About French Surnames

There are two types of French surnames: those coming from the Frankish Empire and those brought in by the Norman settlers in the tenth century. Last names began as epithets attached either after the name or to the name, e.g., Pepin the Short or Charlemagne (Charles the Great). This tendency goes back to the Dark Ages but was restricted to the aristocracy.

When the Normans invaded England in 1066, they added epithets that named their estates in Normandy - Robert de Montgomerie, for example. If they didn’t have an estate, they took the name of the province or town from whence they came - Piers de Paris.

By the twelfth century, some names had become hereditary, and by the thirteenth century they had become common. The handing down of name from father to son was firmly established by the fifteenth century.

One interesting point about the Normans is that before hereditary surnames became commonplace, families stuck to a few names that alternated by generation. George would name his son after his own father, Gilbert, and when Gilbert grew to manhood and had a son, that son would be named George.

Surnames are descriptive, patronymic, or based on place or occupation.

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, biblical names became very popular: Peter, John, Jean, Luke and so on. After the French Revolution, names were restricted to a list of French names that bore no resemblance to foreign words or names. Throughout French history, Teutonic, Norse, Slavic, Latin and Danish names have been used.

The article de (meaning of) between names was usually reserved for the nobility and denoted lands or estates the man held. Le means simply "the" and has been used with occupation or descriptive names.