Where does your last name come from? 5 essential websites to discover it

Explore the origin of your last name with 5 reliable and practical resources to trace your roots.

Where does your last name come from? 5 essential websites to discover it

©️Geneafinder

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

All genealogists know that the last name, the patronym, is a fundamental element in genealogy. Whether it is passed down by the father, the mother, after recognition, if it has changed in spelling or even sound, the last name evolves over generations and their tribulations. 

While the Insee estimates that there are over 1.4 million last names in 1990, it’s hard to make sense of it all when the same name can have up to 10 different spellings! This is due to (or thanks to?) these variants that we have as many patronyms. These few resources will be useful for you to find the origin and/or meaning of a last name, in France and around the World. 


1. The essential Insee surname file

The Insee provides you with a free surname file. It contains statistical data on last names in France by decade of birth from 1891 to 2000.


Some sites offer a simplified use of this file by providing simple and more or less complete statistics. You can find it on

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