Frequency: (262)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
French: of disputed origin. Morlet describes it as a habitational name from a place so named in Loire; Dauzat, on the other hand, says it comes from an Old French word meaning ‘devil’ or ‘small change’, presumably applied as a nickname.
GIVEN NAMES: French 10%. Andre, Emile, Gilles, Lucien, Normand.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
