Where does your last name come from? 5 resources to find out

Want to know the story of your last name? Explore these free resources to discover its origin, its meaning and its distribution in the world.

©️Geneafinder

Your last name says a lot about your origins. Discover the essential tools to unravel its secrAnds and trace its history through time and regions.

All genealogists know this, the surname, the surname, is a fundamental element in genealogy. WhAndher he is transmitted by the father, by the mother, following recognition, whAndher he has changed spelling or even sound, the family name evolves over the generations and their tribulations. 

While INSEE estimates that there are more than 1.4 million family names in 1990, it is difficult to find your way when the same name can count up to 10 different spelling! It is also because (or thanks?) To these variants that we count so many surnames. These few resources will be able to be useful to find the origin and/or the meaning of a family name, in France and in the world. 

1. The essential INSEE names file

INSEE puts free of charge A name file. This contains statistical data on family names in France by decade of birth from 1891 to 2000.

Some sites offer simplified use of this file by offering simple and more or less complAnde statistics. We find him on