Browse Submitted Surnames

This is a list of submitted surnames in which the usage is French; and the first letter is R.
usage
letter
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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.
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".
Ramsamy Indian (Gallicized), French (African)
Contracted form of Ramasamy, found on the island of Mauritius.
Rancourt French (Quebec)
Habitational name from places in France named Rancourt.
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.
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, 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]
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).
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
Reiss German, Jewish, French (Huguenot)
German: variant of Reis or from any of several Germanic personal names composed with ric ‘power(ful)’. Also from the French Huguenot forename Ris, rendered as Reis and Reiss.... [more]
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.
Renan Breton, French (Rare)
From the given name Renan.
Renaudin French
From the given name Renaud.
René French
From the given name René.
Rétif French
Derived from French rétif "restive; rebellious".
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]
Revord French (Quebec)
Comes from the French surname of Rivard, a geographical name for someone who lived on a river bank. The -ard ending is changed to -ord in Canadian and American French.
Rheims French
From the city of Reims in France, also known as Rheims in English.
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.
Ribéry French
Indicated a person from La Ribeyre, a town in the Auvergne region of France, which translates to "the riverbank". The former French soccer player Franck Ribéry (1983-) is a famous bearer of this name.
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
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.
Riquier French
From the given name Riquier and a variant of Richer.
Ris French (Huguenot)
Surname of unknown meaning.
Ritchings French, German, English
This surname has at least three distinct separate origins. ... [more]
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"
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.
Robicheau French (Acadian)
Patronymic name derives from Robert or Robin. Origin, Poitou province of France. Emigrated to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Canada.
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.
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.
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]
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".
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.
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.
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.
Rou French
Variant of Roux.
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.
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.
Rubble English, Norman
From given name Rumbald or from the English word "rubble"
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]
Rundlett French
this is a french word for little wine barrels.