Geni naming conventions - French-Canada

Geni naming conventions - French-Canada

See the projects Geni naming conventions and Geni naming conventions - data entry for general guidance.

French-Canadian Women Kept/Keep Their Maiden Names
French-Canadian women living in Québec today keep their maiden name and are known by that name in religious, administrative and legal documents; not by their husband’s names. It has always been so; even when present day Québec was a part of New France.
Source: Catudal Genealogy blog

French Canadian names
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_name

Given names in Quebec
In French Canada, up until the late 1960s, children of Roman Catholic religion often were given three names at birth (usually not hyphenated): the first, Marie or Joseph, were honorific in nature to honor the mother and foster father of Jesus. The second was usually the name of the godfather or godmother, while the third and last given name was the name used in everyday situations.[citation needed] Thus, a child prenamed Joseph Bruno Jean on his birth or baptismal certificate would indicate the baby was a boy, the godfather's first name was Bruno and that the child would be called Jean (and not Joseph) for all intents and purposes of everyday life. A real-life example of this naming convention was that of Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien, who was born Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien.

Although it is still permitted to list multiple names on a birth certificate, it is uncommon for people to even be aware of their other given names, and the practice of using religious names became increasingly rarer after the Quiet Revolution as baptism ceremonies gradually became less common. The Quebec government officially recommends not using more than four given names.[4]

Surnames in Quebec
Currently, most couples give the child the surname of the father, though the Quebec civil code allows a couple to combine at most two of their surnames, with or without hyphens.[5] Thus a couple named Joseph Bouchard-Tremblay and Marie Dion-Roy could give to their children the surnames Bouchard, Tremblay, Dion, Roy, Bouchard-Tremblay, Dion-Roy, Bouchard-Dion, Bouchard-Roy, and so on.

Following traditional French custom, Quebec women did not change their legal names upon marriage, but were referred to by their husband's surname in common speech. This latter practice fell out of favour following the Quiet Revolution, and spouses now retain their surnames after marriage in all contexts. A name change for marriage is difficult or impossible to do if desired, as requests to adopt a husband's name after marriage are typically denied.[6][7][8]

The "nom-dit" tradition
See also: Dit name
Until the late 19th century, several families also had a nom-dit tradition. This was a family nickname (literally a 'said name').[9] The origins of the noms-dits were various. Some noms-dits were the war-name of the first settler, while he was a soldier: Hébert dit Jolicœur (Pretty Heart, cf. Braveheart), Thomas dit Tranchemontagne (mountain chopper). Some denoted the place of origin of the first settler: Langevin (Anjou), Barbeau dit Poitevin (Poitou). Others denoted a characteristic of the person or of his dwelling: Lacourse, Lépine, Larivière.

Reuse of First Names
It is extremely common to find, in the French-Canadian family, all boys and all girls being given the same sex appropriate first name such as Jean for the boys or Marie for the girls. A family’s naming profile might look like this: Marie-Louise, Marie-Angélique, Marie, Marie-Josephe, Jean-Louis, Jean-Baptiste and Jean-Paul. The child in question would be called by the second name most often but it is also common to see for instance Marie-Louise documented on her marriage certificate simply as Marie making it impossible without other documentation to tell the difference between her and her sister who only carries the name Marie.
Source: Catudal Genealogy blog

“Dit” Names in French Canada
https://www.tfcg.ca/french-canadian-dit-names

Your Family Name is Lavictoire, Tourangeau, Carrière or Villeneuve? Chances are your French ancestor’s name was completely different.

For example,

If your last name is Lavictoire, your ancestor may have been a Benech.
If your last name is Tourangeau, your ancestor may have been a Lemelin.
If your last name is Carrière, your ancestor may have been a Gemmes.
If your last name is Villeneuve, your ancestor may have been an Asselin.
If your last name is Laviolette, your ancestor may have been a Greslon or a Goyer.
If your last name is Brisebois, your ancestor may have been a Dubois.
If your last name is Lafleur, your ancestor may have been a Lecompte or a Bresa.
If your last name is Boisdoré, your ancestor may have been a Barbot.
If your last name is Ladouceur, your ancestor may have been a Lamadeleine.
If your last name is Latreille, your ancestor may have been a Lalande.
If your last name is Michaud, your ancestor may have been a Michel.
If your last name is Delorme, your ancestor may have been a Lemay.
If your last name is Deslauriers, your ancestor may have been a Legault.
If your last name is Lapointe, your ancestor may have been a Desautels.

Confused yet? The good news is that it’s possible to sort through the complexity once you understand “dit” names and how they came to be.

A “dit” name can be equated to a nickname or alias, which is normally added to a surname. “Dit” is translated as said or, in this context, called. In the first example I gave above, the person would write their last name as Benech dit Lavictoire (Benech called Lavictoire). A female ancestor using a dit name would use Benech dite Lavictoire (dite being the feminine version of dit).

What types of “dit” name could a person have? Most “dit” names found in New France fall into these categories:

• Nicknames based on origin: examples include “Parisien” (the Parisian), “Champigny” (the name of several communes in France) and “Portugais” (the Portuguese).
• Nicknames based on a physical trait: “Legrand” (the tall one), “Leroux” (the redhead) and Lefort (the strong one).
• Nicknames based on a personality trait: examples include “Lamoureux” (the lover), “Sanspeur” (without fear) and “Belhumeur” (in a good mood).
• Nicknames based on animals or plants: examples include “Lafleur” (the flower), “Lavigne” (the vine), Loiseau (the bird).
• Nicknames based on occupations: examples include “Lefebvre” (the blacksmith), “Pelletier” (the furrier) and “Boucher” (the butcher).
• Nicknames based on the modification of a surname or a first name, or based on a mother’s name: examples include Rivière becoming Larivière or Jean becoming St-Jean.

These “dit” names had a lasting legacy in French Canada, as this practice lasted until about 1870. Historians such as René Jetté have estimated that there were over 7,500 “dit” names in Québec. It’s also important to note that in some French-Canadian families, one side of the family might retain the original surname, while another might retain the “dit” name (especially when first names were commonly repeated). When researching your ancestors, it’s important to keep both names in mind and to vary the composition. For example, look for a “Latreille dit Lalande”, “Lalande dit Latreille”, “Lalande-Latreille”, “Latreille” and “Lalande” on their own, and so on. Spelling can also vary greatly, which should be taken into consideration.

An excellent resource is the Répertoire des noms de famille du Québec des origines à 1825 by René Jetté and Micheline Lécuyer. This book lists all the “dit” names found in Québec and their standardized surname. It is available for sale from the Société généalogique canadienne-française.

Map of New France about 1750 using modern political boundaries - English Version

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nouvelle-France_map-en.svg

---

References

• https://www.tfcg.ca/french-canadian-names
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_name
• https://www.frenchlearner.com/pronunciation/french-canadian-last-na...
• https://letterpile.com/memoirs/Family-and-Geneology
• http://www.catudals.com/2012/10/french-naming-conventions.html
• https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/France_Naming_Customs