150+ French Last Names

Noland exists as a surname among the Irish and the French. In Ireland, it's a variation of the much more common Nolan. As a French surname, Noland is derived from Germanic components not, "need" and land.

Transferred use of the surname Vianney, in reference to French saint Jean-Marie Vianney. It is generally masculine in France, Belgium and French-speaking Africa, but in Latin America it is mainly feminine and sometimes spelt Vianey.

Intriguing spin on Margaret or Maggie, for admirers of French surrealist Rene Magritte.

Associated with comedian Stephen Colbert, who uses the French pronunciation of his name as a bit (the rest of his family of origin use the English pronunciation).

This surname of Louis and Justin, is perhaps a topographic name for someone living by ‘the wells’, from a plural variant of Occitan théron ‘well’.

Variation of Dashiell.

A dashing French surname name most famously borne by Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, writer and philosopher who influenced such notable figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. The most common modern American pronunciation is "thor-OH", with emphasis on the final syllable, although Thoreau himself pronounced it "THOR-oh".

Two completely different images come from its national pronunciations -- BOY-err or boy-AY -- the latter giving it an effete French accent.

Old-timey surname that's been very rarely used.

Breton is the term for the people and language of Brittany, a region of northern France with a distinct culture. Breton also might be thought of as a trendy modern invention, taking the midcentury surfer boy Bret or Brett and adding the current favorite boy's name ending -on and turning it into a name all its own. Bretton is a variation.

This name's all-male occupational roots help it break the Barbara bonds, but still not the most inspiring surname choice.

So tied to being Jacqueline Kennedy's maiden name that it's best saved for a girl.

Naming babies for personal heroes is the cool contemporary trend followed by Woody Allen when he honored New Orleans jazz clarinetist Sidney Bechet in his daughter's name--adding the middle name Dumaine after a cornet player who was another of his musical heroes. Bechet has a nice, catchy Gallic feel.

A rarer spelling of Dashiell, a handsome route to the nickname Dash. Neither variation is common for girls — Dashiell, at its peak, was given to six baby girls in a single year — but actress Milla Jovovich chose this spelling for her daughter, born in 2015.

Creative surname choice, associated with the great French postimpressionist Edouard Villard.

Attractive if phonetically confusing; also pronounced exactly the same as the Renault car.

For remembrance of books past, Proust might be a meaningful middle name.

Name with aristrocratic overtones.