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Creole Last Names

These Creole last names come from Louisiana Creole families and from the French Creole world of Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Each name is listed A to Z with notes on where it is found.

192 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Ah-Chuen

    Sino-Mauritian surname; Hakka Chinese origin

  • Anelka

    Martinican Creole; origin uncertain

  • Ardoin

    Louisiana Creole, Prairie Creole family; French origin

  • Aubéry

    Martinican béké Creole family; French, from Aubry

  • Auzenne

    Louisiana Creole, St. Landry Parish; possibly French origin

B

  • Baillif

    Réunion Creole; French for bailiff

  • Balthazar

    Louisiana Creole of color, Cane River; after the Magus

  • Bangou

    Guadeloupean Creole; origin uncertain

  • Baquet

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans musical family; French origin

  • Barallon

    Seychellois Creole; French origin

  • Barbarin

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans musical family; French origin

  • Barthé

    Louisiana Creole; French, from Bartholomew

  • Batiste

    Louisiana Creole spelling of Baptiste; New Orleans

  • Bébel-Gisler

    Guadeloupean Creole; compound surname

  • Bechet

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Bègue

    Réunion Creole; French for stammerer

  • Bérenger

    Mauritian Franco-Creole; Germanic for bear spear

  • Bienvenu

    Louisiana Creole; French for welcome

  • Bigard

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Bissol

    Martinican Creole; French origin

  • Bonnelame

    Seychellois Creole; French for good blade

  • Boré

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Bouligny

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Boutte

    Louisiana Creole; French origin

  • Boyer

    Réunion Creole; French for cattle herder

  • Bringier

    Louisiana Creole planter family; French origin

  • Broyard

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

C

  • Cadet

    Haitian Creole; French for younger son

  • Carrière

    Louisiana Creole, zydeco family; French for quarry

  • Casenave

    Louisiana Creole; Gascon for new house

  • Casimir

    Mauritian and Haitian Creole; from Polish Kazimierz, Slavic kazi- (destroy) and mir (peace)

  • Célestin

    Haitian Creole; French for heavenly

  • Césaire

    Martinican Creole; French for Caesar

  • Chamoiseau

    Martinican Creole; French origin

  • Charbonnet

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French for little charcoal burner

  • de Chazal

    Mauritian Franco-Creole family; French origin

  • Chenier

    Louisiana Creole, zydeco family; French for oak ridge

  • Chéry

    Haitian Creole; French for cherished

  • Christophe

    Haitian Creole; French for Christopher

  • Clain

    Réunion Creole; French origin

  • Collendavelloo

    Mauritian surname of Tamil origin

  • Condé

    Guadeloupean Creole; French place name, river confluence

  • Confiant

    Martinican Creole; French for trusting

  • Crusol

    Martinican Creole; French origin

D

  • Damas

    French Guianese Creole; possibly from Saint Damasus or Damascus

  • Damour

    Réunion Creole; French for of love

  • Dédé

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French pet form of names

  • Dejan

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Dejoie

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French for of joy

  • Delafose

    Louisiana Creole, zydeco family; French for of the ditch

  • Derbigny

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Desdunes

    Louisiana Creole of color; French for of the dunes

  • Désir

    Haitian Creole; French for desire

  • Désiré

    Mauritian and Seychellois Creole; French for desired

  • Deslonde

    Louisiana Creole; French origin

  • Despointes

    Martinican béké Creole family; French for of the points

  • Dessalines

    Haitian Creole; name of Haiti's founding father

  • Destréhan

    Louisiana Creole planter family; French origin

  • Dieudonné

    Haitian Creole; French for given by God

  • Dijoux

    Réunion Creole; French origin

  • Donato

    Louisiana Creole of color, Opelousas; Italian for given

  • Dorsainvil

    Haitian Creole; French origin

  • Dorvil

    Haitian Creole; French origin

  • Duconge

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Dupart

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Dupré

    Louisiana Creole, Cane River; French for of the meadow

  • Duval

    Mauritian Creole; French for of the valley

E

  • Éboué

    French Guianese Creole; origin uncertain

  • Esnard

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Estimé

    Haitian Creole; French for esteemed

  • Ethève

    Réunion Creole; French origin

  • Étienne

    Haitian Creole; French for Stephen

  • Exantus

    Haitian Creole; Latinized surname of uncertain origin

F

  • Fanon

    Martinican Creole; French origin

  • Faure

    Seychellois Creole; Occitan for smith

  • Fils-Aimé

    Haitian Creole; French for beloved son

  • Fontaine

    Réunion Creole; French for spring or fountain

  • Forstall

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; Irish origin

  • Fortier

    Louisiana Creole; French for fort keeper

G

  • Gauvin

    Réunion Creole; French form of Gawain

  • Gayarré

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; Spanish-Basque origin

  • Glapion

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Glissant

    Martinican Creole; spells French glissant, sliding, but reportedly an anagram of Senglis, a planter's name

  • Gonthier

    Réunion Creole; Germanic for battle army

  • Grima

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; Maltese origin

  • Grondin

    Réunion Creole; French for grumbler

  • Guillory

    Louisiana Creole and French, St. Landry; possibly from a pet form of Guillaume

H

  • Haydel

    Louisiana German Coast Creole; German origin

  • Hayot

    Martinican béké Creole family; French origin

  • Hoarau

    Réunion Creole; French origin, very common

  • Hoareau

    Seychellois and Réunion Creole; variant of Hoarau

  • Honoré

    Louisiana Creole; French for honored

J

  • Jalton

    Guadeloupean Creole; French origin

  • Jean-Baptiste

    Haitian and Antillean Creole; French for John the Baptist

  • Jean-Louis

    Haitian and Réunion Creole; French compound name

  • Jolicoeur

    Haitian and Mauritian Creole; French for pretty heart

  • Joseph

    Haitian and Caribbean Creole; Hebrew for he will add

  • Juste

    Mauritian and Haitian Creole; French for just

L

  • L'Aimable

    Mauritian Creole; French for the kindly one

  • Labat

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; Gascon for the abbot

  • Labranche

    Louisiana German Coast Creole; Frenchified German Zweig, branch

  • Labrosse

    Seychellois Creole; French for the brushwood

  • Lacour

    Louisiana Creole; French for the court

  • Lafitte

    Louisiana Creole; Gascon for boundary stone

  • Lagesse

    Mauritian Franco-Creole family; French origin

  • Lamour

    Haitian Creole; French for love

  • Lanusse

    Louisiana Creole of color; Gascon place name

  • Laporte

    Seychellois Creole; French for the door or gate

  • Lauret

    Réunion Creole; possibly a pet form of Laurent

  • Laval

    Mauritian Creole; French place name, the valley

  • Laveau

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; possibly French veau, calf, or vau, valley

  • Lebon

    Réunion Creole; French for the good

  • Lemelle

    Louisiana Creole, Opelousas; French origin

  • Letchimy

    Martinican Creole of Indian origin

  • Lise

    Martinican Creole; French origin

  • Livaudais

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Llorens

    Louisiana Creole, Cane River; Catalan for Lawrence

  • Loizeau

    Seychellois Creole; French for the bird

  • Lordinot

    Martinican Creole; French origin

  • Louissaint

    Haitian Creole; compound of Louis and saint

  • Lurel

    Guadeloupean Creole; French origin

M

  • Macarty

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; from Irish MacCarthy

  • Magloire

    Haitian Creole; from Saint Magloire (Maglorius), a Breton saint

  • Maillot

    Réunion Creole; French for small mallet

  • Maingard

    Mauritian Franco-Creole family; French origin

  • Mancham

    Seychellois Creole; origin uncertain

  • Marie-Jeanne

    Martinican Creole; compound of the given names Marie and Jeanne

  • Marie-Sainte

    Martinican Creole; French for holy Mary

  • Marigny

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; Norman place name

  • Martinet

    Louisiana Creole of color; French for little Martin

  • Metoyer

    Louisiana Creole of color, Cane River family; French origin

  • Meuillon

    Louisiana Creole of color, Opelousas; French origin

  • Michel

    Seychellois and Haitian Creole; French for Michael

  • Mompremier

    Haitian Creole; French for my first

  • Monplaisir

    Martinican and Haitian Creole; French for my pleasure

  • Morial

    Louisiana Creole of color, New Orleans political family

  • Moutia

    Mauritian Creole; possibly Tamil origin

  • Moutoussamy

    Guadeloupean Creole of Tamil origin; pearl lord

  • Mussard

    Réunion Creole; French origin

N

  • Nativel

    Réunion Creole; French for born at Christmas

  • Nicolo

    Guadeloupean Creole; Italian form of Nicholas

  • Nilor

    Martinican Creole; origin uncertain

P

  • Payet

    Réunion Creole, most common Réunion surname; French origin

  • Perrine

    Mauritian Creole; French, from Pierre

  • Pétion

    Haitian Creole; French origin

  • Picou

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Pierre

    Haitian Creole, among the most common Haitian surnames; French for stone

  • Pillay

    Seychellois and Mauritian surname of Tamil origin

  • Pineau

    Guadeloupean Creole; French for little pine

  • Piron

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French for little Pierre

  • Pitot

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Plessy

    Louisiana Creole of color, New Orleans; French place name

  • Populus

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; Latin for poplar or people

  • Prudhomme

    Louisiana Creole, Natchitoches; French for wise man

R

  • Rachal

    Louisiana Creole, Cane River; French origin

  • Ramassamy

    Réunion Creole of Tamil origin; lord Rama

  • Ramkalawan

    Seychellois surname of Indian origin

  • Ravaton

    Mauritian Creole; French origin

  • René

    Seychellois Creole; French for reborn

  • Rey

    Louisiana Creole of color, New Orleans; French for king

  • Rillieux

    Louisiana Creole of color, New Orleans; French origin

  • Rivière

    Réunion and Mauritian Creole; French for river

  • Robert

    Réunion Creole; Germanic for bright fame

  • Roman

    Louisiana Creole; French for Roman

  • Rose-Rosette

    Martinican Creole; French compound of rose

  • Roudanez

    Louisiana Creole of color, New Orleans; French origin

  • Roussève

    Louisiana Creole of color, New Orleans; French origin

S

  • Saint-Fleur

    Haitian Creole; French for saint flower

  • Sainte-Rose

    Martinican and Guadeloupean Creole; French for Saint Rose

  • Sainvil

    Haitian Creole; from Saint-Vil

  • Sarpy

    Louisiana Creole; French origin

  • Sautron

    Réunion Creole; French origin

  • Savy

    Seychellois Creole; French origin

  • Séjour

    Louisiana Creole of color; French for stay or sojourn

  • Simien

    Louisiana Creole, St. Landry Parish; French origin

  • Snaer

    Louisiana Creole of color, New Orleans musical family

  • Soniat

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

T

  • Tassin

    Louisiana Creole, Natchitoches; French origin

  • Taubira

    French Guianese Creole; origin uncertain

  • Técher

    Réunion Creole; French origin, very common

  • Thuram

    Guadeloupean Creole; origin uncertain

  • Tio

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans musical family; Spanish-Mexican origin

  • Tirolien

    Guadeloupean Creole; French for Tyrolean

  • Toussaint

    Louisiana and Haitian Creole; French for All Saints

  • Trévigne

    Louisiana Creole of color, New Orleans; French origin

  • Tureaud

    Louisiana Creole of color, New Orleans; French origin

  • Turpin

    Réunion Creole; French, from Latin Turpinus

V

  • Vergès

    Réunion Creole political family; Catalan-Occitan for orchards

  • Villeré

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; French origin

  • Virapoullé

    Réunion Creole of Tamil origin

Z

  • Zeringue

    Louisiana German Coast Creole; from German Zehringer

  • Zobda

    Martinican Creole; origin uncertain

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Results (6)

  • de Chazal

    Mauritian Franco-Creole family; French origin

  • Delafose

    Louisiana Creole, zydeco family; French for of the ditch

  • Meuillon

    Louisiana Creole of color, Opelousas; French origin

  • Bissol

    Martinican Creole; French origin

  • Turpin

    Réunion Creole; French, from Latin Turpinus

  • Grima

    Louisiana Creole, New Orleans; Maltese origin

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    Creole last names of New Orleans

    Many of the Louisiana names in the list belong to free families of color who were prominent in New Orleans before and after the Civil War. Homer Plessy, whose arrest led to the Plessy v. Ferguson case, came from this community, as did the writer and activist Rodolphe Desdunes and Louis Charles Roudanez, who founded the New Orleans Tribune. Later names like Tureaud, a civil rights lawyer, and Morial, the family of the city's first Black mayor, carry that history forward.

    Music added its own roll call. Sidney Bechet, Barney Bigard, Lorenzo Tio, Alphonse Picou and Paul Barbarin were Creole musicians who helped shape early jazz, and their names still evoke the Seventh Ward and Tremé. Older colonial families such as Marigny, Villeré, Destréhan and Livaudais gave their names to streets, plantations and neighborhoods. Bernard de Marigny, for example, developed the Faubourg Marigny just downriver from the French Quarter, and the district still bears his family name today.

    Names from Haiti, the Antilles and the Indian Ocean

    Haitian names often look like given names, such as Pierre, Joseph, Jean-Baptiste, Étienne or Célestin, and many families carry compound or religious names like Fils-Aimé, Dieudonné, Saint-Fleur or Louissaint. Some honor the leaders of independence, including Dessalines, Christophe and Pétion. In 1809 thousands of refugees from Saint-Domingue reached New Orleans by way of Cuba, which is one reason Haitian and Louisiana Creole names overlap so much in the city.

    Martinique and Guadeloupe contribute names tied to writers and public figures, such as Césaire, Glissant, Chamoiseau and Condé. On Réunion, names like Payet, Hoarau, Grondin and Técher go back to early French settlers and are very widespread on the island. Virapoullé and Ramassamy reflect families of Tamil descent, while Ah-Chuen in Mauritius and Mancham in the Seychelles show Chinese roots. In these islands, Creole describes a shared culture and language rather than a single ancestry.

    Tracing and using a Creole family name

    Spelling shifts are common. Batiste is the Louisiana form of Baptiste, Rousseve also appears as Roussève, and accents come and go depending on the clerk. In Louisiana records before the Civil War, free people of color were often marked f.m.c. or f.w.c. after their names, and the sacramental registers of the Archdiocese of New Orleans are a key source for these families. Many Louisiana names in the list are also shared by white Creole and Cajun families.

    For Caribbean families, French civil registers began recording formerly enslaved people with surnames after abolition in 1848, and the Archives nationales d'outre-mer has put many colonial registers online. When you use a Creole name in fiction, match it to place and period. A Tremé musician in 1920 might be a Barbarin or a Picou, a Cane River planter a Metoyer or Balthazar, and a modern Port-au-Prince family a Joseph or a Jean-Louis.

    Frequently asked questions

    Which Creole last names are linked to New Orleans?

    Plessy, Tureaud, Morial, Desdunes, Roudanez, Bechet, Barbarin, Tio, Glapion, Laveau, Dejoie and Batiste are strongly tied to the city's Creole history. Older colonial names such as Marigny, Villeré and Destréhan belong to families who arrived in French and Spanish colonial times.

    Why do so many Haitian names look like first names?

    Names such as Pierre, Joseph, Jean-Louis and Étienne often go back to a given name recorded as a family name when civil registration spread in the 1800s. Religious and descriptive names like Dieudonné, meaning given by God, and Fils-Aimé, meaning beloved son, became family names in the same way.

    Are Réunion and Mauritius names Creole?

    Yes, in the sense that they come from the French Creole societies of the Indian Ocean. Réunion names like Payet, Hoarau and Grondin are very common on the island, while Mauritius and the Seychelles mix French names with names of Indian, Chinese and African origin.

    Can a Creole name tell me my family background?

    Only partly. The same name may belong to white, Black and mixed families in Louisiana, or to families from several different islands. Parish and civil records, family papers and oral history reveal far more than the name itself, so treat it as a lead for research rather than an answer.

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