Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
HuvalFrench (Cajun) The Huval name has historically been labeled German or Acadian (Cajun), however, recently more information has been discovered that shows the Huvals came directly from France.... [more]
IlesEnglish (British), French English (mainly Somerset and Gloucestershire): topographic name from Anglo-Norman French isle ‘island’ (Latin insula) or a habitational name from a place in England or northern France named with this element.
ImbertFrench From the medieval French personal name Imbert, of Germanic origin and meaning literally "vast-bright".
JanisseFrench Possibly a respelling of French Janisset, from a pet form of Jan, a variant spelling of Jean, French equivalent of John.
JaponFilipino, Spanish, French Ethnic name or regional name for someone from Japan or who had connections with Japan.
JardelFrench Of debated origin and meaning; theories include a derivation from Old French jardel, a diminutive of jard (jardin in Modern French), meaning "garden".
JardinFrench, English Derived from Old French jardin meaning "enclosure, garden", hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a garden or a metonymic occupational name for someone who worked as a gardener.
JayEnglish, French Nickname from Middle English, Old French jay(e), gai "jay (the bird)", probably referring to an idle chatterer or a showy person, although the jay was also noted for its thieving habits.
JeanpetitFrench Means "little Jean" from Old French petit "small" and the given name Jean, originally a nickname for a small man called Jean (or applied ironically to a large man), or a distinguishing epithet for the younger of two men named Jean.... [more]
JereFrench Derived from the personal name Jerome, which is derived from the Greek name Hieronymos, meaning “sacred name.” Jerome was a saint who was known for translating the Bible into Latin.
JeterFrench (Huguenot), German Jeter is a French and German surname. It is the last name of former New York Yankees baseball player, Derek Jeter. It's also the last name of Carmelita Jeter, an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 meter sprint.
JobEnglish, French, German, Hungarian English, French, German, and Hungarian from the personal name Iyov or Job, borne by a Biblical character, the central figure in the Book of Job, who was tormented by God and yet refused to forswear Him... [more]
JolicoeurFrench (Quebec), Haitian Creole From Old French joli "joyful, cheerful" and cuer "heart". It was originally a nickname for a cheerful person. This was a frequent French Canadian secondary surname (or dit name).
JuneauFrench A nickname for someone who is "young"
JupinFrench from a diminutive of Old French jupe a term denoting a long woolen garment hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller (or a nickname for a wearer) of such garments. This word ultimately derives from Arabic.
KellnerGerman, Dutch, Jewish, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, French German, Dutch and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational or status name from the Middle Low German kelner, the Middle High German kelnære, the Middle Dutch kel(le)nare and the German kellner#, all meaning "cellarman"... [more]
KerbowFrench Possibly derived from the French word 'corbeau', meaning "raven".
KerouacFrench (Quebec) Variant form of Kirouac. This name was borne by the American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), who was a pioneer of the Beat Generation, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.
KirouacFrench (Quebec) From an unidentified place name in Brittany, France, derived from Breton kaer, caer, ker meaning "fortified settlement" and an unknown given name.
LabontéFrench (Quebec), Haitian Creole, Mauritian Creole From French la bonté meaning "(the) kindness, (the) goodness", originally used as a soldier's name and perhaps also as a nickname for a benevolent person. This surname is rare in France.
LabordeFrench Derived from the French word borde meaning "small farm" (from Frankish bord meaning "plank") with the definite article la. This is an occupational surname for a tenant farmer.
LabossiereFrench Norman habitational name from a common village name La Boissière, meaning 'wooded area', from bois 'wood'. possibly a metronymic, from a feminine derivative of Bossier 'cooper', denoting the 'wife of the cooper'.
LabrieFrench Topographic name from l’abri meaning "the shelter", or a habitational name from a place named with this word.
LaBrieFrench Referred to a person who came from various places named Brie in France, for example Brie-sous-Matha, a commune in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France.
LacombeFrench French (western and southwestern): topographic name for someone living in or near a ravine, from la combe ‘the ravine’ (a word of Gaulish origin, related to English Combe).... [more]
LacourFrench topographic or occupational name for someone who lived at or was employed at a manorial court (see also Court).
LafayetteFrench The name of Marquis de Lafayette; a famous French man during the revolutionary war.
LafitteFrench French: topographic name for someone who lived near a boundary mark, Old French fitte (Late Latin fixta petra ‘fixed stone’, from the past participle of figere ‘to fix or fasten’), or habitational name from any of several places in western France named with this word
LaflashFrench (Quebec, Anglicized) Anglicization of the name "Richer dit Laflèche." Richer comes from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements ric ‘power(ful)’ + hari, heri ‘army.' Laflèche is a reference to La Flèche, a town in historical Anjou, France... [more]
LaflècheFrench (Quebec) A French-Canadian secondary surname from "Richer dit Laflèche," used independently since 1746. Laflèche is derived from the French town of La Flèche, in the former province of Anjou.
LafleurFrench, French (Caribbean) from la fleur "the flower" used as a soldier's name and also as a servant's name; it was one of the most common nicknames (noms de guerre) among French soldiers.
LafrenièreFrench Topographic name derived from French frenière meaning "place of ash trees". It is often Americanised as Freeman.
LagardeFrench Habitational name from Lagarde or La Garde names of several places in various parts of France named in Old French with garde "watch protection" (see Garde).
LagasseFrench French: nickname from Old French agace, agasse ‘magpie’ + the definite article l’.
LagrangeFrench French: topographic name for someone who lived by a granary, a variant of Grange, with the definite article la.
LaguerreFrench Nickname for a belligerent person or a valiant soldier from old French guerre "war" (from Latin werra) with fused article la.
LahaieFrench Locational name for someone who lived near a hedge or large bush, from old French "La" the and "Haie" hedge.
LahayeFrench, Walloon topographic name with the definite article la from Old French haye "hedge" (see Haye ) or a habitational name from La Haye the name of several places in various parts of France and in Belgium (Wallonia) named with this word... [more]
LalondeFrench Habitational name from any of various places in Normandy called La Londe, from the French feminine definite article la combined with Old Norse lundr meaning "grove".
LambillotteFrench (Modern) Currently, a common name in Wallonia, Belgium with some descendants in USA. Believed to be derived from three terms..."lamb" "ill" "otte". The first term has remained unchanged from early Germanic term; the second is latin for "of the" and the third a dimiuative or feminine form suffix... [more]
LamoreeFrench From the nickname "the loved one" derived from the French word amour meaning "love" from (Latin amor).
LamourFrench From Old French l'amour "(the) friendship bond" used as a nickname for a kindly individual derived from the French word amour "love" (from Latin amor).
LamoureauxFrench Means "the lover" in French. It would be the nickname of an amorous person.
LandeFrench, Norwegian, Jewish French: topographic name for someone living on a heath, lande (from Gaulish landa ‘space’, ‘land’), or a habitational name from any of numerous minor places named La Lande from this word.... [more]
LanierFrench, English Occupational name designating one who worked in the wool trade (see Lane 2), derived from Old French lanier (ultimately from laine) meaning "wool", or for a keeper of donkeys, from Old French asnier literally "donkey keeper, donkey driver"... [more]
LaporteFrench Topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town (and often was in charge of them; thus in part a metonymic occupational name), from Old French porte "gateway", "entrance" (from Latin porta, "door", "entrance"), with the definite article la... [more]
LargeFrench, English Originally a nickname derived from Middle English and Old French large "generous".
LarivièreFrench (Modern) From the region of Bourgoigne, in France, meaning 'the river'. The name is likely a topographic reference to the physical location, likely a river in this case.
LaroseFrench Topographic name for someone who lived at a place where wild roses grew; or a habitational name from a town house bearing the sign of a rose. It may also have been a nickname for a man with a ‘rosy’ complexion, as well as a nickname of a soldier... [more]
LasalleFrench 1. French: local name or occupational name for someone who lived or worked at a manor house, from Old French sal(e) ‘hall’ (modern French salle; see also Sale), with the definite article la... [more]
LascellesFrench French location name from Lacelle in Orne, northern France and referring to "small rooms or cells inhabited by monks".
LatourFrench Either a topographic name for someone who lived near a tower usually a defensive fortification or watchtower from Old French tūr "tower"; or a habitational name from any of various places called Latour or La Tour named with this word.
LaverdièreFrench Habitational name from various places named La Verdière in France, or a variant of the name Leverdier (see Verdier).
LaverdiereFrench (Quebec) Said to be a locational or occupational name related to land and greenery. Related to the Cauchons, descended from Quebec. A noble Paris woman was sent to Quebec for marriage in the 17th century.
LavieFrench Dialectal variant of French voie "way, road", ultimately from Latin via "road, street, path", combined with the French feminine article la.
LavioletteFrench, French (Quebec), French (Acadian) A secondary surname, associated with some forty family names in Canada and also used independently since 1698, a nickname from the flower violette ‘violet’, with the definite article la. In feudal France it was a name given to soldiers and domestic servants.
LebleuFrench From French bleu "blue" with the masculine element le from a nickname for someone who wore blue clothes with blue eyes or a person with a bluish complexion.
LeBoeufFrench Nickname for a powerfully built man, derived from French boeuf meaning "bull", with the definite article le. In some cases it may have been originally a metonymic occupational name for a herdsman.
LebonFrench Approbatory (or ironic) nickname from le bon "the good" a variant of Bon with fused masculine definite article le.
LecomteFrench Nickname for someone in the service of a count or for someone who behaved pretentiously from Old French elements contecunte "count" with fused masculine definite article le. Variant of Lecompte and Comte.
LeconteFrench from the Old French title of rank conte ‘count’, an occupational name for a servant in the household of a count or who was one.
LedgerEnglish, Norman, French, Dutch English: from a Norman personal name, Leodegar, Old French Legier, of Germanic origin, composed of the elements liut ‘people’, ‘tribe’ + gar, ger ‘spear’... [more]
LedouxFrench Means "the amiable" from French doux meaning "sweet, soft, gentle".
LeducFrench, Breton From the Old French title of rank duc "duke" (from Latin dux "leader" genitive ducis) with the French masculine definite article le used as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces or else as a metonymic occupational name for a servant employed in a ducal household.
LefilsFrench, Haitian Creole Derived from French le "the" and fils "son". This was originally a nickname to distinguish a son from his father with the same given name.
LefortFrench, Walloon Either a nickname from French le fort "the strong" (see Fort ). It is also found in Germany where it is probably of Alsatian origin (compare Lefor ) and in Haiti where it most likely originates from the nickname Lefort... [more]
LefrançoisFrench From the given name François. It may also mean "the Frenchman", probably used to denote someone who came from the region of Île de France in France.
Le GallFrench From a nickname which means “the Gaul”.
LegaultNorman (Gallicized) From the French "le Gaul," meaning simply "the Gaul." Gaul refers to the northern part of modern-day France.
LegendreFrench relationship name from Old French gendre "son-in-law" (from Latin gener) with fused masculine definite article le.
LemaîtreFrench Means "the master" in French, either used as a nickname for someone who behaved in a masterful manner or an occupational name for someone who was a master of their craft.
LemassFrench, Irish Meaning uncertain. It may be derived from Old French maistre meaning "master", ultimately from Latin magister (see Masterson). Another theory holds that it comes from Irish Gaelic Laighmheasa, a given name meaning "dispatch"... [more]
LemercierFrench French surname designating a vendor of sewing materials, from the word mercier.
LenoirFrench French surname which was originally a nickname for a person with dark hair or skin, derived from noir "black" combined with the definite article le. A famous bearer is Étienne Lenoir (1822 - 1900), the inventor of the internal combustion engine.
LéotardFrench From the given name Leopold. Jules Léotard was an acrobat who popularized the leotard, a gymnastics garment. The garment is named after him.