Most people today know France as the fashion capital of the world, it's also known as the land of delicious cuisine and fantastic people. One of the most famous countries in Europe, France is known for it's food, language, style, fashion and of course; names. French names are very different from regular English names, it's quite possible that the first names might be very similar but the last names are very different and equally difficult to pronounce. The concept of French last names or descriptive names can be traced back to 11th century France when the concept of last names had been born. The introduction of last names became extremely important because it was getting very difficult to distinguish between individuals with the same first name.
Today French people have normally one, two or more given names. Only the first name is used on a daily basis and the remaining two are only used when the individual is dealing with social documentation. According to reports, a child's last name until recently was his father's. In some cases where the father's identity was unknown or for some reason the father's name could not be discussed, the child inherited the mother's name. A new law introduced in the land of French allows both the parents to choose a last name which they can use for all their offspring. In most cases the child is given the father's or mother's name but some parents also use two last names which are also known as double barreled names. Here's a similar article on Russian last names.
Most Popular French Last Names
As mentioned before, most last names were picked from the parent's name. While some of them were occupational last names; meaning the names were based on the job the person was doing, other last names were also decided on the unique personality traits of an individual and lastly geographical locations also played a very important role in deciding an individual's last name. Here are some of the most common French last names.
Popular French Last Names List
In France the word 'Surnom' (surname) means above the first name. Other than the statistics provided above, here are some more examples of French last names which are very common.
* Agnew
* Case
* Ashby
* Aston
* Darrell
* Bigler
* Beecher
* Barclay
* Frair
* Bodine
* Everard
* Hayman
* Maigny
* Neff
* Ramsden
* Vidal
* Walter
* Wickliff
* Grainville
* Burby
* Bucher
So this was all about French last names and their origins. Even though two last names can be given to a kid in France, most couples prefer using the father's name for their young ones. Hope this article was an informative, feedback is always welcome.
Today French people have normally one, two or more given names. Only the first name is used on a daily basis and the remaining two are only used when the individual is dealing with social documentation. According to reports, a child's last name until recently was his father's. In some cases where the father's identity was unknown or for some reason the father's name could not be discussed, the child inherited the mother's name. A new law introduced in the land of French allows both the parents to choose a last name which they can use for all their offspring. In most cases the child is given the father's or mother's name but some parents also use two last names which are also known as double barreled names. Here's a similar article on Russian last names.
Most Popular French Last Names
As mentioned before, most last names were picked from the parent's name. While some of them were occupational last names; meaning the names were based on the job the person was doing, other last names were also decided on the unique personality traits of an individual and lastly geographical locations also played a very important role in deciding an individual's last name. Here are some of the most common French last names.
| Last Name | Numbers | Meaning |
| Martin | 235,846 | From Saint Martin, a patron saint of the French Land |
| Bernard | 105,132 | Saint Bernard, bold as a bear |
| Dubois | 95,998 | Belonging to the woods |
| Thomas | 95,387 | From Saint Thomas, the famous disciple of Jesus |
| Robert | 91,393 | This last name is derived from the German language and it means bright flame |
| Richard | 90,689 | This royal name means a hard rule which should be followed |
| Petit | 88,318 | Small in size |
| Durand | 84,252 | It's derived from the term Durandus which means ever lasting in Latin language |
| Leroy | 78,868 | This name symbolizes a warrior |
| Moreau | 78,177 | Medium dark complexion |
| Simon | 76,655 | From the world famous saint Simon |
| Laurent | 75,307 | derived from Saint Laurent |
| Michel | 74,318 | Derived from Hebrew language which means someone similar to God |
| Garcia | 68,720 | A very popular last name in the Spanish language, it means grace |
| David | 61,762 | It comes from the Hebrew language, the term in Hebrew means beloved |
| Bertrand | 59,817 | Term from the German language which means bright and energetic |
| Roux | 59,440 | One with red hair |
| Vincent | 57,351 | From saint Vincent, in Latin it means a winner |
| Fournier | 57,047 | A baker by profession |
| Morel | 56,760 | Someone with a dark complexion |
| Girard | 55,642 | From the German language, it means as bold as a spear |
| André | 55,228 | Giant or manly |
| Lefèvre | 53,670 | A Smith |
| Mercier | 53,622 | A shopkeeper |
| Dupont | 53,405 | Derived from the Latin word "Pons" meaning bridge |
| Lambert | 51,543 | Land of the light |
| Bonnet | 50,999 | One who makes bonnet |
| François | 50,612 | The one from France |
| Martinez | 49,762 | Son of Mars |
Popular French Last Names List
In France the word 'Surnom' (surname) means above the first name. Other than the statistics provided above, here are some more examples of French last names which are very common.
* Agnew
* Case
* Ashby
* Aston
* Darrell
* Bigler
* Beecher
* Barclay
* Frair
* Bodine
* Everard
* Hayman
* Maigny
* Neff
* Ramsden
* Vidal
* Walter
* Wickliff
* Grainville
* Burby
* Bucher
So this was all about French last names and their origins. Even though two last names can be given to a kid in France, most couples prefer using the father's name for their young ones. Hope this article was an informative, feedback is always welcome.
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