Circeus's Personal Name List

variant of veilleur, a night guard of nightwatch.

topographic name for someone who lived in a valley from Old French valee "valley" (from Latin vallis) or a habitational name from (La) Vallée the name of several places in various parts of France. Compare Lavallée.

Possibly a variant of Valencourt. This is the surname of a noble family who probably lived near Willencourt.

French definition, cattle herder. Vashon English variant. Vaca Spanish.

Variant of Trudeau.

Variant of Terrien.

Possibly from the Greek "therion" which means a beast of a nondescript nature.

Occupational Name For A Weaver, From Old French Tissier (From Late Latin Texarius, A Derivative Of Texere ‘To Weave’). It Is Also Found In England As A Surname Of Huguenot Origin. Compare Tacey.

From Latin tardivus, "slow". Given its unusually frequency as a family name and derivatives like Tardieu or Tardivel, it may have been a medieval given name.

From a French place named for Saint Peter.

From the Germanic name Siegmar via the French form Simar.

From the given name Séguin the French form of Sigwin.

Either from Old French savart meaning "wasteland" or the Germanic elements sab of uncertain meaning and hard meaning "brave, hardy".

Of uncertain meaning.

From the Norman personal name Raimund, composed of the Germanic elements ragin "advice, counsel" and mund "protection".

French cognate of Plant.

Probably a diminutive of Pierre.

Unclear. Possibly occupational for a pareur, a textile worker that smooths and flattens the fabric.

From a learned variant of Old French pareis "Paradise" (from Greek paradeisos). As a toponym this was applied to verdant places and it is quite common as a place name in Nord and Normandy; the surname therefore can be a topographic or habitational name.

Originated in east France. This last name signified a freehold that permitted use of a cluster of land or pastures. The name became “he who possesses lands” and "he who is wise."

From the personal name Paquet, a pet form of Pascal.

Canadian spelling of French (Norman and Champenois) Ouilet, from a Frenchified form of Willet, a pet form of William.

Variant of Nadal, which can be a name or the meaning "Christmas".
Also, natali is latin for "birthday"
A form of Noel.

From the Old German given name Meginhard, making it a cognate of Maynard. A notable bearer was André Ménard, Governor General in the French colonial empire.

Occupational name from old French ussier "usher, doorkeeper".

Name for someone who lived in a clearing, derived from French l'essart meaning "the assart" (a term for cleared forest land used for agriculture). It is also a habitational name for someone from any of various locations named Lessard or Lessart, of the same origin and meaning.

From the French "le Gaul," meaning simply "the Gaul." Gaul refers to the northern part of modern-day France.

From the Old French title of rank duc "duke" (from Latin dux "leader" genitive ducis) with the French masculine definite article le used as a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces or else as a metonymic occupational name for a servant employed in a ducal household.

After any of the various locations called La Rouche in France.

From the Germanic personal name Landric, a compound of land "land" and ric "powerful, ruler".

Means "The Flame" in French.

Either from Old French hole, houle, "hole, cave", or a deformation of Houde.

topographic name for someone who lived and worked at an outlying farm dependent on the main village Old French hamel (a diminutive from an ancient Germanic element cognate with Old English ham "homestead"); or a habitational name from (Le) Hamel the name of several places in the northern part of France named with this word.

Variant of Gay.

Variant of Guyet or Guet.

Occupational name for a grain merchant (from Latin granarius), or a topographic name for someone who lived by a granary (from Latin granarium) or a metonymic occupational name for someone who supervised or owned one.

Of uncertain origin and meaning. Theories include a derivation from Old French goule "mouth" (combined with a diminutive suffix), in which case this name would have been a nickname for a glutton.

Western France variant of Gingreau, possibly derived from Old French ginguer ("to frolick, to dance")

Unclear, possibly from Middle French giguer ("to dance, to frolick") but could also refer to the gigue, a medieval three-string vielle, which would suggest a musical profession.

Either a diminutive of French gendre meaning "son-in-law" or a habitational name for someone from the town of Gendron in Belgium.

Derived from Gelin.

Nickname for a lighthearted or cheerful person, from Middle English, Old French gai.

Diminutive of Gaudier, a variant of Gauthier.

From Gagnier/Gagner (cf. Gagner), alternative form of Gagneux/Gagneur ("ferm laborer"), from Old French gaignier, "to farm, to work the earth".

Diminutive of Fort.

Probably a diminutive of fils or fille, respectively "son" and "daughter". May have alluded to the bearer being the youngest amongst siblings.

Variant of Duchêne.

Geographical du bec "from the stream". Bec (from Germanic baki) is a regional term in Normandy for a stream.

Probably a variation of Dubec.

From the Old French given name Drouin, of Frankish origins.

Meaning uncertain. It may be a habitational name from any of various locations called Dion or Dionne, derived from the Gaulish element divon- meaning "(sacred) spring" or Celtic dēwos meaning "god, deity". Alternatively, it may come from the given name Dion or Didon, the latter of which may be derived from the Germanic element þeudō meaning "people". A famous bearer of this name is Celine Dion (1968-), a Canadian singer.

"Chenes" is French for "oak tree". In French, "Des" means more than one. "Des"+ "Chenes"= Deschenes meaning "Many oak trees."

From French meaning "of the seas". A famous bearer of this surname was Modeste Demers, a bishop in 18th century Vancouver.

From the Latin personal name Quiricus or Cyricus, Greek Kyrikos or Kyriakos, ultimately from Greek kyrios 'lord', 'master'.

regional name for someone from Champagne, named in Latin as Campania (from campus "plain", "flat land"). This is also the name of various villages in France, and in some cases the family name may derive from one of these.

From carrier, "quarrier, someone who works in a quarry". cf Carrara.

French and English: ethnic name for a Breton, from Old French bret (oblique case breton) (see Brett).

Diminutive from the Germnic given name Bodo.

Variant of Beaudreau.

Probably from an old Germanic name with the roots baldi and dux, the Italian Balducci has the same etymology

Means "green wood" in French, from bois "wood" and vert "green".

Variant of Blanchet.

Variant of Billaudeau.

Habitational name from some minor place named with Old French bel ru "beautiful stream", with the subsequent pleonastic addition of bé, variant of bel "beautiful".

From the personal name Bernier composed of the ancient Germanic elements bern "bear" and hari "army". Compare Barney and Barnier.

Diminutive of French berger meaning "shepherd".

From Beaudoin, a variant of Baudoin.

Southern French nickname from Gascon dialect audet "bird", variant of standard Occitan ausèl (modern French oiseau).

From French arsenal meaning "workshop". This is the occupational surname for someone who worked at an arsenal.