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Haitian Last Names

These Haitian last names include the familiar Pierre, Joseph and Jean-Baptiste and many names found almost nowhere else, like Exantus, Thermidor, Télémaque and Jolicoeur, listed A to Z with the meaning behind each one.

187 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Acra

    Arab-Haitian; possibly from the city of Acre

  • Alexis

    French, from Greek for defender

  • Anglade

    French for corner or angle

  • Antoine

    French for Anthony

  • Apaid

    Arab-Haitian surname of Levantine origin

  • Aristide

    French, from Greek for best

  • Augustin

    French, from Latin Augustinus, venerable

B

  • Baptiste

    French for Baptist; Saint John the Baptist

  • Beaubrun

    French for handsome brown one

  • Beauvoir

    French for beautiful view

  • Benoit

    French for Benedict, blessed

  • Bernard

    French, Germanic for strong bear

  • Bienaimé

    French for well beloved

  • Bigio

    Italian for grey; in Haiti a business family of Levantine Jewish descent

  • Bonhomme

    French for good man

  • Boulos

    Arab-Haitian, Arabic form of Paul

  • Boyer

    French for cattle herder

  • Brutus

    Latin Roman name adopted in Haiti; heavy

C

  • Cadet

    French for younger son

  • Casimir

    French, from Slavic Kazimir, from kaziti, to destroy, and mir, peace

  • Célestin

    French, from Latin caelestis, heavenly

  • Cénat

    Haitian surname; possibly from Latin senatus

  • Charlemagne

    French for Charles the Great

  • Charles

    French, Germanic for free man

  • Chéry

    French for cherished

  • Christophe

    French for Christopher, Christ bearer

  • Clément

    French for merciful

  • Clerveaux

    French; possibly from Clairvaux, clear valley

  • Compère

    French for godfather or comrade

  • Constant

    French for steadfast

D

  • Dambreville

    French; possibly from a place called Ambreville

  • Daniel

    French-Hebrew for God is my judge

  • Déjean

    French for son of Jean

  • Délice

    French for delight

  • Désinor

    Haitian surname of French origin

  • Désir

    French for desire; longed-for child

  • Desrosiers

    French for of the rose bushes

  • Dessalines

    French, des salines, of the salt works; name of founding father Jean-Jacques Dessalines

  • Destin

    French for destiny

  • Dieudonné

    French for given by God

  • Dieujuste

    Kreyòl-French for God is just

  • Dieuseul

    Kreyòl-French for God alone

  • Dorélien

    Haitian surname of French origin; etymology uncertain

  • Dorival

    French; possibly from Orival, a Norman place name

  • Dorsainvil

    Haitian surname of French origin

  • Dorvil

    Haitian surname of French origin; etymology uncertain

  • Dumas

    French for of the farmstead

  • Duperval

    French place name; of Perval

  • Durand

    French, from Latin for enduring

  • Duvalier

    French; possibly of the valley

E

  • Élie

    French for Elijah

  • Élysée

    French for Elysium; heavenly

  • Emmanuel

    French-Hebrew for God with us

  • Estimé

    French for esteemed

  • Étienne

    French for Stephen; crown

  • Eugène

    French, from Greek for well born

  • Exantus

    Latinized Haitian surname; origin uncertain

  • Exilus

    Latinized Haitian surname; possibly from exile

F

  • Fanfan

    Kreyòl-French pet name for little child

  • Faustin

    French, from Latin for fortunate

  • Félix

    French, from Latin for lucky

  • Fénelon

    French place name; after the archbishop Fénelon

  • Fils-Aimé

    Kreyòl-French for beloved son

  • Fleurant

    French for flowering or fragrant

  • Fleurimond

    Haitian surname of French origin; possibly flower of the world

  • Florestal

    Haitian surname; possibly from forest

  • Fortuné

    French for fortunate

  • François

    French for Frenchman or Francis

G

  • Gabriel

    French-Hebrew for God is my strength

  • Gédéon

    French for Gideon, feller of trees

  • Geffrard

    French form of Geoffrey

  • Georges

    French, from Greek for farmer

  • Germain

    French for brother or German

  • Gilles

    French, from Latin Aegidius

  • Guerrier

    French for warrior

H

  • Handal

    Arab-Haitian surname of Palestinian origin

  • Henry

    French, Germanic for home ruler

  • Hyppolite

    Haitian spelling of Hippolyte, Greek for horse releaser

I

  • Innocent

    French for innocent

  • Isidor

    French, from Greek for gift of Isis

J

  • Jacques

    French for James or Jacob

  • Jacquet

    French for little Jacques

  • Janvier

    French for January; born in January

  • Jean

    French for John; God is gracious

  • Jean-Baptiste

    French for John the Baptist

  • Jean-Charles

    French compound of Jean and Charles

  • Jean-Gilles

    French compound of Jean and Gilles

  • Jean-Jacques

    French compound of Jean and Jacques

  • Jean-Louis

    French compound of Jean and Louis

  • Jean-Pierre

    French compound of Jean and Pierre

  • Jeune

    French for young

  • Joachim

    French-Hebrew for raised by God

  • Jolibois

    French for pretty wood

  • Jolicoeur

    French for pretty heart

  • Joseph

    French-Hebrew for he will add

  • Jules

    French, from Latin Julius

  • Julien

    French, from Latin Julianus

L

  • Lafontant

    French, possibly from fontaine, spring

  • Lafortune

    French for fortune or luck

  • Laguerre

    French for the war

  • Lamarre

    French for the pond

  • Lamothe

    French for the mound or castle motte

  • Lamour

    French for love

  • Laroche

    French for the rock

  • Latortue

    French for the turtle

  • Laurent

    French, from Latin Laurentius, laurel

  • Lebrun

    French for the brown-haired

  • Léger

    French, from Germanic Leodegar, people spear

  • Legrand

    French for the tall or great

  • Léon

    French for lion

  • Lescot

    French for the Scot

  • Lindor

    Haitian surname; from a French literary name

  • Louis

    French, Germanic for famous warrior

  • Louissaint

    Haitian surname, apparently from Louis plus saint

  • Lubin

    French, after Saint Lubin

  • Lucas

    French for Luke; of Lucania

  • Lucien

    French, from Latin lux, light

M

  • Magloire

    French, after Saint Magloire, a Breton saint; from Celtic maglo, chief

  • Martin

    French, dedicated to Mars

  • Mathieu

    French for Matthew, gift of God

  • Mathurin

    French, after Saint Maturinus

  • Maurice

    French, from Latin for Moorish

  • Mérilus

    Latinized Haitian surname; origin uncertain

  • Mérisier

    French for wild cherry tree

  • Metellus

    Latin Roman family name adopted in Haiti

  • Michel

    French for Michael; who is like God

  • Milfort

    Haitian surname of French origin; etymology uncertain

  • Moïse

    French for Moses

  • Mompremier

    Kreyòl-French for my first; firstborn

  • Mondésir

    French for my desire

  • Monestime

    Kreyòl-French for my esteem

  • Morency

    French place name

N

  • Narcisse

    French for Narcissus

  • Nazaire

    French, from Latin Nazarius, after Saint Nazarius

  • Nicolas

    French, from Greek for victory of the people

  • Noël

    French for Christmas; born at Christmas

O

  • Octave

    French, from Latin Octavius, eighth

  • Olivier

    French for olive tree

P

  • Pascal

    French for Easter child

  • Paul

    French, from Latin Paulus, small

  • Paulin

    French, from Latin Paulinus

  • Pétion

    French; name of Haitian president Alexandre Pétion

  • Philippe

    French, from Greek for lover of horses

  • Pierre

    French, from Peter; stone; most common Haitian surname

  • Pierre-Louis

    French compound of Pierre and Louis

  • Pierrelus

    Latinized Haitian form of Pierre

  • Présumé

    French for presumed

  • Préval

    French for meadow valley

  • Prophète

    French for prophet

R

  • Raymond

    French, Germanic for wise protector

  • Richard

    French, Germanic for powerful ruler

  • Ridoré

    Haitian surname; possibly from French doré, golden

  • Rigaud

    French, from Germanic ric, powerful

  • Robert

    French, Germanic for bright fame

  • Romain

    French for Roman

S

  • Saint-Fleur

    French for saint flower

  • Saint-Hilaire

    French for Saint Hilary

  • Saint-Jean

    French for Saint John

  • Saint-Juste

    French for Saint Justus

  • Saint-Louis

    French for Saint Louis

  • Saintil

    Haitian surname; possibly from Saint-Il or Saint-Gilles

  • Sainvil

    Haitian surname, possibly from Saint-Vil; origin uncertain

  • Salomon

    French-Hebrew for peace

  • Samedi

    French for Saturday; born on Saturday

  • Sanon

    Haitian surname of uncertain origin

  • Senatus

    Latin for senate; Latinized Haitian surname

  • Sénèque

    French for Seneca, Roman philosopher

  • Séraphin

    French for seraph, burning one

  • Similien

    French, from Saint Similian of Nantes

  • Simon

    French-Hebrew for he has heard

  • Sylvain

    French, from Latin silva, forest

T

  • Télémaque

    French for Telemachus, far fighter

  • Théodore

    French, from Greek for gift of God

  • Thermidor

    French Revolutionary month of heat

  • Thomas

    French-Aramaic for twin

  • Timothée

    French, from Greek for honoring God

  • Toussaint

    French for All Saints; born on All Saints' Day

U

  • Ulysse

    French for Ulysses

V

  • Val

    French for valley

  • Valcourt

    French for valley farm

  • Valentin

    French, from Latin for strong

  • Victor

    French, from Latin for conqueror

  • Victorin

    French, little Victor

  • Vilsaint

    Kreyòl-French compound; holy town

  • Vincent

    French, from Latin for conquering

Z

  • Zamor

    French literary name, from Voltaire's Alzire

  • Zéphir

    French for west wind

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Results (6)

  • Ulysse

    French for Ulysses

  • Pierre-Louis

    French compound of Pierre and Louis

  • Saint-Hilaire

    French for Saint Hilary

  • Jean-Louis

    French compound of Jean and Louis

  • Fanfan

    Kreyòl-French pet name for little child

  • Charles

    French, Germanic for free man

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    French given names and names of hope

    The names at the top of Haitian lists are mostly French given names: Pierre, Jean, Joseph, Louis, Charles, Baptiste, Paul and Michel. Their meanings go back through the Bible and Latin. Pierre means stone and is the French form of Peter, Jean and Jacques come from John and James, Louis from a Frankish name meaning famous in battle, and Charles from a word for free man. Compound forms like Jean-Baptiste and Jean-Louis add a second saint to the first.

    A second group is built from ordinary French words for hope, luck and character. Fortuné and Lafortune point to good fortune, Destin to destiny, Constant to steadiness, Innocent to innocence and Jolicoeur to a cheerful heart. Bonhomme means good man, Délice delight and Beaubrun handsome dark one. These names read almost like wishes, and they give Haitian surnames a warmth that is easy to hear even for people who do not speak French.

    Classical, calendar and Latin-style names

    Haitian naming in the nineteenth century had a strong taste for the classical world, and the list shows it. Télémaque, Ulysse, Sénèque, Brutus and Octave come from Greek and Roman history and literature, and many were first given as personal names before becoming family names. The calendar appears too, with Janvier meaning January, Samedi Saturday and Thermidor, a summer month in the French Revolutionary calendar.

    Another distinctive pattern is the Latin-style ending -us. Exantus, Metellus, Senatus, Mérilus, Exilus and Pierrelus all use it, and some attach it to a French name, as Pierrelus does with Pierre. Names like these are rare in France and immediately suggest a Haitian family to anyone who knows the community. Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian families who arrived from the late nineteenth century added names like Boulos, Handal, Acra and Apaid.

    Tips for using these Haitian last names

    Because so many Haitian surnames are also French first names, a full name can look like two first names in a row, such as Marie Joseph or Paul Pierre. That is normal, and it helps to keep the order clear in writing, with the surname last, or in capitals on forms, as many documents do. Hyphenated names like Saint-Louis and Jean-Charles count as one surname and should never be split.

    The search box ignores accents, so typing Celestin finds Célestin and Desir finds Désir. It also searches meanings, which makes it easy to collect a theme: type God to see the devotional names, saint for the saint names or month for the calendar names. The letter bar helps in crowded sections like J and S, where the many Jean- and Saint- names cluster and scrolling alone would be slow.

    Frequently asked questions

    What are the most common Haitian last names?

    Pierre, Jean, Joseph, Louis, Charles, Jean-Baptiste, Paul and Baptiste are among the names you meet most often. Most are French given names that became surnames after independence, when a father's given name was often recorded as the family name for the next generation.

    Why do some Haitian names end in -us?

    The Latin-style ending seems to have been fashionable in nineteenth century Haiti, when classical names carried prestige. Names such as Exantus, Senatus, Metellus and Mérilus reflect it, and some attach the ending to a French name, like Pierrelus. They are now distinctive markers of Haitian families.

    What does the name Thermidor mean?

    Thermidor was the name of a summer month in the calendar of the French Revolution, from a Greek word for heat. Haiti won independence while that calendar was still in use, and a few revolutionary and classical words became personal names and then surnames there.

    Which Haitian last names come from Lebanese families?

    Boulos, Handal, Acra and Apaid are among the family names brought by Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian migrants who settled in Haiti from the late nineteenth century. Many of these families became merchants in Port-au-Prince, and their names are now part of Haitian business and public life.

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