French Canadian Last Names

These French Canadian last names come from Quebec, Acadia, Ontario and Franco-American New England, listed A to Z with meanings. Most trace back to settlers of New France in the 1600s, which is why a few names cover so many people.

292 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Allard

From Germanic Adalhard, noble and hardy

French
Arsenault

Of uncertain origin, possibly from Arsène

French
Asselin

Diminutive of Asse, a Germanic name

French
Audet

From Germanic Aldo, old

French
Auger

From Germanic Adalgar, noble spear

French

B

Beauchamp

Beautiful field, a place name

French
Beaudoin

From Baldwin, bold friend

French
Beaulieu

Beautiful place, from beau lieu

French
Beaupré

Beautiful meadow, a place name

French
Beausoleil

Beautiful sun; a dit name

French
Bédard

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French
Bélanger

From Germanic Berengar, bear spear

French
Bellefleur

Beautiful flower; a dit name

French
Bellehumeur

Good humor; a soldier's dit name

French
Benoît

From Latin Benedictus, blessed

French
Bergeron

Little shepherd, from berger

French
Bernard

Brave as a bear

French
Bernier

Possibly bear keeper, or from Bernard

French
Bertrand

From Germanic, bright raven

French
Bérubé

Of Norman origin, meaning uncertain

French
Bilodeau

Of uncertain French origin, possibly a nickname

French
Bissonnette

Little bush, from buisson

French
Blais

From Latin Blasius, possibly lisping

French
Blanchette

Little white one, fair-haired

French
Blouin

Possibly a nickname for a fair-haired person

French
Boily

Of uncertain origin, possibly a French place

French
Boisvert

Green wood; originally a dit name

French
Boivin

Drink wine, a nickname

French
Bolduc

Of uncertain origin, possibly from Bois-le-Duc

French
Bouchard

From Germanic Burchard, strong fortress

French
Boucher

Butcher or meat seller

French
Boudreau

From Germanic Baldric, bold ruler

French
Bourassa

Of uncertain origin, possibly rough cloth

French
Boutin

Possibly from bout, end

French
Brassard

Arm guard maker, or strong-armed

French
Breton

Someone from Brittany

French
Brindamour

Sprig of love; a soldier's dit name

French
Brisson

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French
Brochu

Of uncertain origin, possibly spiked or pointed

French
Brousseau

Dweller by brushwood or scrub

French
Brunet

Nickname for a brown-haired person

French

C

Cardinal

Cardinal, a nickname or pageant role

French
Caron

Possibly a Picard form of charron, cartwright

French
Carrier

Quarryman or carter

French
Chabot

Small fish, bullhead

French
Champagne

From Champagne, or open countryside

French
Charbonneau

Charcoal burner or seller

French
Charest

Of uncertain origin, possibly a cart maker

French
Charron

Cartwright or wheelwright

French
Chartrand

Of uncertain origin, possibly a carter

French
Chevalier

Knight or horseman

French
Chouinard

Of uncertain origin, possibly a nickname

French
Clément

Merciful, from Latin clemens

French
Cloutier

Nail maker, from clou, nail

French
Côté

Dweller on a hillside or slope

French
Coulombe

Dove, possibly a dove keeper

French
Cousineau

Little cousin, a pet name

French
Couture

Tilled land, or tailoring

French
Croteau

Dweller by a hollow or pit, from crot

French
Cyr

From Saint Cyr, lord

French

D

Dagenais

Of uncertain origin, possibly a place name

French
Daigle

Of the eagle

French
Dallaire

Possibly from d'Allaire, a place in Brittany

French
Demers

Of uncertain origin, possibly from a place named Mers

French
Desautels

From the altars

French
Desbiens

Of the goods, a property owner

French
Deschênes

From the oaks

French
Desjardins

From the gardens

French
Deslauriers

From the laurels; a dit name

French
Desmarais

From the marshes

French
Desrochers

From the rocks

French
Desrosiers

From the rosebushes; a dit name

French
Dion

Possibly from Dionysius, or a place name

French
Dionne

Feminine form of Dion

French
Doyon

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French
Drouin

Diminutive of Drogo, a Germanic name

French
Dubé

Of uncertain origin, possibly a French place

French
Dubois

From the woods

French
Duchesne

From the oak

French
Dufour

From the oven, a baker

French
Duguay

From the ford

French
Dumas

From the farmstead

French
Dumont

From the mountain

French
Dupont

From the bridge

French
Dupuis

From the well

French
Duquette

Diminutive of duc, little duke

French
Dussault

From the woods or the waterfall

French
Duval

From the valley

French

E

Émond

From Edmund, rich protector

French

F

Ferland

Of uncertain origin, possibly a place name

French
Fillion

Godson or little son

French
Fontaine

Dweller by a spring

French
Forget

Possibly a smith, from forge

French
Fortier

Fort keeper, or strong one

French
Fortin

Diminutive of fort, strong

French
Fournier

Baker or oven keeper

French
Fraser

Scottish clan name, also used by French-speaking Quebecers

Scottish
Frenette

Little ash tree

French

G

Gagné

From gagner, to cultivate or earn

French
Gagnon

From Old French gagnon, mastiff, or a farmer

French
Gariépy

Of Gascon origin, meaning uncertain

French
Garneau

Diminutive of Garnier, warrior

French
Gaudreault

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French
Gauthier

From Germanic Walter, army ruler

French
Gauvin

From Welsh Gawain via French

French
Gélinas

Of uncertain origin, possibly a place name

French
Gendron

Son-in-law, from gendre

French
Gervais

From Saint Gervase, Latin Gervasius, of uncertain origin

French
Giguère

Of uncertain origin, from a Perche settler family

French
Gilbert

From Germanic, bright pledge

French
Gingras

Of uncertain origin, possibly a nickname

French
Girard

From Germanic Gerhard, brave spear

French
Giroux

From Germanic Giraud, spear rule

French
Gosselin

Diminutive of Gozzo, a Germanic name

French
Goulet

Narrow passage or gullet

French
Gravel

Dweller on gravelly ground

French
Grégoire

From Gregory, watchful

French
Grenier

Keeper of a granary

French
Guay

Dweller by a ford, from gué

French
Guérin

From Germanic Warin, guard

French

H

Hamel

Dweller in a small hamlet

French
Harvey

From Breton Haerveu via Britain; common in Saguenay

English
Hébert

From Germanic Heribert, bright army

French
Houle

Possibly from Norman houle, hollow or swell

French
Hudon

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic Hudo

French

J

Jacques

From Jacob, supplanter

French
Jean

From John, God is gracious

French
Jolicoeur

Jolly heart; a soldier's dit name

French

L

Labelle

The beautiful; originally a dit name

French
Laberge

The riverbank, a bank dweller

French
Labonté

Goodness; a dit name

French
Labrecque

Of uncertain origin, possibly from brèche, gap

French
Lacasse

The oak, from Gascon casse

French
Lachance

Luck; originally a dit name

French
Lachapelle

The chapel, dweller near one

French
Lacombe

The small valley or hollow

French
Lacoste

The hillside or slope

French
Lacoursière

The shortcut path; a dit name

French
Lacroix

Dweller by a cross

French
Laferrière

The ironworks; a dit name

French
Laflamme

The flame; originally a dit name

French
Lafontaine

The fountain or spring; a dit name

French
Lafortune

Good fortune; a soldier's dit name

French
Laframboise

The raspberry; a dit name

French
Lafrance

From France; a dit name

French
Lafrenière

The ash grove

French
Lajeunesse

Youth; a soldier's dit name

French
Lajoie

Joy; a dit name

French
Laliberté

Freedom; a classic soldier's dit name

French
Lalonde

From La Londe, a Norman place

French
Lamarche

The borderland; a dit name

French
Lambert

From Germanic, bright land

French
Lamontagne

The mountain; a common dit name

French
Lanctôt

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French
Landry

From Germanic Landric, powerful in the land

French
Langevin

The man from Anjou

French
Langlois

The Englishman, a newcomer from England

French
Lapensée

Thought; a dit name

French
Lapierre

The stone; often a soldier's dit name

French
Laplante

The plant or vineyard; a dit name

French
Lapointe

Dweller on a point of land

French
Larivière

The river, a river dweller

French
Laroche

Dweller by a rock

French
Larocque

The rock, dweller by a rock

French
Larose

The rose; a dit name

French
Larouche

Variant of Laroche, dweller by a rock

French
Latendresse

Tenderness; a dit name

French
Latulippe

The tulip; a dit name

French
Laurin

Diminutive of Laurent, laurel

French
Lauzon

Of uncertain origin, possibly a French place

French
Lavallée

The valley, a valley dweller

French
Lavictoire

Victory; a soldier's dit name

French
Lavigne

The vineyard, a vine grower

French
Laviolette

The violet; a soldier's dit name

French
Lavoie

Dweller by the road

French
Lebel

The handsome one

French
Leblanc

The white one, fair-haired

French
Leblond

The blond one

French
Leclerc

The clerk or cleric

French
Lecours

Possibly from le court, the short one

French
Leduc

The duke, a nickname

French
Lefebvre

The smith, from Latin faber

French
Lefrançois

The Frenchman, from France proper

French
Legault

Possibly from gault, wood or clay soil

French
Lemay

Of May, born in May or maypole

French
Lemieux

The better one

French
Lemire

The physician, from Old French mire

French
Lepage

The page, a young servant

French
Lépine

The thorn or hawthorn

French
Leroux

The red-haired one

French
Lespérance

Hope; a soldier's dit name

French
Lessard

Dweller on cleared land, from essart

French
Létourneau

The starling, a nickname

French
Léveillé

The alert, wakeful one

French
Lévesque

The bishop, likely a nickname

French
Lussier

Usher or doorkeeper, from huissier

French

M

Maheu

From Mathieu, gift of God

French
Mailloux

Mallet maker, or hammer

French
Marchand

Merchant or trader

French
Marcotte

Diminutive of Marc

French
Marcoux

Diminutive of Marc

French
Martel

Hammer, a smith or warrior

French
Martin

From Latin Martinus, of Mars

French
Massé

Possibly from masse, club or mace, or a pet form of Thomas

French
Ménard

From Germanic Meginhard, strong and hardy

French
Mercier

Merchant, especially of cloth

French
Michaud

Diminutive of Michel, who is like God

French
Mongeau

Of uncertain origin, possibly a place name

French
Moreau

Nickname for a dark-complexioned person

French
Morin

Diminutive of More, dark-complexioned

French
Morissette

Diminutive of Maurice, dark-skinned

French

N

Nadeau

From Nadal, born at Christmas

French
Noël

Christmas, born at Christmas

French
Nolet

Diminutive of Noël, Christmas

French
Normandin

Little Norman, from Normandy

French

O

Ouellet

Of uncertain French origin, very common in eastern Quebec

French
Ouellette

Variant of Ouellet, of uncertain origin

French
Ouimet

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French

P

Painchaud

Hot bread, a baker's nickname

French
Paquette

Diminutive linked to Pâques, Easter

French
Paquin

Diminutive linked to Pâques, Easter

French
Paradis

Paradise, possibly a house name

French
Paré

Cloth finisher, or adorned one

French
Parent

Relative or kinsman

French
Pelletier

Fur dealer or skinner

French
Pépin

Seed, or from Germanic Pippin

French
Perreault

Diminutive of Pierre, stone

French
Perron

Little Pierre, or a stone stairway

French
Picard

Someone from Picardy in northern France

French
Pilon

Pestle, a pestle maker

French
Plante

Plant, or newly planted vineyard

French
Poirier

Dweller by a pear tree

French
Poisson

Fish, a fishmonger

French
Poitras

Of uncertain origin, possibly linked to Poitou

French
Potvin

Of uncertain origin, possibly a drinker's nickname, wine pot

French
Poulin

From poulain, colt, a lively youth

French
Pouliot

Of uncertain origin, possibly a diminutive of Paul

French
Primeau

Possibly first-born, from prime

French
Proulx

Brave or valiant, from preux

French

Q

Quintal

Hundredweight, a merchant's nickname

French

R

Racine

Root, possibly a root seller

French
Raymond

From Germanic, wise protector

French
Renaud

From Reginald, counsel ruler

French
Rhéaume

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French
Richard

From Germanic Richard, strong ruler

French
Richer

Rich or powerful one

French
Rioux

Dweller by a stream

French
Rivard

Possibly from rive, riverbank, or a Germanic personal name

French
Rivest

Dweller on a riverbank

French
Roberge

Of uncertain origin, possibly from Robert

French
Robert

From Germanic Hrodebert, bright fame

French
Robidoux

Of uncertain origin, possibly from Robert

French
Robitaille

Of uncertain origin, possibly from Robert

French
Rochon

Little rock, a rocky place

French
Rousseau

Nickname for a red-haired person

French
Roy

From Old French roi, king

French

S

Sansoucy

Carefree; a soldier's dit name

French
Sauvé

Saved, or from Latin Salvius

French
Savard

From Germanic Savaric

French
Séguin

From Germanic Sigwin, victory friend

French
Sénécal

Seneschal, a steward

French
Simard

From Germanic Sigimar, famous victory

French
Sirois

Of uncertain origin, possibly from Cyr

French
St-Jean

Saint John; a dit name

French
St-Laurent

Saint Lawrence; a dit name

French
St-Onge

From Saintonge region; a common dit name

French
St-Pierre

Saint Peter, often adopted as a dit name

French
Ste-Marie

Saint Mary; a dit name

French
Sylvain

Of the forest

French

T

Talbot

Possibly from Germanic Talabod

French
Tanguay

From Breton Tanguy, fire dog

French
Tardif

Slow or late one

French
Tessier

Weaver, from tisser, to weave

French
Tétreault

Of uncertain origin, from a Poitou settler family

French
Thériault

From Thierry, ruler of the people

French
Therrien

From terrien, landowner

French
Thibault

From Germanic Theobald, bold people

French
Thibodeau

From Theobald, bold people

French
Tousignant

Of uncertain origin, possibly a French place

French
Tremblay

Dweller by an aspen grove, from tremble, aspen

French
Trottier

Messenger or runner

French
Trudel

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French
Turcotte

Of uncertain origin, possibly a nickname

French
Turgeon

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French

V

Vachon

Cowherd, from vache, cow

French
Vadeboncoeur

Go with good heart; a soldier's dit name

French
Vaillancourt

From a French place name

French
Vallée

Dweller in a valley

French
Veilleux

Possibly watchful one, or old one

French
Vézina

Of uncertain origin, possibly a French place

French
Vigneault

Diminutive of vigne, a vine dresser

French
Villeneuve

From a place called new town

French

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Deschênes

From the oaks

French
Bédard

Of uncertain origin, possibly Germanic

French
Blais

From Latin Blasius, possibly lisping

French
Brunet

Nickname for a brown-haired person

French
Poisson

Fish, a fishmonger

French
Lachapelle

The chapel, dweller near one

French

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How a few settlers shaped French Canadian last names

New France had a small founding population, and most French Canadians descend from settlers who arrived before 1760. Many came from Normandy, Perche, Poitou, Aunis and the Paris region, along with the filles du roi, young women sent by the crown to marry colonists. Because families were large and stayed put for generations, a single settler could leave thousands of descendants. Pierre Tremblay, who arrived from Perche in 1647, is the ancestor of most Tremblays alive today.

That founder effect explains why Tremblay, Gagnon, Roy, Côté, Bouchard, Gauthier, Morin and Lavoie are so dominant in Quebec, and why some names are tied to particular regions. Tremblay and Simard are especially common in Saguenay and Charlevoix, Ouellet and Pelletier along the lower St. Lawrence, and Arsenault and LeBlanc in the Acadian Maritimes. Meanings follow familiar French patterns: Tremblay is an aspen grove, Côté a hillside, Lavoie the road and Fortin the strong one.

Dit names and soldiers' nicknames

Many French Canadian families used a dit name, a second name added with the word dit, meaning called. It might describe a place, a trait or one branch of a family, and in time the dit name often replaced the original. This is why genealogists find the same family recorded under two names, and why one ancestor can be the source of two quite different modern surnames. Always check both names when you trace a line back to New France.

Soldiers were a rich source of dit names. Troops of the Carignan-Salières regiment and the later colonial companies used noms de guerre, and many stayed on as settlers. Lafleur, Laliberté, Jolicoeur, Sansoucy, Vadeboncoeur, Brindamour and Lespérance come from this habit, meaning the flower, liberty, merry heart, carefree, go with good heart, a bit of love and hope. The list includes many of these cheerful names, which feel distinctly French Canadian to anyone who hears them.

Franco-American spellings and genealogy tips

Between the 1840s and the 1930s, hundreds of thousands of French Canadians moved to mill towns in New England such as Lowell, Manchester, Woonsocket, Lewiston and Biddeford. Some families kept their names, while others translated or reshaped them. Boisvert became Greenwood, Leblanc became White, Roy sometimes became King, Lapierre became Stone and Dubois became Wood. Others dropped the accents or changed the spelling to match English sounds, so Ouellette could turn into Willette.

French Canadian genealogy is unusually well documented. Catholic parish registers go back to the 1620s, and resources like the Drouin Collection, the PRDH database of the Université de Montréal and Cyprien Tanguay's dictionary of families make it possible to trace many lines back to France. Women appear under their maiden names in Quebec records, which makes research easier. Search the list with the start of a name to see variants like Ouellet and Ouellette together.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common French Canadian last names?

Tremblay leads in Quebec, followed by names like Gagnon, Roy, Côté, Bouchard, Gauthier, Morin, Lavoie, Fortin and Gagné. Most trace back to a small number of early settlers of New France whose large families spread across the province over three and a half centuries.

What is a dit name?

A dit name is a second surname joined to the first with the word dit, meaning called. Families used it to tell branches apart or to keep a nickname, often a soldier's. Over time many families dropped the original name and kept the dit name, so old records may show either one.

Why did some Franco-American families change their names?

In New England mill towns, English-speaking bosses, teachers and clerks often struggled with French names, and some families translated or simplified them to fit in. Boisvert became Greenwood, Lapierre became Stone and Ouellette became Willette. Other families kept the French form, so both versions exist today.

Are French Canadian and Cajun names related?

Some are. Cajuns descend from Acadians, who settled what is now Nova Scotia, while most Quebec families descend from settlers along the St. Lawrence. The two groups share French origins and some names, such as LeBlanc, Richard and Landry, but Louisiana spellings like -eaux developed separately.