Surname Commeau - Meaning and Origin
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Commeau: What does the surname Commeau mean?
The last name Commeau is derived from the old French term for valley, 'combe' (or 'combes' in plural). This suggests the surname might originate from families living in a valley or ravine. As such, Commeau could be used as a topographic name to describe someone who lived in or near a deep hollow.
Commeau is a relatively uncommon surname, but it does appear in some early French records. It has been found in places such as Macon, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comte region of eastern France; the Pyrénées-Orientales in southern France; and in the Alsace region.
More recently, Commeau is found as a surname in Canada and the United States, likely due to French-Canadians and French Americans who migrated in search of a new life. Those living in the United States today can trace their ancestry back as far as the late 18th century, when many French-speaking Huguenots settled in New Orleans.
The last name Commeau carries a sense of connection to an ancestral past, as well as a reminder of the strength it took for its earliest bearers to overcome great obstacles in order to start a new life in a new land.
Order DNA origin analysisCommeau: Where does the name Commeau come from?
The surname Commeau is a French name and is most common in France today. According to the French national Institute for statistics, there were 48,785 people living in France with the name in 2019. The top areas where the name was most concentrated included the metropolitan departments of Indre, Oise, and Charente-Maritime.
The name appears to have originated from the Occitan word ‘comad’ which means blackbird. Over time, this has developed into the modern form of Commeau. Aside from France, it can also be seen in areas such as Belgium, Canada, and the United States.
In the United States, the latest census estimates reported 4,151 people with the last name Commeau, making it the 237th most common surname in the country. Most of the individuals with this last name are concentrated in the states of New York, Florida, Texas, and California.
As a French name, the Commeau surname remains most prominent in its homeland today. It’s likely the name will remain common in the French-speaking world for many more years to come given its colourful history.
Variations of the surname Commeau
The surname Commeau is of French origin and can be found spelled in a variety of ways, including Commeaux, Commeaux, Commault, Commaux, Commeauz, Commeaut, Commeaux, and Commo. These all descend from the French word “commode” meaning “neat or tidy.”
The surname Commeau derived from an occupational name, given to those who made or sold a type of fine cloth or linen, usually embroidered with gold thread or lace. It could also have been a nickname for a tidy or orderly person, based on the French word “commode” which means neat or tidy.
Commeau is also a fairly common surname in Quebec, particularly in areas with a strong French-Canadian heritage. In these areas, the spelling of Commeau could have been changed to Commault, or to the more local spelling of Commeaut, Commaux, or Commeauz.
Other variants of Commeau include Commeaux, Combou, Combouz, Combouze, Comboux, and Commaillon. These variants are predominantly found in northern France.
For those looking for families of the same origin, Commeau can connect them to other surnames found in France, Canada, and other parts of the world. While some spellings differ, all have the same origin and can help individuals trace their family histories to discover their shared roots.
Famous people with the name Commeau
- Fernand Commeau: a French polymath who established an engineering program at the University of Rennes.
- Christine Commeau: a French theater director and writer.
- Alfred Commeau: a French poet, novelist, and translator.
- Bob Commeau: a retired American ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League.
- Paco Commeau: a Spanish sculptor and painter.
- Raymond Commeau: a Canadian author, sailor, and humorist.
- Joseph Commeau: a French artist and designer whose works span painting, sculpture, furniture design, and stained glass.
- Pierre Commeau: a French philosopher and Alexandre Kojève’s first assistant at the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes.
- Jean-Claude Commeau: a French theater director, theorist, and playwright.
- Pierre-Joseph Commeau: an 18th century French vocationalist philosopher, associated with the Encyclopedists.