🔥 300+ French Last Names With Meanings (2026 Updated)

French last names provide abundant insight into the rich culture of France.

Each surname tells a unique story of geography, profession, or ancestry, perhaps owing to its aristocratic roots or humble beginnings.

These elite French last names evolved from a region in France, occupation, or even a character trait into well-established nomenclature with a sense of traditional identity over centuries.

In this blog article, we are going to explore common last names existing in France today, their meanings, and how they affect the way we define French culture and history.

French last names

Lemoine – Derived from “moine,” meaning “monk,” referring to someone who was a monk or lived near a monastery.

Dubois – Meaning “from the woods,” often referring to someone who lived near a forest.

Lemoine – Refers to a monk or someone connected to a monastery.

Lefevre – Meaning “the smith,” often associated with a blacksmith.

Dufresne – Refers to someone who lived near an ash tree or ash wood.

Boucher – Derived from the word “butcher,” indicating a person who worked as a butcher.

Gagnon – Derived from “gagner,” meaning “to win” or “to earn,” referring to someone who earned a living by hard work.

Beaufort – Derived from “beau” meaning “beautiful” and “fort” meaning “fortress,” often indicating a person who lived near a castle.

Delacroix – Meaning “of the cross,” referring to someone associated with Christianity or a church.

Lemoine – A surname derived from “monk,” someone who lived in a monastery or was involved with the church.

Leroy – Meaning “the king,” often indicating someone of noble or royal descent.

Moreau – Derived from “moros,” meaning “dark” or “swarthy,” possibly describing a person with darker features.

Petit – Meaning “small” or “little,” a common surname for someone of short stature or a younger person.

Charbonneau – Derived from “charbon” meaning “coal,” likely referring to someone who worked with coal.

Girod – Meaning “rule” or “ruler,” possibly denoting a person of authority or leadership.

Marchand – Meaning “merchant,” referring to someone who worked as a trader or seller.

Benoit – Derived from the Latin “Benedictus,” meaning “blessed,” indicating someone who was considered blessed.

Lemoine – From “moine,” meaning “monk,” denoting someone who belonged to a religious order.

Montagne – Meaning “mountain,” often referring to someone who lived in the mountains.

Durand – Derived from the Old French word “dur,” meaning “enduring” or “sturdy.”

Fournier – Meaning “baker,” referring to someone who baked bread or worked with flour.

Vidal – Meaning “life,” derived from the Latin “vita,” often given to someone who was vital or lively.

Clement – Derived from the Latin “clemens,” meaning “gentle” or “merciful.”

Perrin – Meaning “little Peter,” often a diminutive of the name Pierre (Peter).

Blanc – Meaning “white,” referring to someone with fair skin or light hair.

Chevalier – Meaning “knight,” referring to someone who served in the medieval cavalry.

Dufresne – Referring to someone who lived near an ash tree or ash wood.

Renaud – Derived from the Old French name “Reynald,” meaning “wise ruler.”

Barbeau – Meaning “bearded,” referring to someone with a beard.

Lavigne – Meaning “vine,” likely referring to someone who worked with vineyards or lived near them.

Boivin – Derived from the Old French “boivain,” meaning “drinker,” likely referring to a wine merchant or tavern keeper.

Leclerc – Meaning “the clerk” or “scribe,” often indicating someone who worked in administration or as a secretary.

Caron – Likely derived from “caron,” meaning “cart driver,” referring to someone who worked with a cart or wagon.

Tremblay – Derived from the word “tremble,” meaning “aspen tree,” referring to someone who lived near such trees.

Lalonde – Likely referring to someone who lived near a grove or small wood.

Ménard – Derived from the Old French “meinard,” meaning “brave” or “strong.”

Couture – Meaning “seamstress” or “tailor,” referring to someone who worked with fabric.

Lafleur – Meaning “the flower,” possibly indicating a person with a beautiful appearance.

Godin – Derived from “god,” meaning “godly,” indicating a person of religious devotion.

Jolivet – Meaning “little pretty,” referring to someone who was charming or attractive.

Laborde – Meaning “the farm,” possibly referring to someone who lived or worked on a farm.

Dumas – Derived from “du” meaning “of the,” and “mas,” meaning “house,” referring to someone who lived in a particular type of house.

Fleury – Meaning “flourishing,” referring to someone with a prosperous or blooming nature.

Bastien – Derived from “Sebastian,” meaning “revered” or “venerable.”

Guillet – Likely derived from “guillaume,” a variation of William, meaning “resolute protector.”

Deschamps – Meaning “from the fields,” referring to someone who lived near or worked on the fields.

Labbe – Meaning “abbot,” often a title for the leader of a monastery.

Morin – Likely derived from “moro,” meaning “swarthy,” describing a person with dark features.

Thibault – Derived from the Old Germanic “Theobald,” meaning “bold ruler.”

Dauphin – Meaning “dolphin,” but also a historical term for the heir apparent to the French throne.

Auguste – Derived from Latin “Augustus,” meaning “great” or “venerable,” often used for a person of dignity.

Fournier – Meaning “baker,” referring to someone who baked bread or worked with flour.

Lemoine – Meaning “monk,” possibly referring to a person who lived near a monastery or was involved in monastic life.

Gosse – Derived from “gosse,” meaning “child,” a nickname for a playful or young person.

Beauvais – Refers to someone from the town of Beauvais in northern France.

Clerc – Meaning “clerk” or “scribe,” denoting a person who worked in administrative roles.

Hamel – Meaning “small hammer,” referring to a person who worked as a blacksmith or craftsman.

Lemoine – Derived from the word “moine” meaning “monk,” indicating a connection to the religious or monastic lifestyle.

Mallet – Refers to someone who worked with a mallet or was a toolmaker.

Jacquet – Derived from “Jacques,” a French variation of “James,” meaning “supplanter.”

Verger – Refers to a “sexton” or “caretaker of a churchyard,” someone who maintained church grounds.

Fleury – Derived from the word “fleur,” meaning “flower,” likely referring to someone who worked with flowers or had a beautiful nature.

Blanchard – Meaning “white” or “fair,” possibly describing someone with fair skin or light hair.

Lavigne – Meaning “vineyard,” referring to someone who lived near or worked with grapevines.

Desmarais – Meaning “of the marshes,” likely referring to someone who lived near marshy land.

Gagné – Meaning “to win” or “to earn,” referring to someone who was successful or industrious.

Lemoine – Derived from “moine,” meaning “monk,” indicating a connection to religious life.

Boucher – Meaning “butcher,” referring to someone who worked in the meat trade.

Lefevre – Meaning “smith,” referring to someone who worked as a blacksmith.

Caron – Derived from the word “caron,” meaning “cart driver,” indicating a profession.

Lemoine – Referring to a monk or someone connected to a monastery or religious order.

Deschamps – Meaning “from the fields,” referring to someone who lived near fields or was a farmer.

Gauthier – Derived from the Germanic name “Waltari,” meaning “ruler of the army.”

Dufresne – Meaning “from the ash tree,” indicating someone who lived near or worked with ash wood.

Leclerc – Meaning “the clerk” or “scribe,” often referring to someone who worked as a writer or in administration.

Perron – Derived from the name “Pierre” (Peter), meaning “rock” or “stone.”

Chapelle – Meaning “chapel,” referring to someone who lived near a chapel or worked in a religious setting.

Barbeau – Meaning “bearded,” referring to someone with a beard.

Couture – Meaning “seamstress” or “tailor,” referring to someone who worked with fabric or clothing.

Paquet – Meaning “small package,” indicating someone who worked as a merchant or seller.

Renard – Derived from “renard,” meaning “fox,” referring to a person with fox-like characteristics (cunning or clever).

Chevalier – Meaning “knight,” referring to someone who served in medieval times as a mounted soldier.

Dumas – Derived from “du” meaning “of the,” and “mas,” meaning “house,” referring to someone who lived in a particular type of house.

Moulin – Meaning “mill,” referring to someone who worked in or lived near a mill.

Lambert – Derived from the Germanic name “Lindberht,” meaning “bright land.”

Vasseur – Meaning “farmer,” often referring to someone who worked the land.

Tardif – Meaning “late,” possibly referring to someone who was a late-born child or always late.

Bazin – Derived from the word “bas,” meaning “low,” indicating a person who lived at the foot of a hill or lowland.

Lepage – Meaning “page” or “servant,” referring to someone who worked in a noble household or as a servant.

Perrot – Derived from the name “Pierre” (Peter), meaning “rock” or “stone.”

Sauvage – Meaning “wild” or “untamed,” often referring to someone who was untamed or lived in the wilderness.

Lemoine – A surname meaning “monk,” indicating a person who was involved with the church or lived in a religious setting.

Vaillant – Derived from “vaillant,” meaning “brave” or “valiant,” referring to a person known for their courage or strength.

Charron – Meaning “cartwright,” referring to someone who made carts or wagons.

Benoit – Derived from “Benedictus,” meaning “blessed,” referring to someone who was considered holy or fortunate.

Leclair – Meaning “clear,” possibly describing a person with a clear voice or clear-minded nature.

Charrier – Derived from “char,” meaning “cart,” indicating a person who worked with carts.

Dufresne – Meaning “from the ash tree,” referring to someone living near an ash tree or who worked with ash wood.

Dulac – Meaning “from the lake,” indicating a person who lived near a lake or water source.

Lemoine – Derived from the word “moine,” meaning “monk,” indicating a connection to a religious life or institution.

Abadie – From Occitan abadia, meaning “near the abbey.”

Ardouin – Germanic origin meaning “strong friend.”

Arnauld – From Germanic arn (eagle) + wald (rule).

Aubry – Germanic origin meaning “elf ruler.”

Aumont – Locational, meaning “at the mountain.”

Auger – From Germanic agil (edge of a sword).

Avignon – Locational, from the city of Avignon.

Baudelaire – From Germanic bald (bold) + heri (army).

Beauchamp – Locational, meaning “beautiful field.”

Beaufort – Locational, meaning “beautiful fort.”

Beauvoir – Locational, meaning “beautiful view.”

Bégin – From Latin beginus, meaning “good.”

Bellegarde – Locational, meaning “beautiful watchtower.”

Bellemare – Locational, meaning “beautiful sea.”

Belloc – From Occitan, meaning “little war.”

Beltrand – Germanic origin meaning “bright raven.”

Bertrand – From Germanic beraht (bright) + rand (rim).

Blanchard – Descriptive, meaning “white” or “fair.”

Blanchet – Diminutive of blanc, meaning “white.”

Boniface – From Latin bon (good) + face (fate), meaning “good fate.”

Bonneau – From bon (good), meaning “good man.”

Bonnet – Occupational, from bonnetier, maker of hats.

Boutin – Derived from bout (end or tip).

Bourdon – From bourdon, meaning “bumblebee” or “drone.”

Bourdieu – From Occitan, meaning “small hill.”

Bourgeon – From bourgeon, meaning “bud” or “sprout.”

Bourgeois – Originally meaning “town dweller” or “middle class.”

Bousquet – From Occitan bosc (forest).

Boyer – Occupational, meaning “oxherd.”

Bozil – Rare, from Latin bos (cow).

Breton – Locational, meaning “from Brittany.”

Brissac – From the duchy of Brissac, locational.

Brousseau – Likely from brousse (brushwood).

Bruyère – From bruyère, meaning “heath.”

Bucheron – Occupational, meaning “woodcutter.”

Bugeaud – Derived from old French, likely locational.

Cabanis – From Occitan cabana (hut).

Cabrol – From Occitan cabral (goat herd).

Cadieux – Locational variant from cadet (younger son).

Caillou – From caillou, meaning “pebble.”

Cailleau – From caille (quail), possibly descriptive.

Calandre – From calandre, meaning “lark” (bird).

Calisson – Derived from the Provence sweet, symbolic.

Camus – Descriptive, meaning “flat-nosed.”

Caradec – From Breton region names.

Cardin – Diminutive of carde, meaning “thistle.”

Carriere – Occupational, meaning “stone quarry.”

Charbonnier – Occupational, meaning “charcoal burner.”

Charlebois – Locational, meaning “Charles’ forest.”

Charpentier – Occupational, meaning “carpenter.”

Chauvin – Descriptive, from chauve (bald).

Chevalier – Title-derived, meaning “knight” or “horseman.”

Chretien – Religious, meaning “Christian.”

Clermont – Locational, from clear mountain.

Cloutier – Occupational, meaning “nail maker.”

Coignet – From coing, meaning “quince,” possibly descriptive.

Colbert – From Germanic origin meaning “cool bright.”

Colin – Diminutive of Nicolas (victory people).

Comte – Title-derived, meaning “count.”

Courtois – Descriptive, meaning “courteous.”

Crevier – From crèver, meaning “break” or “pass through.”

Dacier – From acier, meaning “steel.”

Damien – From Greek Damianos, to tame or subdue.

Dauphin – Title-derived, meaning “dolphin,” also heir to the French throne.

Delacroix – Locational or symbolic, meaning “of the cross.”

Delaroche – Locational, meaning “of the rock.”

Deschamps – Locational, meaning “of the fields.”

Desmarais – Locational, meaning “of the marsh.”

Despres – Locational, meaning “of the meadows.”

Deville – Locational, meaning “from the town.”

Dion – From Greek Dios, connected to Zeus.

Dubreuil – From breuil, meaning “small wood.”

Dubuc – From buch, meaning “beech tree.”

Dufour – Descriptive, from du four, meaning “of the oven.”

Dumas – Locational, meaning “from the plain.”

Dupont – Locational, meaning “from the bridge.”

Dupuis – Locational, meaning “from the well.”

Dupuy – Locational, meaning “from the hill.”

Durette – Diminutive of dur (hard or enduring).

Durand – From durare, meaning “to endure.”

Fauré – Occitan origin, meaning “blacksmith.”

Favre – From fer (iron), meaning “smith.”

Fevre – Variant of Favre, meaning “smith.”

Fleury – From fleur (flower), symbolic of beauty.

Fontaine – Locational, meaning “fountain” or spring.

Forgeron – Occupational, meaning “blacksmith.”

Fournier – Occupational, meaning “baker.”

Garnier – Germanic origin meaning “army warrior.”

Gautier – Germanic origin meaning “army ruler.”

Gautrand – Variant from Gautier lineage.

Gendre – From gendre, meaning “son-in-law.”

Girard – Germanic origin meaning “spear brave.”

Giraud – Variant of Girard, spear strength.

Girod – From Germanic roots, similar to Girard.

Gouin – From goude, meaning “wood gatherer.”

Goulet – Locational or descriptive of narrow place.

Granger – Occupational, meaning “farm bailiff.”

Grégoire – From Greek Gregorius, meaning watchful.

Guéneau – From gué (ford), locational meaning.

Guillon – From a diminutive of Guillaume (William).

Cool French Last Names

Abitbol

Achard

Allardet

Alquier

Ameline

Ancelin

Andrieux

Arbellot

Arfeuille

Auriol

Avrillon

Bachelot

Balandier

Baradel

Bardoux

Barralier

Bastiat

Baudrier

Bayle-Latour

Beaurivage

Becquerel

Bellamy-Lemoine

Benoiston

Berlioz

Berthelet

Bessières

Billaudot

Birotteau

Boissonneault

Bonhommet

Bosquetin

Bouclier

Boulestin

Bourgette

Brachet

Brandeis

Brémond

Brillault

Brunelet

Cabanette

Caillavet

Campredon

Cantarel

Carpentras

Castillonnet

Chalamont

Chassignet

Chaumeton

Cheminade

Chennevière

Clerambault

Coiffard

Colombani

Cormerais

Courcelleau

Crémieux

Daguerré

Darniche

Delafosse

Delormeau

Deslauriers

Desvignes

Devaux-Laroche

Dorléans

Dubreton

Duplessier

Échevin

Estienne

Fabregoule

Falguière

Fauchereau

Faure-Brac

Favières

Fleurance

Fontenelette

Fourcade

Gaignard

Galimard

Garidel

Gasqueton

Genesteux

Giraudet

Gouffier

Gravereau

Huguenet

Jouvenet

Lacassagne

Laffitteau

Langloiserie

Lecomte-Dumas

Lenoiraux

Malesherbes

Montclarion

Montferrand

Noguès

Peyrefitte

Rochegude

Saint-Aulaire

Valmontier

Villeneuveaux