Lebeau
A French surname meaning “the handsome” or “the beautiful one.”
The #6,801 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,272 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lebeau comes from French le beau, meaning “the handsome” or “the beautiful.” It began as a descriptive nickname for someone seen as attractive, well-made, or noble in appearance. The form includes the definite article le, which is common in older French surnames formed from nicknames or descriptive phrases.
History
Historical surname dictionaries list Lebeau alongside other French descriptive names such as Legrand and Lejeune. It is a well-established French surname and has also spread into other French-speaking and English-speaking regions through migration. In some cases, the same naming pattern produced related forms such as Lebeault and Lebey in older records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname follows the same naming pattern as French Legrand (“the tall/great”) and Lejeune (“the young”).
From the historical record
“2) Den Übergang stellen unter anderem in friesischen Urkunden dar die Namen- formen Kersten rike neben K. de rike^ Floreke wüte neben F. de wüte. Im Holländischen ist der Artikel geblieben: de Grote, deJonghe, de Wü\ ähnlich im Französischen: Lebeau, Legrand, Lejeune. Digitized by”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen