; perhaps a topographic name for someone living by "the wells", from a plural variant of Occitan théron "well".
TOURVILLE FrenchThe name Tourville is a very old, and in one case, very famous name. One of the Marshall's of France was named Anne Hilarion de Cotentin de Tourville. This reads: Anne Hilarion of/from Cotentin, Comte (Count) of Tourville...
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