Almost 70 million people live in France, people whose origins are very varied given the geographical position of the French nation. A mixture of Germanic, Roman and even Basque influences, France has great diversity when it comes to its surnames.
In this country we can find genuinely French surnames written in both modern and medieval French, Basque, Occitan and German. Some originate from professions and others come from the names of places, and today we are going to discover What are the most common French surnames today? and what is its origin.
France is a country that currently has 67 million people. The French country has received all types of cultures throughout its history, so it is not strange that among its population there are people with surnames of multiple linguistic origins, especially Germanic and Roman. Although most French surnames are in modern French, there are many that preserve variations of medieval French, Occitan and even Basque and German.
In the following sections we are going to discover the origin of the 80 most common French surnames.
1. Martin
The surname Martin It is the most common surname throughout France and practically the most common in all departments of the country It comes from the Latin name Martinus, popularized in the French country by the figure of Saint Martin, Christian evangelizer in ancient Gaul.
2.Bernard
Bernard is, in addition to a name, a very popular surname in France. This derives from the Germanic term “Bernhard”, which means “strong bear” and was a very common name among warriors from Roman Germany.
3. Thomas
The surname Thomas is of biblical origin and was popularized in France thanks to the figure of the apostle Judas Thomas Didymus and, also, by Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury in the 12th century. The name Thomas means “twin” in Aramaic.
4. Petit
Petit is a French surname that literally means “small.” Its origin is probably that of baptizing a short man with this surname.
5. Robert
Robert is a surname and first name of a person, of Germanic origin. It comes from the term “Hrodberht”, which means “illustrious glory”.
6.Richard
Richard is a surname and name also of Germanic origin. It comes from the word “Richhard”, meaning “rich man” and it was common to give it to men with great wealth during the Middle Ages.
7. Durand
Durand comes from the Latin name “durandus”, a term that derives from the verb “durare”, which means “to harden” or “to be obstinate”.
8. Dubois
Dubois is a very common surname in northern, western and central France. It is a toponymic surname, that is, refers to a place, in this case referring to a house or property near a forest In fact, this surname literally means “from the forest.”
9. Moreau
Moreau is a surname whose origin is descriptive. It is read “moró” and refers to a person whose skin is dark, comparing it to that of the Muslims of Iberia and the south of France in the Middle Ages.
Laurent comes from the Latin word “laurus”, which means laurel or laurel wreath. Men from athletic societies used to be called that.
11. Simon
Simon is a French given name and surname whose origin is found in the Bible. It comes from the ancient Hebrew “Shim’on”, the name of the 1st century apostle and martyr Simon the Zealot.
12. Michael
Michel is a very common French name and surname that comes, like many others, from the Bible. Its origin is in Mikael, the name given to the archangel protector of God’s people.
13. Lefebvre
Lefebvre is a very common surname throughout France, but especially in the Lille region (Northern France). It is a spelling variation of the surname Lefevre, which ironically despite this being the correct standard form, is less common. Lefebvre comes from the Old French “febvre”, meaning “blacksmith”.
14. Leroy
Leroy is a very common surname in the north and northwest of France. Its origin is in the name given to whoever won a game of the bow game.
15. Roux
Roux is a surname widespread in central France, originally used to describe a red-haired person.
16. David
David is a surname that comes from the homonymous proper name and is of biblical origin. It means “well loved,” popularized as the name of one of the kings of Israel and Judea.
17. Bertrand
Bertrand is a proper name whose origin comes from the ancient Germanic “Berhauthramm”, composed of “berhaut”, which means “famous, renowned” and “hramm”, which means “raven”.
18. Morel
Morel has the same origin as the surname Moreau referring to a dark-skinned person.
19. Fournier
Fournier is a surname that has its origins in the baker’s profession. Today a baker is called a “boulanger” in modern French, but in the old d’oïl and d’òc languages the term “fournier” was used, literally meaning “baker” and cognate with the word “forner” in Catalan.
20. Girard
Girard is a variation of the old Germanic word “Gerhard,” a combination of “ger,” meaning spear, and “hard,” meaning hard. It is another surname whose origin is the name of some Germanic warrior.
21. Bonnet
Bonnet comes from the Latin word “bonitus”, derived in turn from “bonus” and which means good or good. This surname became popular with the figure of Saint Bonnet of Clermont, a religious figure from the 7th century.
22. Dupont
Dupont is a toponymic surname, referring to a house or property located near a bridge because, literally, means “of the bridge”
23. Lambert
Lambert has its origin in the Germanic word “Landberht”, composed of “land”, meaning land or country, and “berht”, meaning famous or illustrious.
24. Fontaine
Fontaine comes from the medieval Latin “fontana”, which means both a source of water and a source of resources.
25. Rousseau
Rousseau is a very common surname in the center and west of the French nation. Its origin is to refer to a person with reddish hair.
26. Vincent
Vincent is a French name and surname, coming from the Latin name Vincentius whose meaning is victor. He was popularized with the figure of the Hispano-Roman martyr Vicente de Huesca, executed in the 3rd century.
27. Muller
Muller is a very common surname in the region of Alsace-Lorraine, currently in the French state but with German culture. In German “Müller” means “miller”.
28. Faure
Faure is a very common surname in the southeastern French region. It is a word of Occitan origin, equivalent to the surname Lefebvre or Lefevre in French and means “blacksmith”.
29. Andre
André comes from the ancient Greek “andros” which refers to a very virile and brave man.
30. Mercier
Mercier is very common in the north and west of France. It is an old French word that means “peddler.”
31. White
Blanc is a very common surname in the south of France and refers to a person who has very white hair.
Guerin is a surname whose origin, like many others in France, is Germanic. It comes from the German word “warino”, which means “war or war paraphernalia”.
33. Boyer
Boyer is a very common surname in central France. It is a variation of the surname Bouvier, and means “person who protects the oxen.”
34. Garnier
Garnier is of Germanic origin. His origin is the same as that of the surname Guerin, derived from the word “warino” and related to the world of war.
35. Chevalier
Chevalier is a surname that in modern French literally means “knight.” Its origin would go back to the Vulgar Latin “caballus”, a term more popular in Roman Gaul and Hispania than “equus” from the Latin spoken by the elites.
36. Francois
François is both a surname and a French given name, derived from the Latin name Franciscus. It refers to everything related to the Franks and was popularized by the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi.
37. Legrand
Legrand is a surname widespread in the north and northwest of France. Its meaning does not have much mystery, since in modern French it means “the great one”, referring to a person of large proportions.
38. Gauthier
Gauthier is a surname of Germanic origin, coming from the word “Ealdhari”, composed of “waldan”, which means “to govern” and “hari”, which means “armed”.
39. Garcia
García is a surname of Spanish origin but very common in France, especially in the Spanish-Galatian border regions, such as Iparralde (French Basque Country) or Languedoc-Roussillon (Northern Catalonia). It comes from the Basque “artz”, which means “bear”.
40. Perrin
Perrin is a surname derived from the French given name Pierre which in turn comes from the Latin name Petrus, which means “stone or rock.”
41. Robin
Robin is a familiar form of the proper name Robert, which as we have mentioned before is Germanic and means “illustrious glory.”
42. Clement
Clement is a proper name that comes from the Latin name Clementis, derived from “clemens”, which means “clement” or “peaceful”. It is a surname and name that became very popular with the figure of Catholic bishops and popes.
43. Morin
Morin is a nickname closely related to the surnames Moreau and Morel, referring to a person of Moorish appearance.
44. Nicolas
Nicolas comes from the Greek name Nikelaos, composed of “Nike”, “victory” and “laos”, “people”. It means “victorious people.”
45. Henry
Henry It is a given name and surname that comes from the Germanic term “Haimrich” composed of “haim”, which means “house” and “rich”, which means “powerful and rich”.
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46. Roussel
The surname Roussel has its origins in Old French and refers to a person who has fire-colored, reddish or orange hair.
47. Mathieu
Mathieu comes from the Hebrew biblical name Mattai, which means “two of God.”
48. Masson
Masson is a surname of curious origin, since This is the result of an apheresis of the name Thomasson , removing the first syllable of that surname. His origin is the same as that of the surname Thomas.
49. Marchand
Marchand is a very common surname in Normandy and Picardy. It means “merchant”.
50. Duval
Duval is a toponymic surname, referring to a house that is located near a valley, which in fact means “of the valley.”
51. Denis
Denis is a name and surname whose origin is in the name of the Greek god Dionysus, the god of wine and delirium.
52. Dumont
Dumont is another toponymic surname that refers to a house located at high altitude. It literally means “from the mountain.”
53. Maria
Marie is both a first name and a surname. Its origin is Aramaic and has a direct relationship with the figure of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. This surname is also related to the name Miriam.
54. Lemaire
Lemaire is a surname that refers to the profession of municipal magistrate. In fact, “le maire” in French would translate as “the mayor.”
Noël is a name and surname that It is derived from the Latin word “natalis”, which means “birth” Noël is the French word for Christmas.
56. Meyer
Meyer is a surname of German origin, very common in Alsace-Lorraine. Its historical origins can be found in the Israelite name “meier”, related to light and everything that is luminous.
57. Dufour
Dufour is a surname that means “of the oven” in French, referring to the profession of baker.
58. Meunier
Meunier is a surname widespread throughout France and means “miller.”
59. Brun
Brun means “brown” and refers to a person who has hair of that color.
60. Blanchard
Blanchard It is a very common surname in Normandy It derives from the French “blanc”, that is, “white”, and refers to a person who has gray hair. It is also related to the Germanic word “Blankhard”, which would mean “hard and bright”.
61. Giraud
Giraud is a variation of Geraud, whose meaning is “war spear.”
62. Jolly
Joly is a surname that derives from the ancient celebrations of Yule, the equivalent of Christmas in the Scandinavian world. In fact, in Swedish Jul means Christmas, a term cognate with the surname Joly. It also means joyful or gentle. 63. Riviere
The surname Riviere can be translated as “ribera” in Spanish. It is a toponymic surname that refers to a place located near a river.
64. Lucas
Lucas is a given name and surname that comes from the Latin “lux”, which means “light”.
65. Brunet
Brunet is a derivative of “brun,” which means “chestnut.”
66. Gaillard
Gaillard is a surname that has the same origin as the Spanish Gallardo It refers to a person who is vigorous and corpulent in appearance.
67. Barbier
Barbier is a surname whose origin is in the barber profession.
68. Arnaud
Arnaud is a common male surname in the southern regions of France. Derived from “Arnwald”, which means “ruling eagle”.
69. Martinez
Martínez is a Spanish name, very common in French Catalonia, which means “son of Martin”.
70. Gerard
Gerard is a surname whose origin is the same as that of Giraud and Girard, meaning “hard spear.”
71. Roche
Roche is a toponymic surname, common in regions where the landscape is dominated by rocks
72. Renard
Renard is a name that is derived from the Germanic term “Raginhard”, composed of “ragin”, which means “advice” and “hard”, “hard”.
73. Schmitt
Schmitt, also written as Schmidt, is a common surname in Alsace-Lorraine and other Germanic countries. It means “blacksmith”.
74. Roy
Roy has the same origin as the surname Leroy, referring to a person who has won an archery competition.
75. Leroux
Leroux is a very common surname in northwest France and It has its origins in describing a person with red hair
76. Colin
Colin is a surname that arises as apheresis of Nicolin, diminutive of Nicolas. Its origin is the same as that of the surname Nicolas, meaning “victorious people.”
77. Vidal
Vidal is the Occitan form of the name Vial, derived from the Latin “vitalis”.
78. Caron
Caron is a surname that derives from the name of a saint from the city of Chartres from the 5th century.
79. Picard
Picard is a common surname, originating from the region of Picardy.
80. Roger
Roger is a personal name and surname derived from “Hrodgari”, composed of “hrod”, meaning “glory”, and “gari”, meaning “spear”.
What is the origin of French surnames?
Given that France is located in one of the areas of Europe in which historically there has been greater linguistic and ethnic diversity, it is worth noting that French surnames are not only those derived from French-speaking families or even Gallo-Romantic languages. in general. For example, Surnames like Dagorn or Follorou, quite common in the west of the country, have their origin in Breton a Celtic language (we must not forget that the regions with the strongest and oldest Celtic roots are not the British Isles, but Central Europe and places like the Iberian System in the case of Spain).
Similarly, in the south of France there are also many families with Catalan (in the Pyrénées-Orientales department) or Basque (in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department) surnames, and even today Basque is the third most common language. spoken after French and Spanish in the Iparralde region).
On the other hand, today The French country is one of the main migration destinations for people from Africa, something that has contributed to the diversity of surnames skyrocketing in the last decades. In any case, as we can see, the most common French surnames continue to be those that have an origin historically linked to French-speaking families.
