What Are "Dit" Names?

[Rivergal]

In French, "dit" has the meaning of "said" but, in this case, it means something like "called" or "AKA". As an example, I'll give the name "Dubois dit Brisbois". Dubois is quite a common name--too common. That is why some of the Dubois persons received the rather tongue-in-cheek alternate name of Brisbois, which means "beaver". That is the primary reason for the "dit names", to distinguish certain people where a given surname was borne by too many families. This custom probably started in the French army but, regardless, it seems to have been a ubiquitous practice among French commoners to have dit names and this carried over into Canada, of course. The aristocracy was named after the places where they had their lands, hence "de" or "of".

This site is helpful

www.francogene.com/quebec/ditnames.php

[bobloblaw]

Good to know, thanks