Those "Dit" Names

One thing that can make it difficult to find your ancestor is that he may have been using a different surname from the one that you expect. You will need to make yourself aware of any "Dit" names that might be associated with the surname you are tracing, and if you can't find someone under the name of his child, you may find him under the Dit name.

"Dit" in French means "say" and in this context, it means "called." In other words, a person might be Pierre Bourbeau Dit Lacourse, which means that he had an ancestor named Bourbeau, but he chooses to use the name Lacourse instead. So he is Pierre Bourbeau called Lacourse.

People might take a Dit name to distinguish their family from another family of the same name living nearby. Often it was a sort of nickname, often picked up during service as a soldier. Or it might refer to the place in France where the family originated. Sometimes it was the mother's surname, and sometimes the father's first name was used, either instead of the surname (for example, Hébert dit Emmanuel) or in addition to it (Jeanbard, Castonquay). In any case, very often the dit name was passed down to later generations, either in place of the original surname, or in addition to it. Some of his children might then keep the original surname (e.g. Barbeau), and some might use the dit name (e.g. Lacourse).

After a few generations, it's not uncommon to completely lose the memory of the original name, or to forget which was the original and which was the dit name. The best example of this is the Hudon dit Beaulieu family, where you will often find people listed as Beaulieu dit Hudon. You sometimes might find a name and its dit name hyphenated, as in François Hudon-Beaulieu. In fact, you can generally assume that a hyphenated surname (before 1950, anyway) is the surname plus dit name. Just remember that any Hudon might be the child of a Beaulieu and vice versa.

Some surnames, such as Roy, have had several different dit names. You should be aware that usually a different dit name indicates a different family. For example, Siméon Roy dit Audy and Antoine Roy dit Desjardins were not related to each other. So it helps us to distinguish who's who among their descendants if the descendants use a dit name. Pierre Roy dit Audy will be a descendant of Siméon, and François Roy dit Desjardins will be a descendant of Antoine. If you find a source which tells you, for example, that Pierre Audy is François Desjardins' father, you should be very suspicious.

The sources you use may give the name as it appeared in the original document, or may list all the Hudons and Beaulieus together, under either name. Jette has standardized spellings, and leaves out "de" when alphabetizing, but he is faithful to the original surname of the family. So whether you are looking for a Hudon, a Beaulieu, or a Hudon-Beaulieu, they are all listed together under "H."

Searching hints: names with "de" should also be searched without the "de", for example de Hudon or DE Hudon should also be searched as Hudon. Many databases do not use accent marks, so search with and without accents for the best results.

Other sources may list the same person many different places, and some sources consider Beaulieu to be more common, and therefore they place the Hudons under "B." Don't assume a marriage or birth isn't listed until you've exhausted all possible names and spellings. And don't forget to check under the many spelling variations that were common. Any name that starts with a vowel, for example, might also be found with an H in front of it (Emond, Hemond, Ayot, Hayot). And the "o" sound at the end of a name might be spelled ot, eau, au, ault, eault, eau, aux, eaux, aud, or aut.

Following is a partial list of dit names and their equivalents. You can also find extensive lists of dit names in Jette and Tanguay references.

Acelin - Asselin

Agnier - Haguenier

Alarie - Lart

Albert - Beaulieu

Allaire - Daillaire

Amiel - Miel

Amiot - Lincourt, Villeneuve, Vincelot

Amirault - Mirault

Anctil -St-Jean

Angers - Lefebvre

Anse - Bernard, Hains

Arbour - Harbour

Ardouin - Hardouin

Arnaud - Renaud

Arrivé - Delisle, Larrivé Artigny - Rouer

Asselin - Ancelin

Aubertin - Bertin

Aubin - Delisle, Mignault, St-Aubin

Aubuchon - Desalliers, Leloyal

Audebout - Belhumeur Audet - Lapointe

Audy - Roy Auger - Baron

Babin - Lacroix, Lasource

Bajolet - Drouet

Bard - Jeanbard, Jombard

Baron - Auger, Caillault, Defoy

Baucher - Montmorency, Sansoucy

Beaubassin - LeNeuf

Beaubien - Trottier

Beauchemin - Petit

Beaudoin - Courcival

Beaulieu - Albert, Chauvin, Gourdeau, Hudon, Martin, Moulin, Philippe, Thomas

Beaumarchais - Juchereau

Beaumont - Couillard

Beausoleil - Bercy, Malboeuf, Normandin

Beignet - Besnier

Bélanger - Catherine

Belfonds - Genaple

Belhumeur - Audebout, Brunet, Charpentier, Philippe

Belisle - Billion, Germain, Goyer, Leborgne, Lefebvre, Marboeuf, Rotreau

Bellechasse - Berthier, Marsolet

Bellefontaine - Fortin, Godin

Bellerive - Couture, Crevier, Groton

Bellesîles - Gagnon Belleval - Fournier

Bellou - Hamelin

Belmont - Martin

Bénard - Bonenfant, Bourjoli, Carignan

Bernard - Anse, Jolicoeur, Gonthier

Berthier - Bellechasse

Bertin - Aubertin

Bidon - Jobidon

Bienville - Lemoine

Bigot - Duval

Blanchard - Raynaud

Bléry - Cauchon

Blondin - Leclerc, Sureau

Blouin - Laviolette

Bois - Charlebois

Boisjoli - Fafard, Griveau, Liénard, Ravion, Renaud

Boismenu - Monet

Boismorel - Petit

Boissonnault - St-Onge

Bonenfant - Bénard

Bonin - Deslauriers

Bonsecours - Fauteux

Bordet - Brassard

Borgia - Levasseur

Boucher - Boucherville, Desroches, Ducuron, Grandpré, Grosbois, Morin

Boulanger - Lefebvre

Boumois - Gauthier

Bourbon - Merdieu

Bourbonnais - Brunet, Dumay

Bourdelais - Arcand, Brane, Courrier, Desormaux, Talon

Bourgeois - Laverdure Bourgouin - Duverger

Bourguet - Etienne

Bourguignon - Bourgouin, Colleret, Couturier, Dessureaux, Verreau

Bourjoli -Bénard

Boutot - Thiboutot

Brasseur - Bordet

Breton - Bion, Courtois, Elie, Girard, Hautbois, Robert Briand - Georget

Brillon - Régnier

Bricourt - Herbin

Bruneau - Petit

Brunel - Brunet, Limousin

Brunet - Belhumeur, Bourbonnais

Cadillac - Lamothe

Cahouet - Caouet

Canard -Renaud

Cantin - Quentin

Carignan - Bénard, Bourbeau, Duclos

Caron - Dussault, Laviolette

Carrièare - Jamme, Lebrun

Casse - St-Aubin

Catherine - Bélanger

Cauchon - Bléry

Cavalier - Deslauriers, Rivet

Chabot - Lamarre

Chambeau - Fleury

Champagne - Aubin, Beaugrand, Dupré, Fontenelle, Gouin, Handgrave, Rémy, Sylvestre

Charbonnier - Desjardins

Charland - Francoeur

Charlebois - Bois, Joly, Jolibois

Charpentier - Belhumeur, Sansfaçon

Châtillon- Berson, Godin, Hardy, Mignault

Chauvin - Beaulieu Chenneville - Babie, Bigot

Chety - Joubert Chevalier - Biétry, Cardinet, Cheval, Lhullier, Potèare, Sauvage

Clément - Labonté

Clocher - Marquet

Coderre - Emery

Comtois - Carry, Gilbert, Royer

Corporal - Hus

Couillard - Beaumont, Deschênes, Desilets, Després, Lafleur

Courberon - Damours

Courcival - Beaudoin

Courtois - Breton

Courville - Abraham, Baret, Billy, Cadieux, Lefebvre, Piet

Couture - Bellerive

Couturier - Bourguignon

Croustille - Langlois

Daignault - Daniau

Daigle - Daigre Dallaire - Allaire

Damours - Courberon

Dandurant - Marcheterre

Daniau - Laprise

Deblois - Gregoire

Defoy - Baron

Deladurantaye - Ladurantaye, Morel

Delbec - Joli

Delisle - Arrivé, Aubin, Bienvenu, Bonin, Gauthier, LeGardeur

Demers - Dumay, Monfort

DeNevers - Brantigny, Brentigny

Denis - Lapierre

Deschamps - Hunault

Deschênes - Couillard, Miville

Deshazards - Maheu

Desilets - Couillard, Desrosiers, Guyon, Huard, Mousseau

Desjardins - Beaudin, Charbonnier, Delboeuf, Louvard, Roy, Verger

Deslauriers - Bonin, Cavelier, Cordeau, Dion, Favreau, Hébert, Ménard, Normandeau, Renard, Renaud, Tinon

Desloges - Poirier

Després - Couillard,

Dupré, Guyon

Desrochers - Bertrand, Duquet, Houde, Jean, Perrault, Sevestre

Desroches - Boucher, Laroux, Tinon

Dion - Deslauriers, Guyon

Dolbec - Dufresne

Dubois - Boutret, Filiau, Quintin

Duchesne - Lapierre Dufrenay - Guyon

Dufresne - Bouin, Dolbec, Fournier, Thunay, Vernas

Duhamel - Sansfaçon Dumay - Demers

Dupont - André, Gaudais, Locquet

Dussault - Caron, Toupin Drouet - Bajolet

Duclos - Carignan

Duplessis - Gardet, Gatineau, Guillemot, Moreau, Perrin, Sirois

Dupré - Després

Duval - Bigot, Charles, Chevreul, Lelièvre, Meunier, Renaud

Elie - Breton, Hélie

Emery - Coderre

Émond - Edmund

Eschambault - Fleury

Estiambre - Sansfacon

Etienne - Bourguet, Clérin

Fafard - Boisjoli

Fauteux - Bonsecours

Fleury - Chambeau, Eschambault

Fortin - Bellefontaine

Foucher - St-Aubin

Fournier - Belleval, Dufresne

Francoeur - Brûlé, Charland, Leclerc, Moreau

Gagnon - Bellesîles, Belzile Garnier - Grenier, Pellerin Gaudreau - Gotreau

Gauthier - Boumois, Comporté, Delisle, Gaultier

Gautron - Larochelle

Georget - Briand

Gervais - Talbot

Gilbert - Comtois

Gobloteur - Pelletier Godin - Bellefontaine, Châterneau, Petit

Gonthier - Bernard

Gotreau - Gaudreau

Grandmaison - Barbary, Drouet, Leblanc, Thériault

Gregoire - Deblois

Guyon - Desilets, Després, Dion, Dufresnay, Durouvray, Lemoine

Hamelin - Bellou

Harbour - Arbour

Hardouin - Ardouin

Hébert - Deslauriers, Jolicoeur, Laverdure

Herbin - Bricourt

Houde - Desrochers, Gervais

Huard - Desilets

Hudon - Beaulieu

Hunault - Deschamps

Hus - Corporal, Cournoyer Jean - Desrochers

Jobidon - Bidon

Joli - Delbec, Charlebois

Jolicoeur - Amand, Bernard, Bruneau, Dubois, Dupuis, Hébert, Normand

Jombard - Bard

Joubert - Chety

Juchereau - Beaumarchais, Duchesnay Labonté - Clément, Couturier, Laporte, Petit, Rousseau

Labourliare - Laplante

Lachance - Pepin

Lacroix - Babin, Bourgault, Delaunay, Lefebvre, Major, Neveu, Roberge, Voisin

Lafleur - Albert, André, Cauchon, Couillard, Dugas, Gendron, Parenteau

Lagacé - Mignier

Lamarre - Chabot

Lamothe - Cadillac, Giboire

Langlois - Croustille

Lapierre - Bardet, Denis, Duchesne, Joncas, Meunier, Roberge, Toupin

Laplante - delaBourliare, Madore

Lapointe - Audet, Clément, Godard, Robin, Simon

Laporte - Labonté

Laprise - Daniau, Daignault

Larchevêque - Lévesque

Larochelle - Gautron

Laurent - Provençal

Lavallée - Bouchard, Giguare, Paquet, Richard, Vallée

Laverdure - Bourgeois, Dutartre, Gély, Hébert, Valiquet, Verret, Vignault

Laviolette - Beaumont, Blouin, Caron, Dubois, Dumont, Greslon, Maillot, Prévost

Lart - Alarie

Leblanc - Dussault, Grandmaison, Jérôme, White

Leborgne - Bélisle

Lebrun - Carriare, Renel

Leclerc - Blondin, Clair, Francoeur

Lefebvre - Angers, Bélisle, Belleran, Boulanger, Courville, Faber, Lacroix

Lelièvre - Duval

Lemoine - Bienville

LeNeuf - Beaubassin

Lepage - Pagé

Leroy - Roy

Levasseur - Borgia, Carmel, Chaverlange

Lévesque - Larchevêque, Sansoucy

Lhullier - Chevalier

Liénard - Boisjoli, Durbois, Léonard

Limousin - Brunel

Lombret - Simard

Maheu - Deshazards

Malboeuf - Beausoleil

Marcheterre - Dandurant

Marquet - Clocher

Marsolet - Bellechasse

Martin - Belmont

Meunier - Lapierre

Michaud - Michel

Michel - Taillon

Miel - Amiel

Mignault - Aubin, Châterneau, Labrie

Mignier - Lagacé, Magnan

Miville - Deschênes

Monet - Boismorel

Monjoly - Sansfaçon

Montmorency - Baucher

Moreau - Duplessis, Duportail

Morel - Deladurantaye

Morin - Boucher, Chenevert, Valcourt

Noel - Labonté

Normand - Jolicoeur, Labriare

Normandeau - Deslauriers

Normandin - Beausoleil

Pagé - Lepage

Pasquier - Paquet

Pellerin - Garnier

Pelletier - Gobloteur, Legobloteur

Pepin - Lachance

Perrault - Desrochers

Petit - Beauchemin, Boismorel, Bruneau, Coulange, Godin, Labonté

Phocas - Raymond

Poirier - Desloges

Pothier - Laverdure

Prévost - Provost

Provençal - Laurent

Quentin - Cantin

Quintin - Dubois

Raymond - Phocas

Raynaud - Blanchard

Régnier - Brillon

Rémy - Champagne

Renard - Cardon

Renaud - Canard,

Châterneau, Davenne

Reynaud - Arnaud

Rivet - Cavalier, Durivet, Dusouchet

Rotreau - Bélisle

Rouer - Artigny

Rousseau - Labonté

Roy - Audy, Chouigny, Desjardins, King, Leroy

Royer - Comtois

St-Aubin - Casse, Foucher, Serreau

St-Jorre - Sergerie

St-Onge - Aubé, Baril, Boisson, Joly, Martineau, Ménard

St-Pierre - Boucher, Boulanger, Marquet, Perrault, Prudhomme, Rivet

Sansfaçon - Charpentier, Duhamel, Estiambre, Monjoly

Sansoucy - Baucher, Béchet, Girardin, Lévesque, Suprenant, Vallée

Sergerie - St-Jorre

Serreau - St-Aubin

Sevestre - Desrochers

Simard - Lombret

Sirois - Duplessis

Sylvestre - Champagne

Taillon - Michel

Talbot - Gervais

Talon - Bourdelais

Thériault - Grandmaison

Thiboutot - Boutot

Tinon - Deslauriers, Desroches

Toupin - Dussault, Lapierre

Trottier - Beaubien, Valcourt

Valcourt - Morin, Valcourt

Verreau - Bourguignon

Villeneuve - Amiot, Arnould, Bourbeau, Labbe

First Names

Hours have been spent searching for individuals whose surnames are not a problem, but who are not listed consistently under their first names. Here are a few tips we have picked up that may be of some help, especially if you are just starting out and especially if you don't speak French as a first language:

For men, especially after 1800 or so, if you can't find the name you are looking for, stick "Joseph" in front of it. During some periods, we estimate 2/3 of all boys were named "Joseph-" something-or-other. If the name you can't find is Placide or Xavier, t then the first name is 99 per cent sure to be François-Placide or François-Xavier. If it's Baptiste, of course it's almost certainly Jean-Baptiste. Lin is short for Alain. Paul is a very common short form of Hippolyte, and it's occasionally short for Napoléon. Fred may be either Frederic or Alfred. Gonzague is probably Louis de Gonzague.

Also, if you are using a source that generally uses hyphenated names, like Joseph-Leonard, and you find an un-hyphenated name, like Leonard David, then you may be looking not for someone named Leonard-David, but for a Leonard whose father's name is David.

For women, always look for the name with "Marie-" in front. This started much earlier than all the "Joseph"s, and happened even more often during some periods, up to 4/5 of the girls born. Also, if her name is Delima, chances are she was born Rose de Lima (or Marie-Rose-de-Lima). (Then again, she might also have been born [Marie-] Adelina, a name that gets either changed to Delima or mistaken for it quite a bit). Elisabeth is used interchangeably with Isabelle. Marie-Josephe (or Marie-Josephte) is often listed as Josette.

Our page Old Quebec Customs has more detail about naming you will find of value.

One thing that can make it difficult to find your ancestor is that he may have been using a different surname from the one that you expect. You will need to make yourself aware of any "dit" names that might be associated with the surname you are tracing, and if you can't find someone under the name of his child, you may find him under the dit name.

"Dit" in French means "say" and in this context, it means "called." In other words, a person might be Pierre Bourbeau dit Lacourse, which means that he had an ancestor named Bourbeau, but he chooses to use the name Lacourse instead. So he is Pierre Bourbeau called Lacourse.

People might take a dit name to distinguish their family from another family of the same name living nearby. Often it was a sort of nickname, often picked up during service as a soldier. Or it might refer to the place in France where the family originated. Sometimes it was the mother's surname, and sometimes the father's first name was used, either instead of the surname (for example, Hébert dit Emmanuel) or in addition to it (Jeanbard, Castonquay).

In any case, very often the dit name was passed down to later generations, either in place of the original surname, or in addition to it. Some of his children might then keep the original surname (e.g. Barbeau), and some might use the dit name (e.g. Lacourse). After a few generations, it's not uncommon to completely lose the memory of the original name, or to forget which was the original and which was the dit name. The best example of this is the Hudon dit Beaulieu family, where you will often find people listed as Beaulieu dit Hudon. You sometimes might find a name and its dit name hyphenated, as in François Hudon-Beaulieu. In fact, you can generally assume that a hyphenated surname (before 1950, anyway) is the surname plus dit name. Just remember that any Hudon might be the child of a Beaulieu and vice versa.

Some surnames, such as Roy, have had several different dit names. You should be aware that usually a different dit name indicates a different family. For example, Siméon Roy dit Audy and Antoine Roy dit Desjardins were not related to each other. So it helps us to distinguish who's who among their descendants if the descendants use a dit name. Pierre Roy dit Audy will be a descendant of Siméon, and François Roy dit Desjardins will be a descendant of Antoine. If you find a source which tells you, for example, that Pierre Audy is François Desjardins' father, you should be very suspicious.

The sources you use may give the name as it appeared in the original document, or may list all the Hudons and Beaulieus together, under either name. Jette has standardized spellings, and leaves out "de" when alphabetizing, but he is faithful to the original surname of the family. So whether you are looking for a Hudon, a Beaulieu, or a Hudon-Beaulieu, they are all listed together under "H." Other sources may list the same person many different places, and some sources consider Beaulieu to be more common, and therefore they place the Hudons under "B." Don't assume a marriage or birth isn't listed until you've exhausted all possible names and spellings.

Don't forget to check under the many spelling variations that were common. Any name that starts with a vowel, for example, might also be found with an H in front of it (Emond, Hemond, Ayot, Hayot). And the "o" sound at the end of a name might be spelled ot, eau, au, ault, eault, eau, aux, eaux, aud, or aut.

Edited by Lionel Mayrand, from an unknown source, please let us know if you find the orginal article so we can give credit.
 

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