Beaudoin

Etymology

Beaudoin is a French surname that likely comes from an old personal name rather than a place-name. The name is generally connected with Germanic elements such as bald, meaning “bold” or “brave,” plus a second element often rendered as wine, “friend.” In French usage it was reshaped into forms like Beaudoin and related spellings such as Baudoin and Beaudon.

History

The excerpts point to Beaudoin as a French family name and suggest it belongs with a wider cluster of names derived from medieval personal names. In France and francophone areas, it has long existed alongside related forms such as Baudoin and Beaudier. The surname also appears in North America through French and French-Canadian migration.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

The same old name family also lies behind the more famous royal and place-name form Baudouin in French and Baldwin in English.