Common Canadian Surnames

Canadian Surnames

Learn about Canadian Surnames, their origin and meaning. 

There are certainly plenty of surnames out there that a person can have. They all have heritage behind them that go back to the very early civilizations. Many of the names you are familiar with stem from a Canadian heritage. During the early days in Canada, there were four distinct ways in which a surname was derived.

In was often formed with part of an ancestor’s first name in it. Generally this was someone significant in their past that they looked up to. They were implemented based on the location where a person came from originally. The occupation that the family took part in could also be used. For example Hunter or Fisher was often used. Others were the result of a nickname that a person had. Since that name had already stuck to them it just made sense to add it as their surname.

The three most common that you are certain to know people under are Martin, Jones, and Smith. These names are found in many parts of the world. In fact, if you go pick up your phone book you will likely see them listed numerous times. There aren’t variations of Martin or Jones but Smith may be found out there as Smyth and Smithe.

You have likely heard of these popular Canadian names as well: Brown, White, Campbell, and Anderson. As I mentioned, many of the surnames came from the first name of their ancestors. Some of these include Lee, Wilson, and Clark, Johnson, William, Taylor, Martin,

Some common Canadian names you may not be that familiar with include Cote, Boucher, Morin, Gagnon, and Chan. These are still used but they tend to be found in particular areas so either you will know them or you won’t depending on where you reside.

There are also those common Canadian names that still are used quite a bit to those living in that country. They include Pelletier, Belanger, LeBlanc, and Bouchard. If you think a name you have may be from Canadian decent then look into it. You will be fascinated with the information that is out there to learn from.

There are many common Canadian names found today of people all over the world. Since it isn’t uncommon for people to move far away from where they were born now it allows people from all cultures to be intertwined in our society. It can be fun though to understand some of the background behind these Canadian names.
 

Canadian Genealogy Search

Search for your family name now

For best results, type in the word Genealogy along with the name or word you are searching for