Quebec Naming Customs

Surnames
In French Canada, dit (alias) names were often used. These are alternate family names used in place of the original family names. This is discussed in detail in the Canada Research Outline (34545) in the "Names, Personal" section of that outline.

Although no book can give all the variations, the most complete list of these names is:

Jetté, René, and Micheline Lécuyer, ''Répertoire des noms de famille du Québec des origines à 1825. (Repertory of Family Names of Québec from the Beginning to 1825)''. Montréal, Québec, Canada: Institut Généalogique J.L. et Associés, 1988. (FHL book 971.4 D4j.) Text in French.

A less complete list of family names and their associated dit names is in an appendix to volume seven of Tanguay's Dictionnaire généalogique. (See the "Genealogy" section of this outline.)

Another list of dit names is:

Index des surnoms et des sobriquets (Index of Family Nicknames). [Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada]: Archives nationales du Québec, 1983. (On 31 FHL fiche 6334281.) Text in French.

Given Names
Alternate given names can also present problems. Each French Canadian child usually had several given names. Only one of the names was listed in the christening record. A different given name may have been used in later records. So Blanche may also have been called Louise, and Joseph may have been Ignace. Or a boy christened as Napoléon may have gone by Paul or Léon, and a girl named Marie des Anges may have prefered Angélique. A discussion of given names is on page 118 of Marthe Faribault-Beauregard, La Généalogie: Retrouver ses ancêtres. (See "For Further Reading" near the end of this outline.)