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French
Genealogical Word List
   

Table of Contents
Language Characteristics
Additional Resources
Key Words
General Word List
     
Numbers
Dates And Time

This list contains French words with their English translations. The words included here are those you are likely to find in genealogical sources. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a French-English dictionary. (See the “Additional Resources” section below.)

The French language is a Romance language derived from Latin. Although English is a Germanic language, it has many words of Latin and French derivation. Thus, many French words are similar to words in English but often have different meanings.

French is spoken in France; Quebec and other areas of Canada; Luxembourg; southern Belgium; southwestern Switzerland; northern and central Africa; some islands in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Caribbean Sea; southeast Asia; and other areas formerly colonized or influenced by the French.

Between about 1800 and 1812, French was also used in records of the Rhineland area of Germany, northern Belgium, and the Netherlands. In addition, French is found in some early records of Louisiana and a few other places in the United States. Since about 1680, the grammar, if not the spelling, of official written French has been fairly well standardized throughout the world, even though there are many different forms of spoken French.


LANGUAGE CHARACTERISTICS

French words for persons, places, and things (nouns) are classified as masculine or feminine. Generally, adjectives used to describe feminine words end withe.

Le (masculine form of the) is used with masculine words. La (feminine form of the) is used with feminine words. But l’ is used with either if the word begins with a vowel. For example, the word enfant means child or infant, either masculine or feminine. But l’enfant est né (the child is born) is used with a male child, and l’enfant est née with a female child.


Variant Forms of Words

In French, as in English, the forms of some words will vary according to how they are used in a sentence. Who—whose—whom or marry—marries— married are examples of words in English with variant forms. This word list gives the standard form of each French word. As you read French records, you will need to be aware that some words vary with usage.

Plural forms of French words are usually created by adding s or x to the singular word. Thus frère becomes frères, and beau becomes beaux. The plural of beau-frère (brother-in-law) is beaux-frères (brothers-in-law).

In French there are five diacritical (accent) marks. These are placed over vowels or under the letter c to indicate a change in pronunciation. The following diacritical marks are used in French: à, â, é, è, ê, ë, î, ï, ô, ö, û, ù and ç. The ç is pronounced as an s. These diacritical marks do not affect alphabetical order.


Spelling

Spelling rules were not fixed in earlier centuries. In French the following spelling variations are common:

Variation Example
bv used for v février spelled febvrier
c used for ss aussi spelled auci
ct used for t faites spelled faictes
es used for é témoins spelled tesmoins
I used for j jour spelled iour
o used for ou tournier spelled tornier
os used for ô nôtre spelled nostre
sç used for s savoir spelled sçavoir
t used for tt cette spelled cete
y used for i hier spelled hyer
y used for ill filleul spelled fyeul
z used for s baptisé spelled baptizé


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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

This word list includes only words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For further help, consult a French-English dictionary. You can obtain a French-English dictionary at most public libraries and through many bookstores.

Several French-English dictionaries are available at the Family History LibraryLook this term up in the glossary.. These are in the European collection. Their call numbers begin with 443.21.

The following dictionary is available on microfilm for use in Family History CentersLook this term up in the glossary.:

A. Spiers. The Standard Pronouncing Dictionary of the French and English Languages. New York: Appleton, 1900. (FHL book 443.21 Sp44s, film 1181694 item 4.)

Additional dictionaries are listed in the subject section of the Family History Library CatalogLook this term up in the glossary. under FRENCH LANGUAGE—DICTIONARIES.

A helpful guide for reading genealogical records written in French is:

French Records Extraction. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, n.d. (FHLfiche 6068523.) In addition to being a glossary of names and genealogical words, this guide includes examples of French documents and instructions in reading the handwriting.


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KEY WORDS

To find and use specific types of French records, you will need to know some key words in French. This section gives key genealogical terms in English and the French words with the same or similar meanings.

For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find French words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, legitimate, joined, and other words used in French records to indicate marriage.

English French
banns publications, bans
baptism baptême
birth naissance, né, née
burial sépulture, enterrement, enterré, inhumé, enseveli, funèbre
Catholic catholique romaine
child enfant
christening baptême
civil registry registres de l’état civil, mairie, maison communale, hôtel deville
death décès, mort, expiré, inanimé, défunt
father père
husband mari, époux, marié
index tables, répertoire
Jewish juif, juive, israélite, hébreu
marriage mariage, alliance, unir, épouser
month mois, mensuel
mother mère
name, given prénom, nom de baptême
name, surname nom, nom de famille
parents parents, père et mère
parish paroisse, paroissiaux, paroissiale
Protestant protestant, réformé, huguenot, R.P.R., luthérien, calviniste
town, village ville, village, hameau, commune
wife femme, épouse, mariée
year an, année, annuel

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