lastnamegenerators

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

Generate random french canadian surnames

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Results (6)

  • 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.

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