The Top 10 Family Names in Québec before 1800
Explore our Top 10 list of the most popular surnames in Quebec before 1800, such as Roy, Gauthier and Gagnon. We will also provide the origin of each name, whether your family is currently in Quebec, Ontario, elsewhere in French Canada or the United States.
Patrick Roy, hockey goaltender and coach (1999 photo by Rick Dikeman, Wikimedia Commons)
#1. Roy: either from Le Roy, the name of several towns all over France, or a derivative of roi (“king” in English), an ironic surname.
#2. Gauthier: either (a) from the Germanic Waldhari, composed of wald (power, authority) and hari (army); or (b) an alteration of Gonthier or Gothier – from the Germanic Gunthari, composed of gunt (battle, combat) and hari (army).
#3. Gagnon: probably a derivative of the ancient French word gaigneor, meaning a labourer or cultivator; an occupational surname.
#4. Lefebvre: combination of le febvre, from the ancient French word fe(b)vre, meaning forgeron or blacksmith; an occupational surname.
#5. Morin: either (a) from Le Morin, the name of several towns in various parts of France or (b) from the Latin name Maurinus, derived of Maurus (in French Mauritanien), the surname of a dark-skinned person.
#6. Boucher: occupational surname; boucher translates to butcher.
Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, Canadian painter and sculptor (1894 self-portrait, Wikimedia Commons)
#7. Côté: a variation of Costé, a probable alteration of the name Le Costil, the name of several towns in Normandy.
#8. Bélanger: a variation of the Germanic Berngari, from bern (bears) and gari (spear).
#9. Pelletier: occupational surname; pelletier translates to furrier.
#10. Paquette: either (1) derived from Paque, from the Latin Pascha or the Hebrew pasha (meaning Easter) or (2) a variation of Pasquier, the name of several towns in various parts of France.
Sources:
Louis Duchesne, “Les noms de famille au Québec : aspects statistiques et distribution spatiale”, Institut de la statistique du Québec (http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/statistiques/population-demographie/caracteristiques/noms_famille_1000.htm).
Marc Picard, Dictionnaire des noms de famille du Canada français (Québec, Québec, Les Presses de l’Université Laval, 2010)..