Frequency: (372)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
French: from Old French beu, bel ‘lovely’ + fueille, foille ‘leaf’, perhaps as a nickname for a woodsman. It is particularly common in New England.
FOREBEARS: In Canada it is associated as a secondary surname with Houde, Lefebvre, Pelletier, Poiriau, and Poiriot.
GIVEN NAMES: French 8%. Marcel (2), Adrien, Armand, Gillis, Jean Louis, Laurent, Ovide.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
Dictionary of American Family Names. Copyright © 2006 Patrick Hanks. All rights reserved.
