France Genealogical Records
France Birth & Baptism Records
An index to and images of over 100,000 birth, marriage and death records from Protestant churches throughout France.
A small index to several-hundred-thousand records from select countries.
France Marriage & Divorce Records
An index to and images of over 100,000 birth, marriage and death records from Protestant churches throughout France.
An index to more than 30,000 marriage records, including personal details, names of relations and particulars of marriage.
France Death & Burial Records
A searchable database of over 1 million Jewish burials with photographs of the matzevot.
An index to and images of over 100,000 birth, marriage and death records from Protestant churches throughout France.
Newspapers Covering France
An index to over 2.1 million people mentioned in Associated Press stories, including name, subject, location, date and a reference to the article.
Text-searchable copies of tens of thousands of French newspaper articles.
An index to around 500,000 Associated Press articles.
An index to and digital images of hundreds-of-thousands of world newspaper articles.
France Wills & Probate Records
An index to almost 78,000 wills that were disputed. The index can lead you to documents that may shed a great deal of genealogical information as disputes often arose between siblings and cousins.
France Military Records
An index to over 6.5 million medals and awards bestowed on British military personnel. The awards are the British War Medal, Allied Victory Medal, 1914 Star, Territorial War Force Medal and Allied Subjects Medal; the latter of which contains many French, Belgians and Dutch.
Photographs of over 1.7 million military graves, largely of British and Commonwealth soldiers Names from monuments have been indexed.
An index to and images records detailing the incarceration of 1.34 million military personnel, civilians, diplomats, missionaries & merchant seamen who were held as prisoners of war. The records cover British prisoners held by foreign powers and non-British prisoners held by Britain.
An index to men who served the English crown in the occupation of Normandy. Contains a reference to original documents.
An index to soldiers whose names occur in early muster rolls. Contains a reference to original documents held at The National Archives. Many men are stationed in France.
France Court & Legal Records
An index to almost 78,000 wills that were disputed. The index can lead you to documents that may shed a great deal of genealogical information as disputes often arose between siblings and cousins.
Official reports relating activities of American interest in France, prior to World War II, including accounts of diplomatic visits, political unrest, behind-the-scenes insights, and tales from within the American Embassy.
Abstracts of French records relating to Britain.
The records of the American Section of the Supreme War Council consist of letters, reports, studies, minutes, cablegrams, charts, maps, pamphlets, and books sent to and received from American, French, British, and Italian sources.
France Directories & Gazetteers
A statistic and descriptive gazetteer of nations.
Details of 150,000 people extracted from early telephone directories. Entries may include name, address, occupation and phone number.
Useful for locating places, this searchable gazetteer gives brief details, latitude and longitude for more than 1.5 million features, places and regions throughout the world.
A directory listing manufactures in Britain, Europe and Australasia.
France Cemeteries
Photographs and transcriptions of millions of gravestones from cemeteries around the world.
France Histories & Books
Over 7 million remembrances and historic details submitted by Ancestry members. Useful for local historians.
Over 60 million historic photographs and documents submitted to Ancestry. This rich collection contains many rare sources of interest to local historians and will be relevant to most genealogical research.
A database containing over 46,000 historical postcards with photos of places in France. Each postcard caption has been indexed and may be searched by keyword or location.
Official reports relating activities of American interest in France, prior to World War II, including accounts of diplomatic visits, political unrest, behind-the-scenes insights, and tales from within the American Embassy.
This book covers sources relating to those who accompanied William the conqueror in England with some pedigrees of those families.
France Occupation & Business Records
This database includes records of pensions paid to over 220,000 military personnel and government employees. Details given may include name, date and place of birth, date of death, particulars of marriage and particulars of children.
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database has information on more than 35,000 slave voyages that forcibly embarked over 12 million Africans for transport to the Americas between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.
A directory listing manufactures in Britain, Europe and Australasia.
A database of cricket scores and players.
Pedigrees & Family Trees Covering France
The lineages of French royalty and nobility, with biographical details and extracts from historic documents.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A compilation of lineage-linked family trees submitted by Ancestry users. The database contains over 2 billion individuals and is searchable by numerous metrics.
A searchable database of linked families. It largely covers royalty and nobility, but also contains actors, footballers and American presidents.
This book covers sources relating to those who accompanied William the conqueror in England with some pedigrees of those families.
France Royalty, Nobility & Heraldry Records
The lineages of French royalty and nobility, with biographical details and extracts from historic documents.
A searchable database of linked genealogies compiled from thousands of reputable and not-so-reputable sources. Contains many details on European gentry & nobility, but covers many countries outside Europe and people from all walks of life.
A growing collection of heraldic and related clip art that can be used to reconstruct a families' arms. Includes packs for British, German, Austrian, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, French, Swiss and Dutch arms. Images are available in a variety of formats including vectors.
A searchable database of linked families. It largely covers royalty and nobility, but also contains actors, footballers and American presidents.
This book covers sources relating to those who accompanied William the conqueror in England with some pedigrees of those families.
France Church Records
An index to and images of over 100,000 birth, marriage and death records from Protestant churches throughout France.
France Maps
An interactive index to thousands of maps covering the world, continents, countries and regions. The majority of maps cover Britain and Ireland.
France Reference Works
A growing collection of heraldic and related clip art that can be used to reconstruct a families' arms. Includes packs for British, German, Austrian, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, French, Swiss and Dutch arms. Images are available in a variety of formats including vectors.
A database containing variants of 100,000s of given names used by Jews.
Historical Description
France is bounded on the North, with Low-Germany; on the North-west, it is washed with the British Ocean; on the West, with the Aquitain Sea; on the South, it is thwarted by the Pyrenean Mountains, which part it from Spain; being toward the East-lickt with the Mediterranean Sea, and on the full East the Alpes divide it from Italy.
The figure of it is almost square, each side of the Quadrature containing 600 miles.
Situation
The Air hereof in the Northern part of France is purer than that of England, and being not covered with Clouds drawn out of the Sea, as England is; for that cause it becomes more cold in Winter, and more hot in Summer, and far less annoyed with mists and rainy weather. But the parts of France lying towards the Pyrenei, and near the Equinoctial Line, are subject to intemperate, yet often allayed by the Winds blowing from the Sea, and by the shadow of the Mountains.
Fertility
It aboundeth with all manner of good Fruits, beside store of fresh Fish; but the chiefest things which draw forrein Coyns unto them, are four especially, Wine, Salt, Linnen coarce Cloth, and Corn. They have plenty of Flax and Hemp, whereof they make Canvas, Sails, Ropes and Cables; neither want they Wool, whereof they make Cloth, though not in quantity to be exported. It also yields Saffron and Oad, for Dying; besides other things of less moment.
Natures, and Manners of the People
The French are very various and unconstant, and in nothing more they shew it, than in their familiarity, with whom a stranger cannot be so soon at his House, but he will be acquainted with him, and as suddenly without occasion loose him again. Also they are great scoffers, and cannot away with patience and modesty. Likewise he is wondrous talkative, so willing is he to make himself ridiculous.
Diet
As well the Gentlemen as the Citizens live more sparingly than the English, in their ordinary private Diet. They dine most with sodden and liquid meats, and sup most with roast; but their feasts are more sumptuous than ours, and consist for the most part of made fantastical meats, and Sallets, and sumptuous Compositions, rather than of flesh or Birds. Their temperancy I cannot commend; for besides dinners and suppers, they use Breakfasts and Bevers, which they call Collations, and Gouster, so eating four times a day.
Apparel
In general Men and Women (excepting Courtiers, and some of the Gentry) wear light stuffs, and rather delicate than sumptuous Garments. Your Countrey people wear close Dublets, with large Breeches, with a large Coat hanging down to their knees, all of light stuffs, and their Wives in like sort attired, have their Heads all over wrapped in linnen.
Buildings
Concerning their Buildings, they are magnificent and stately; for in general all the Towns and Cities in France are fairer than ours in England.
Provinces
The divers Provinces of this Kingdome are many; of which are, Picardy, Normandy, the Isle of France, Beavois, Poictu, Aquitain, Bretaign, Daulphin, Languedock, Provence, Champaigne, Burgundy.
Our nearest neighbour, and has been for many years our second largest customer on the continent of Europe. As our ally in the European conflict, we have been brought into more friendly contact with France than ever before in all our history, and it is confidently expected that our closer relationship will result in a great increase in trade in the future. The French Republic covers an area of 212,659 square miles, and supports a population (1921) of 37,499,394, of which it is estimated 1,000,000 are foreigners, the department of the Seine alone numbering about 220,000. In 1920 the Imports of France from the United Kingdom were valued at £175,747,743, and the Exports to us at £75,836,422. Among the principal articles imported by France from this country are : Coal, cotton yarn, cotton manufactures, woollen manufactures, metals and hardware, leather goods, chemical products, &c. The principal exports to this country comprise woollens, wines and spirits, lace, silks and ribbons, raw silk, hides and skins, leather wares, haberdashery, gloves, etc., and dairy farm, fruit and vegetable produce. Though France is one of the most flourishing of agricultural countries, owing to the fertile soil and generally find climate, her manufactures are numerous and considerable ; and, besides the articles of export enumerated above, mention must be made of the manufactures of jewellery, clocks and watches, motor vehicles, glass, pottery, cabinet-work, carving, flowers and feathers, toys, and the many objects of art and tasteful workmanship comprised under the general head of articles; de Paris. The population of Paris in 1911 was 2,846,986.
Most Common Surnames in France
| Rank | Surname | Incidence | Frequency | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin | 314,502 | 1:211 | |
| 2 | Bernard | 169,361 | 1:392 | |
| 3 | Robert | 140,774 | 1:472 | |
| 4 | Richard | 138,260 | 1:480 | |
| 5 | Durand | 134,303 | 1:495 | |
| 6 | Dubois | 132,035 | 1:503 | |
| 7 | Moreau | 130,817 | 1:508 | |
| 8 | Simon | 120,851 | 1:550 | |
| 9 | Laurent | 120,188 | 1:553 | |
| 10 | Michel | 116,107 | 1:572 | |
| 11 | Garcia | 115,394 | 1:576 | |
| 12 | Thomas | 115,149 | 1:577 | |
| 13 | Leroy | 109,089 | 1:609 | |
| 14 | David | 97,149 | 1:684 | |
| 15 | Morel | 92,397 | 1:719 | |
| 16 | Roux | 90,492 | 1:734 | |
| 17 | Girard | 87,796 | 1:757 | |
| 18 | Fournier | 87,218 | 1:762 | |
| 19 | Lambert | 86,758 | 1:766 | |
| 20 | Lefebvre | 79,199 | 1:839 | |
| 21 | Mercier | 79,079 | 1:840 | |
| 22 | Blanc | 78,521 | 1:846 | |
| 23 | Dupont | 77,740 | 1:854 | |
| 24 | Faure | 75,590 | 1:879 | |
| 25 | Bertrand | 74,271 | 1:894 | |
| 26 | Morin | 72,254 | 1:919 | |
| 27 | Garnier | 72,071 | 1:922 | |
| 28 | Nicolas | 71,297 | 1:932 | |
| 29 | Marie | 69,907 | 1:950 | |
| 30 | Rousseau | 69,805 | 1:952 | |
| 31 | Bonnet | 68,906 | 1:964 | |
| 32 | Vincent | 68,123 | 1:975 | |
| 33 | Henry | 65,679 | 1:1,011 | |
| 34 | Masson | 64,657 | 1:1,027 | |
| 35 | Robin | 64,542 | 1:1,029 | |
| 36 | Martinez | 63,991 | 1:1,038 | |
| 37 | Boyer | 61,789 | 1:1,075 | |
| 38 | Muller | 61,384 | 1:1,082 | |
| 39 | Chevalier | 60,261 | 1:1,102 | |
| 40 | Denis | 59,932 | 1:1,108 | |
| 41 | Meyer | 59,613 | 1:1,114 | |
| 42 | Blanchard | 59,496 | 1:1,116 | |
| 43 | Lemaire | 59,465 | 1:1,117 | |
| 44 | Dufour | 58,745 | 1:1,131 | |
| 45 | Gauthier | 58,102 | 1:1,143 | |
| 46 | Vidal | 57,856 | 1:1,148 | |
| 47 | Perez | 57,674 | 1:1,152 | |
| 48 | Perrin | 57,350 | 1:1,158 | |
| 49 | Fontaine | 56,705 | 1:1,171 | |
| 50 | Joly | 56,607 | 1:1,173 | |
| 51 | Jean | 56,515 | 1:1,175 | |
| 52 | da Silva | 54,795 | 1:1,212 | |
| 53 | Gautier | 54,686 | 1:1,215 | |
| 54 | Roche | 53,898 | 1:1,232 | |
| 55 | Roy | 53,078 | 1:1,251 | |
| 56 | Pereira | 53,075 | 1:1,251 | |
| 57 | Mathieu | 52,735 | 1:1,260 | |
| 58 | Roussel | 52,361 | 1:1,269 | |
| 59 | Duval | 51,942 | 1:1,279 | |
| 60 | Guerin | 51,692 | 1:1,285 | |
| 61 | Lopez | 51,320 | 1:1,294 | |
| 62 | Rodriguez | 51,245 | 1:1,296 | |
| 63 | Colin | 51,045 | 1:1,301 | |
| 64 | Aubert | 50,553 | 1:1,314 | |
| 65 | Lefevre | 50,385 | 1:1,318 | |
| 66 | Marchand | 50,047 | 1:1,327 | |
| 67 | Schmitt | 49,691 | 1:1,337 | |
| 68 | Picard | 49,379 | 1:1,345 | |
| 69 | Caron | 49,073 | 1:1,354 | |
| 70 | Sanchez | 48,748 | 1:1,363 | |
| 71 | Meunier | 48,207 | 1:1,378 | |
| 72 | Gaillard | 47,916 | 1:1,386 | |
| 73 | Louis | 47,563 | 1:1,397 | |
| 74 | Nguyen | 46,703 | 1:1,422 | |
| 75 | Lucas | 46,489 | 1:1,429 | |
| 76 | Dumont | 46,093 | 1:1,441 | |
| 77 | dos Santos | 46,037 | 1:1,443 | |
| 78 | Brunet | 45,812 | 1:1,450 | |
| 79 | Clement | 45,658 | 1:1,455 | |
| 80 | Brun | 45,284 | 1:1,467 | |
| 81 | Arnaud | 45,169 | 1:1,471 | |
| 82 | Giraud | 44,856 | 1:1,481 | |
| 83 | Barbier | 44,509 | 1:1,492 | |
| 84 | Rolland | 44,230 | 1:1,502 | |
| 85 | Charles | 42,817 | 1:1,551 | |
| 86 | Hubert | 42,585 | 1:1,560 | |
| 87 | Fernandes | 42,249 | 1:1,572 | |
| 88 | Fabre | 42,238 | 1:1,573 | |
| 89 | Moulin | 41,915 | 1:1,585 | |
| 90 | Leroux | 41,811 | 1:1,589 | |
| 91 | Dupuis | 41,698 | 1:1,593 | |
| 92 | Guillaume | 41,600 | 1:1,597 | |
| 93 | Roger | 41,315 | 1:1,608 | |
| 94 | Paris | 40,671 | 1:1,633 | |
| 95 | Guillot | 40,252 | 1:1,650 | |
| 96 | Dupuy | 39,876 | 1:1,666 | |
| 97 | Fernandez | 39,664 | 1:1,675 | |
| 98 | Carpentier | 39,386 | 1:1,686 | |
| 99 | Payet | 39,249 | 1:1,692 | |
| 100 | Ferreira | 39,155 | 1:1,696 | |
| 101 | Olivier | 38,861 | 1:1,709 | |
| 102 | Philippe | 38,566 | 1:1,722 | |
| 103 | Deschamps | 38,239 | 1:1,737 | |
| 104 | Lacroix | 38,136 | 1:1,742 | |
| 105 | Jacquet | 37,705 | 1:1,762 | |
| 106 | Rey | 37,666 | 1:1,763 | |
| 107 | Klein | 37,563 | 1:1,768 | |
| 108 | Renaud | 37,562 | 1:1,768 | |
| 109 | Baron | 37,554 | 1:1,769 | |
| 110 | Leclerc | 37,362 | 1:1,778 | |
| 111 | Royer | 37,153 | 1:1,788 | |
| 112 | Berger | 36,801 | 1:1,805 | |
| 113 | Bourgeois | 36,766 | 1:1,807 | |
| 114 | Bertin | 36,550 | 1:1,817 | |
| 115 | Petit | 36,325 | 1:1,829 | |
| 116 | Adam | 36,250 | 1:1,832 | |
| 117 | Daniel | 36,116 | 1:1,839 | |
| 118 | Lemoine | 35,671 | 1:1,862 | |
| 119 | Pierre | 35,417 | 1:1,875 | |
| 120 | Francois | 35,173 | 1:1,888 | |
| 121 | Goncalves | 34,897 | 1:1,903 | |
| 122 | Benoit | 34,368 | 1:1,933 | |
| 123 | Lecomte | 34,219 | 1:1,941 | |
| 124 | Vasseur | 34,158 | 1:1,945 | |
| 125 | Lebrun | 33,677 | 1:1,972 | |
| 126 | Leblanc | 33,345 | 1:1,992 | |
| 127 | Leclercq | 33,105 | 1:2,006 | |
| 128 | Besson | 33,021 | 1:2,012 | |
| 129 | Charpentier | 32,880 | 1:2,020 | |
| 130 | Etienne | 32,331 | 1:2,054 | |
| 131 | Jacob | 31,719 | 1:2,094 | |
| 132 | Michaud | 31,438 | 1:2,113 | |
| 133 | Maillard | 31,280 | 1:2,123 | |
| 134 | Dumas | 31,268 | 1:2,124 | |
| 135 | Monnier | 30,647 | 1:2,167 | |
| 136 | Fleury | 30,573 | 1:2,173 | |
| 137 | Aubry | 30,557 | 1:2,174 | |
| 138 | Hamon | 30,439 | 1:2,182 | |
| 139 | Renard | 30,314 | 1:2,191 | |
| 140 | Chevallier | 30,265 | 1:2,195 | |
| 140 | Guyot | 30,265 | 1:2,195 | |
| 142 | Marty | 30,237 | 1:2,197 | |
| 143 | Gomez | 29,879 | 1:2,223 | |
| 144 | Gillet | 29,751 | 1:2,233 | |
| 145 | Andre | 29,646 | 1:2,241 | |
| 146 | Le Roux | 29,556 | 1:2,247 | |
| 147 | Boucher | 29,153 | 1:2,278 | |
| 148 | Bailly | 29,140 | 1:2,279 | |
| 149 | Pons | 28,858 | 1:2,302 | |
| 150 | Renault | 28,751 | 1:2,310 | |
| 151 | Julien | 28,622 | 1:2,321 | |
| 152 | Huet | 28,420 | 1:2,337 | |
| 153 | Riviere | 28,119 | 1:2,362 | |
| 154 | Gonzalez | 28,009 | 1:2,371 | |
| 155 | Reynaud | 27,959 | 1:2,376 | |
| 156 | Collet | 27,874 | 1:2,383 | |
| 157 | Bouvier | 27,789 | 1:2,390 | |
| 158 | Millet | 27,735 | 1:2,395 | |
| 159 | Rodrigues | 27,731 | 1:2,395 | |
| 160 | Gerard | 27,677 | 1:2,400 | |
| 161 | Bouchet | 27,485 | 1:2,417 | |
| 162 | Schneider | 27,218 | 1:2,440 | |
| 163 | Germain | 27,181 | 1:2,444 | |
| 164 | Marchal | 27,066 | 1:2,454 | |
| 165 | Martins | 26,808 | 1:2,478 | |
| 166 | Breton | 26,669 | 1:2,491 | |
| 167 | Cousin | 26,517 | 1:2,505 | |
| 168 | Langlois | 26,345 | 1:2,521 | |
| 169 | Perrot | 26,300 | 1:2,526 | |
| 170 | Perrier | 26,248 | 1:2,531 | |
| 171 | Le Gall | 26,098 | 1:2,545 | |
| 172 | Noel | 25,952 | 1:2,559 | |
| 173 | Pelletier | 25,548 | 1:2,600 | |
| 174 | Mallet | 24,653 | 1:2,694 | |
| 175 | Weber | 24,405 | 1:2,722 | |
| 176 | Hoarau | 24,016 | 1:2,766 | |
| 177 | Chauvin | 24,008 | 1:2,767 | |
| 178 | Le Goff | 23,972 | 1:2,771 | |
| 179 | Grondin | 23,910 | 1:2,778 | |
| 180 | Antoine | 23,845 | 1:2,786 | |
| 181 | Boulanger | 23,822 | 1:2,788 | |
| 182 | Gilbert | 23,622 | 1:2,812 | |
| 183 | Humbert | 23,609 | 1:2,813 | |
| 184 | Guichard | 23,559 | 1:2,819 | |
| 185 | Poulain | 23,540 | 1:2,822 | |
| 186 | Collin | 23,314 | 1:2,849 | |
| 187 | Tessier | 23,309 | 1:2,850 | |
| 188 | Pasquier | 22,990 | 1:2,889 | |
| 189 | Jacques | 22,845 | 1:2,908 | |
| 190 | Lamy | 22,839 | 1:2,908 | |
| 191 | da Costa | 22,760 | 1:2,918 | |
| 192 | Alexandre | 22,483 | 1:2,954 | |
| 193 | Perret | 22,471 | 1:2,956 | |
| 194 | Poirier | 22,351 | 1:2,972 | |
| 195 | Pascal | 22,171 | 1:2,996 | |
| 196 | Gros | 22,167 | 1:2,996 | |
| 197 | Buisson | 22,097 | 1:3,006 | |
| 198 | Albert | 21,861 | 1:3,038 | |
| 199 | Lopes | 21,860 | 1:3,039 | |
| 200 | Ruiz | 21,857 | 1:3,039 | |