The French surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 63,991 people carried this name — #525 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,610 people counted. That is up 1% from 63,149 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the French surname

A surname originating as an ethnonym.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «French» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘the French’.

An early record he cites: Symon le Frensch, Wiltshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 300 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 24 births for the French name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,100 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 8
Leinster 7
Connacht 6
Munster 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 109 people named French live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 60
City of Buenos Aires 36
Córdoba 13

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 46 people named French.

Most of them — 26 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 26
Paris 10
Hauts-de-Seine 5
Seine-Maritime 2
Cher 1
Côte-d’Or 1
Var 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

28 people named French have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 66 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Silesian 11
Lower Silesian 8
Greater Poland 3
Lesser Poland 2
Masovian 2
Podlaskie 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

25 people named French live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 8
Geneva 7
St. Gallen 4
Valais 3
Zurich 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

84 people named French is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 84

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

French was found among the farmers of 10 counties.

It was most frequent in Devon: 34 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 294. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Devon 34
Essex 33
Oxfordshire 31
Northamptonshire 20
Buckinghamshire 18
Cambridgeshire 15
Kent 15
Worcestershire 14

And 2 more counties.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

French was recorded 38 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 672nd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 43. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

488 families named French, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 2,668 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 164
New Hampshire 122
Connecticut 56
Vermont 41
New York 30
Pennsylvania 19
Maryland 17
Maine 12
North Carolina 10
South Carolina 8
Virginia 7
Rhode Island 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 241 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

French in American newspapers,
1804–1914.

Newspaper page from The Mirror And Farmer carrying the name French
The Mirror And Farmer 1914-10-22
Newspaper page from Oracle Post carrying the name French
Oracle Post 1804-04-24
Newspaper page from The Harlem News carrying the name French
The Harlem News 1911-06-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 31,153 pages in all carry the name.

In print

French in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

149,648 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss French. The most, 26,953, date from the 1900s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 48,244
New South Wales 36,158
Queensland 22,681
Tasmania 19,431
South Australia 13,958
Western Australia 8,086
ACT (Canberra) 574
Northern Territory 333

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss French.

Who carried it

People named French,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Caroline French Benton d. 1923 · writer
  • Edward French d. 1810 · Catholic priest
  • Paul French d. 1600 · priest
  • Patrick French d. 1748 · Catholic priest
  • Peter French d. 1693 · missionary
  • Walter French d. 1961 · cricket umpire

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named French,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States6,997 records

6,997 records of the French name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,279
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,499
  • Other U.S. records 3,219
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Douglas Robert French

    Born 1946; from South Houston, Texas. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Richard A. French

    Born 1925 in Virginia. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Myer; shoemaker from Washington, D.C. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1979, buried at Culpeper National Cemetery, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alfred M. French

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 24; mason. From Liverpool, England; bound for Chicago.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 6,997 records for French in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3,223 records

3,223 records of the French name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,094
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1,069
  • Other Australian records 1,060
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margaret French

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Waverley, sailing from Dublin in 1842. Native of Athlone, Westmeath. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844. Married 1844 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 35.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Sarah French

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Platina, sailing from London in 1837. Native of Brighton, Sussex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1841.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edward French

    Died 1864 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 36. Will registered in Tasmania in 1864.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,223 records for French in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada359 records

359 records of the French name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 164
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 54
  • Other Canadian records 141
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Peter French

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Nesbitt, bound for Port Matton, aged 93.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas French

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Delta, bound for Guelph, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Kenneth Floyd French

    Buried in 1991 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 36.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 359 records for French in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom161 records

161 records of the French name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 96
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 39
  • Other British records 26
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Alexander French

    Born 1893 at Marchhead; journalist. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Christina McLellan French

    Buried in 1946 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 74.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Judith French

    Buried in 1822 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 97.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 161 records for French in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand117 records

117 records of the French name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 90
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 21
  • Other New Zealand records 6
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Shelley Cecelia French

    Died 1987, aged 35; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Violet Ruth French

    Died 1981, aged 87; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William French

    Died 1999; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 117 records for French in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands34 records

34 records of the French name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 19
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 12
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Heintje French

    Died 1849 in Holk, aged 27; maidservant.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Reginald John French

    Married in 1916 in Groningen; office clerk.

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 34 records for French in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France19 records

19 records of the French name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Rose Elisabeth French

    Born 1903 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Argenteuil (Val-d'Oise).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Alfred French

    Born 1923 in Bourges; died 1990 in Bourges (Cher).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 19 records for French in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Germany8 records

8 records of the French name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Otto French

    From Bluthen, Westprignitz. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 21 May 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 48).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl French

    From Dreisbach, Marienberg. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 24 September 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 168).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 8 records for French in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Ireland6 records

6 records of the French name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Anne French

    Died 1766, aged 20; buried at Drumacoo, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 6 records for French in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to French.

When the index is not enough

This page says where French is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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