The Norman brought hundreds of new names to England (then to the rest of the British Isles). Many evolved and were Anglicised with time, or disappeared in France. Here is a list of the names that have survived with the exact same spelling (though not the same pronunciation) in both countries. Some names are not Norman, just happen to exist in both countries.
Archer
Barret
Baron
Barron
Barry
Beaumont
Bennet (mostly Scottish in UK)
Berry
Bodin
Burton
Cantillon (rare in England)
Colson
Cousin
Darcy
Dillon (rare in France)
Ferry
Forest
Fort
Granger
Granville
Harcourt (rare in France)
Hardy
Havard
Hayes
Herbert
Jolly
Jordan
Lambert
Lombard
Mace
Mandeville (rare in France)
Morel (rare in Britain)
Noble
Page
Paget
Parry (mostly Welsh in UK)
Percy (rare in France)
Perry
Roche
Rose
Roy
Royal
Salmon
Samson (mostly Scottish in UK)
Talbot
Vernon
Many surnames derived from given names tend to coincide in English and French. They are not necessarily of Norman origin. Surnames in this category normally end in -s or in -son in English, so that the variant with s/son is usually rare.
Abraham
Adams (rare in France with a final 's')
Bernard (rare in Britain)
Charles
Colin
Collin
Daniel (mostly Welsh and Cornish in UK)
David (mostly Welsh in UK)
Eliot (rare in both languages)
Francis
Gilbert
Guy
Henry (mostly Scottish in the UK)
Leonard
Martin
Martins
Paul (mostly Scottish in the UK)
Richard
Robin (rare in Britain)
Roger (mostly Scottish in the UK)
Roland
Simon (rare in Britain)
Thomas
Vincent
Feel free to complete the list (after double checking your sources).
I'm new here so greetings to all.
I think the thread heading:
Identical English and French surnames is somewhat willfully misleading. A good deal of these so-called English lastnames listed herein are neither Norman nor French but either English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, widespread gospelnames and firstnames. I feel the foreword should of forewarned it's readership that the greater share of lastnames listed are nevertheles
s false friends, just like German lastname
Berger and French lastname
Berger are also false-cognates, and
-sson and
-ton endings in French names/places have nowt to do with either Sweden or England.
Has I thought (just by going on firstsight) the hereinbelow lastnames listed are neither from Norman nor French but are English false-cognates...
Perry -
name from the Olde English pre 7th century word "pirige", meaning pear-tree.
Royal -
of Anglo-Saxon origin, locational surname from any one of the places called "Ryal" and "Ryle" in Northumberland, and "Ryhill" in Humberside and West Yorkshire. These places all mean "rye hill", derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century "ryge", rye, and "hyll", hill.
Ferry -
some nameholders in Ireland have English-Viking origins, and in this case the derivation is from the pre 9th Century "Ferja", a word describing one who operates a ferry, or who lives by a ferry. Elizabeth Ferry, who married Richard Moor at Limerick Cathedral on April 10th 1726, was almost certainly of English origins.
one of the spelling forms of the Old Gaelic O'Fearadhaigh, originally a Donegal Clan of Cenel Conaill. The native Irish recordings include the spellings of Farrey, Farry, Feighry, Feragh, Feehery, Feary, Fery and O'Fairy.
Berry -
ancient English surname of topographic or locational origin. Derives either from the pre 7th century 'byrig', meaning 'a fortified place' or the later 'beri', or 'buri' denoting fortified manor house. Topographically the surname was either owner of a manor house, or possibly somebody who lived close by. Locationally the surname may derive from such places as Bury in Huntingdonshire, recorded as Byrig in the Anglo Saxon Chronicles of the year 974, Bury in Lancashire or Sussex, Berry(brow) in Yorkshire, or Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, this latter place being recorded as Sancte Eadmundes Byrig in 1038. The modern surname can be found as Berry, Berrey, Berrie, Bury and Burry.
Hayes -
distinguished and ancient surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational name from any one of a number of places called "Hayes". Hayes in Kent, recorded as "Hese" in the 1168 Pipe Rolls, and in Middlesex, recorded as "Hesa" in the Domesday Book of 1086, derive from the Olde English pre 7th Century "haes", brushwood or underwood. Hayes in Devonshire and Dorset is the plural of the Olde English "(ge)horg" an enclosure, or "hege" a hedge.
Burton -
famous name of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational surname deriving from any one of the numerous places called Burton in England, found mainly in the midland and northern counties. Most of the places are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as, variously, "Burtone, Bortune" or "Bortone", and most share the same meaning and derivation, which is "the settlement by a fort", derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century "burg, burh", fort, often referring to a Roman or other pre-English fort, sometimes a fortified manor, with "tun", enclosure, settlement. Some of the places mean "settlement belonging to a fort", from the same Olde English elements, while Burton in Somerset means "the settlement on the River Bredy" or "Bride", and Burton in Sussex translates as "Budeca's settlement".
Eliot -
interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, from a personal name which traces its origin to two names recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086; "Ailiet" and "Aliet". Deriving ultimately from the Olde English pre 7th Century "Aeoelgyo" and "Aeoelgeat", they break down to mean in the first instance, "noble combat" ("aoel", noble, and "gyo", battle), and secondly, "noble great" ("aoel", noble, and "gait", goat), which is a masculine form of an old tribal name. Among the variant spellings of Aeolgyo to emerge are Elget and Eliet. These forms have contributed to the frequency of Elliot in its various spellings, so that Aylett and El(l)iot are closely linked. The modern recordings include: Aylett, Aylott, Allatt, Allett, Allitt, Alliott, whilst some nameholders found as Ellyatt, Eliot, Elitt and Eliott derive from the same source.
Bodin - ?
Boden -
number of possible sources for name. First from Olde Frisian personal name "Botha", meaning "messenger", which has a (usually Germanic) patronymic form "Boden". Following related sources are as variants of the name Bowden or Bowdon and are locational or topographical surnames. If locational, Boden from one of the places so called in England and Scotland. In England, in counties of Devon, Derbyshire and Cheshire, "Bowden" means "hill shaped like a bow", from the Old English pre 7th Century "boga", bow, "Buga's hill". The surname can also be topographical, referring to someone who lived at the top of a hill, from "bufan dune", "above the hill".
Harvard -
Recorded as Harvard, Hovard (English and Scottish) and Hovart and Hoovart (Dutch), this interesting name derives from an Olde English pre 7th century personal name. This was 'Hereweard', a compound of the elements "Heri", meaning an army, plus "weard", guard or defence. The name is recorded as Hereuuard and Heruart in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 and it was borne by an 11th Century thane of Lincolnshire known to history as Hereward, the Wake. He defied William the Conqueror, for several years upto 1070, and was never captured alive.
Until this thread I had neverever heard the lastnames: Bodin, Chantillion, Fort, harcourt, Lombard, Mace, Mandeville, Paget, Roche, and Percy (as a lastname). Darcy and Roy ring bells, but seem more towards caricatures and pen-names from the world of literature. Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that there is an Norman/French lastname (false-cognate or not) spelt: Burton/Warburton. Indeed, it would be markworthy to know the French meanings of these false-cognates insomuch as whatever the likes of Eliot means in Norman/French it ain't 'ethel gait' (noble gait)
Herbert -
English firstname and lastname and widespread name throughout Europe.
Colson -
Irish Gaelic or widespread name throughout Europe.
Barry -
Irish
Salmon -
Scottish and biblical
Barron/Baron -
Jewish
is