André

Origin & History

André is the French form of the Greek name Andreas, itself derived from aner — man, in the sense of manliness and courage. The name entered France through the cult of Saint Andrew the Apostle, whose relics were venerated across medieval Christendom. Saint Andrew was the patron saint of Scotland, Russia, and several Greek Orthodox traditions, but in France his feast day on 30 November was widely observed, and the name André was given to boys born around it.

The name functions as both a given name and a surname in French. As a surname it developed patronymically — son of André — and became hereditary through the medieval period. In France, the name appears in records from Normandy, Burgundy, Brittany, and the southwest provinces. In Québec, the Andrés and Andrieus who crossed with early French colonists became part of the founding population, and the name spread through the French-speaking communities of the Saint Lawrence valley.

In Louisiana, the name came with the Acadians expelled from Nova Scotia in 1755 — the Dérangement — and with the direct French settlers of New Orleans and the bayou country. Many André families in Louisiana today carry lines traceable to both sources.

Notable Bearers

Major John André (1750–1780) — British Army officer, negotiator with Benedict Arnold in the American Revolution, captured and hanged as a spy. His surname reflects Huguenot heritage.

Édouard François André (1840–1911) — French landscape architect and botanist who redesigned parks across Europe and South America.

Salomé André — the name appears in multiple 17th-century Québec parish records, a common female bearer of the surname among early colonists.

The Diaspora

French-American Andrés are concentrated in Louisiana (Cajun country), New England (Franco-American mill towns), and Québec diaspora communities in New Hampshire and Maine. The name also appears in Haitian-American communities, where French surnames were retained after independence.

Genealogy Research