Save Gender Masculine Usage French (Swiss, Archaic) Pronounced Pron. /bə.ˈzænsən/(US English) /bə.zɑ̃.sɔ̃/(French) [key·simplify] Meaning & History From the surname Besançon. Besançon Hugues (1487-1532) was a Swiss political and religious leader who was a member of the Grand Council of Geneva.