French Surname

3,770th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 148,959 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Norfolk Island

French Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'the French,' an incomer from France.

Symon le Frensch, Wiltshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

William le ffrenssh, Close Rolls, 33 Edward I.

Eborard le Frenshe. Calendarium Rotulorum Originalium.

Read More About This Surname

French Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy frequencyBy rank
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States84,5161:4,289477
England25,5341:2,182264
Australia12,4191:2,174281
Canada8,3211:4,428614
Sierra Leone7,0061:1,012189
New Zealand1,5971:2,836412
Scotland1,2611:4,246736
Nigeria1,0391:170,49410,559
South Africa9881:54,8366,964
Ireland9481:4,967816
Wales8781:3,525380
Northern Ireland4991:3,697725
France3621:183,48828,549
Philippines3451:293,44441,951
Jamaica3201:8,9691,010
Saudi Arabia2781:110,99214,774
Thailand2351:300,58951,827
Russia1711:842,82568,228
Germany1551:519,39043,831
Spain1541:303,58518,224
Argentina1151:371,68228,832
Bahamas1011:3,879433
Trinidad and Tobago981:13,9181,807
Dominican Republic771:135,4935,426
Zimbabwe771:200,49723,224
Saint Kitts and Nevis721:767161
Colombia661:723,8508,109
Panama621:63,1012,822
India601:12,784,423224,716
Netherlands601:281,45334,544
Singapore561:98,3524,171
Sweden511:193,07413,358
Mexico481:2,585,96321,318
Guyana471:16,2172,158
Portugal471:221,6658,706
Ecuador451:353,4639,524
Peru431:739,16616,774
Brazil421:5,097,008130,362
Norway411:125,42216,333
Nicaragua401:150,5272,221
Switzerland391:210,58818,223
Cyprus361:24,5802,764
Jersey291:3,421664
Kuwait291:131,05814,967
Malaysia271:1,092,37948,277
Denmark261:217,10417,438
Qatar251:94,32010,875
China181:75,962,3094,162
United States Virgin Islands181:6,132931
Kazakhstan171:1,040,14760,802
United Arab Emirates171:538,95723,493
Hong Kong161:458,4683,288
Belarus151:633,40454,314
Costa Rica151:318,6713,310
Estonia151:88,12015,474
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines141:8,047726
Egypt131:7,071,98148,111
Italy131:4,704,361107,811
Venezuela131:2,323,39126,733
Antigua and Barbuda121:8,264893
Barbados111:26,1321,223
Chile111:1,601,49826,155
Finland101:549,67032,186
Ghana101:2,702,06911,564
Japan101:12,784,42945,945
Saint Lucia101:17,8781,399
Vietnam101:9,264,6052,710
South Korea81:6,405,0321,091
Belgium71:1,642,37898,400
Honduras71:1,259,4925,127
Poland71:5,429,821146,768
Afghanistan61:5,358,86425,178
Gibraltar61:5,659991
Isle of Man61:14,3043,169
Kenya61:7,696,65052,907
Austria51:1,703,08789,702
Cayman Islands51:12,7791,374
Cuba51:2,304,5438,951
Czechia51:2,126,694115,412
Iran51:15,356,505213,424
Moldova51:712,27439,996
Norfolk Island51:459108
Turkey51:15,564,284149,633
Uruguay51:686,35229,886
Bahrain41:337,1526,054
Botswana41:546,73222,624
Croatia41:1,057,15157,892
Guernsey41:16,1101,225
Iraq41:8,755,41423,373
Lithuania41:758,64725,175
Morocco41:8,619,02573,251
Romania41:5,019,46862,922
Greece31:3,693,263126,191
Montserrat31:1,649224
Sudan31:12,503,39814,123
Taiwan31:7,814,91541,694
Tanzania31:17,647,204107,932
Uganda31:13,013,093160,157
Andorra21:41,9191,654
Azerbaijan21:4,824,56142,415
Benin21:5,167,80184,334
Congo21:2,494,54828,763
Dominica21:37,946685
DR Congo21:36,939,785260,488
Laos21:3,294,1621,900
Lebanon21:2,818,54225,087
Liberia21:2,204,26840,131
Macau21:300,8151,009
Mauritius21:646,70813,517
Zambia21:7,924,96145,994
Albania11:2,914,05529,474
American Samoa11:55,7583,072
Angola11:26,989,21411,853
Bangladesh11:159,356,77326,077
Belize11:355,4743,977
Bermuda11:65,2793,010
British Virgin Islands11:31,5941,029
Cameroon11:20,769,068227,406
Cook Islands11:18,1791,485
Djibouti11:914,9321,612
Ethiopia11:97,546,26229,669
Falkland Islands11:3,132317
Gambia11:1,923,4511,043
Georgia11:3,745,54547,852
Greenland11:56,3791,133
Guatemala11:16,082,66812,169
Guinea11:11,833,8173,268
Haiti11:10,683,90724,607
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Israel11:8,557,634182,558
Ivory Coast11:23,071,23276,679
Libya11:6,243,9746,186
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Malta11:430,2723,380
Namibia11:2,409,40119,676
Nepal11:28,480,95622,413
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha11:5,854177
Tunisia11:610,62630,336
Ukraine11:45,522,696503,646
Uzbekistan11:30,929,14267,786
Vanuatu11:263,2762,086
Show All Nations
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland8821:5,023845
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England13,5381:1,801236
Scotland8881:4,215672
Wales1951:8,043499
Jersey71:7,4121,296
Guernsey61:5,443949
Isle of Man51:10,8541,028
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States23,3751:2,148226

French (3,617) may also be a first name.

French Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'the French,' an incomer from France.

Symon le Frensch, Wiltshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

William le ffrenssh, Close Rolls, 33 Edward I.

Eborard le Frenshe. Calendarium Rotulorum Originalium.

Walter le Frensshe, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Qui-St.

1564. Thomas Frenche and Cicilie Sysley, widow: Marriage Lic. (London).

— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

'One from France.' In early Scots records this name occurs chiefly in a Latinized form such as Francus, Franciscus, and Francigena. Robert, son of William Franciscus, quitclaimed to Sir Robert de Brus land in Anand (Annan) which the grantee held of him and which the grantee's father formerly held, c. 1218 (Bain, I, 705), and Roger, son of William French, quitclaimed lands in Annan for other lands in Moffat, a. 1245 (Annandale, I, p. 6). William Franke de Petcokyr is in record, c. 1289 (CCPC.). Six individuals of this name rendered homage in 1296, three in Roxburghshire, two in Edinburghshire, and one in Fifeshire (Bain, II, p. 194,201, 203,209, 213). Sir Nicholas Franch was curate of the parish church of Strivelin, 1475 (SBR., p. 256). Ade Franx forfeited in the reign of Robert III (RMS., I, App. II, 1921) may be the Adam franche of Scotland who became liegeman to Henry IV of England in 1402 (Bain, IV, 606,638). Robert Franche of Thornydykis was a Berwickshire laird in 1530 (Trials, I, p. 147). A burgess family of this name in Linlithgow spelled their name: France and Franch (1487), Frans, Franss, and Franche (1535), and Frensch (1538). James France was chaplain at Dunblane in 1558, and there are six more of the name recorded there in the seventeenth century (Dunblane). Fransche and Frensche 1580, Fraunch 1584. See also Francis.

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(French-Teut.) One from France: v. France and Francis.

Simon le Frensch.—Hundred Rolls

— Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

One of the “Tribes of Galway” though first settled in Co. Wexford. The name is derived from the Latin fraxinus, ash tree. Bibl; IF 152; Map Gal. Plate XII

— A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(English, Scottish) One who came from France, a Frenchman. An early form of a capital F was ff.

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

From the country. Le Frensch. H R. See Francis. The Frenches of Frenchgrove, co. Mayo, are said to have sprung from Robert Fitz-Stephen de France, who accompanied Strongbow into Ireland temp. Henry II., and he is said to have been a descendant of one Theophilus de France, a follower of William I. at the Conquest. B.L.G.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Originally coming from, or belonging to France.

— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

The English translation of le Franceys. See Francis.

— The Norman People (1874)

From the Flemish, Frentz; from the Dutch, Fransche, Franse; a personal name.

— British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

French: needs no explanation.

— Family Names And Their Story (1913) by Sabine Baring-Gould

French. —Excluding the county of Durham, this name is confined to the southern half of England. It is at present best represented in Devonshire, Essex, and Oxfordshire.

— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

The Devonshire home of the name of French is in the Ashburton district.

— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy
DNA test information
Display Statistics on:

French Demographics

Average French Salary in
United States

$43,624 USD

Per year
Rank:
626,727 of 1,180,305
Percentage of all salaries earned by bearers:
0.0245041
Rank: 443 of 1,181,369
Percentage of national average salary:
101.1%
Sample size: 47,906 (2014)

Average Salary in
United States

$43,149 USD

Per year
Per month:
$3,596 USD
Per week:
$799 USD
Per day:
$118 USD

View the highest/lowest earning families in The United States

French Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name French Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name French (Arabic: فرنسيه, Hindi: फ्रेन्च, Russian: Френч) is found most in The United States. It can also appear as:. For other potential spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name French? popularity and diffusion

This last name is the 3,770th most frequently used last name internationally It is held by approximately 1 in 48,923 people. It occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 60 percent of French live; 59 percent live in North America and 59 percent live in Anglo-North America. It is also the 117,558th most frequent forename on earth, borne by 3,617 people.

The surname French is most common in The United States, where it is carried by 84,516 people, or 1 in 4,289. In The United States French is most frequent in: California, where 10 percent reside, Texas, where 8 percent reside and New York, where 5 percent reside. Beside The United States it occurs in 143 countries. It is also common in England, where 17 percent reside and Australia, where 8 percent reside.

French Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of French has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people who held the French last name grew 362 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 189 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it grew 142 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it grew 107 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Wales it grew 450 percent between 1881 and 2014.

French Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those bearing the French surname is predominantly Catholic (51%) in Ireland and Orthodox (100%) in Russia.

In The United States those holding the French last name are 13.87% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 60.64% registered to vote for the political party.

The amount French earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 38.09% more than the national average, earning 477,895 kr per year; in Peru they earn 173.49% more than the national average, earning S/. 53,017 per year; in South Africa they earn 90.58% more than the national average, earning R 452,880 per year; in Colombia they earn 17.62% more than the national average, earning $26,701,900 COP per year; in United States they earn 1.1% more than the national average, earning $43,624 USD per year and in Canada they earn 3.02% more than the national average, earning $51,184 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A
SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Ffrench922,422/
Frensch921,373/
Frenche92109/
Friench927/
Freinch922/
Hfrench922/
Frenchs922/
Freench922/
Freanch921/
Frencht921/
Frrench921/
Frenc91228/
Frnch910/
Frentsch8624/
Frensche8610/
Freanche861/
D'French861/
Franch835,468/
Frence8386/
Frencz8355/
Frinch8327/
Frensh8324/
Fronch8318/
Frenci8313/
Fernch832/
Firnch831/
Frenxh831/
Frencs831/
Frynch830/
Frnc804/
Frenchová801/
Freence771/
Freencz771/
Frenz734,634/
Frens73807/
Frinc73102/
Frenţ7372/
Frnci737/
Frînc733/
Frnce732/
Fręch731/
Frenç731/
Frncs731/
Frnsh730/
Frencová7112/
Frentz671,625/
Vranch67199/
Frense67164/
Frenze67107/
Frends6775/
Freens6754/
Vronch6746/
Frince6723/
Friens6721/
Frendz6717/
Frensz6712/
Frents6711/
Fraenz677/
Frenczová674/
Frenje674/
Frienz673/
Fraens672/
Frenzs671/
Freunz671/
Vernch671/
Frenzd670/
Show All Similar Surnames

French Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
French in the Hindi language
फ्रेन्चphrenca-
French in the Russian language
Френчfrenc-
French in the Arabic language
فرنسيهfrnsyh-
فرنشfrnsh-

Search for Another Surname

French Reference & Research

French FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

French FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to French
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis