This list includes 45 French last names that start with V, from “Vacher” to “Vulliez”. They are mostly occupational, toponymic, or patronymic surnames, useful for genealogy, writing, and regional research.
French last names that start with V are family names originating in France and francophone regions. Many reflect medieval occupations or place names, and famous examples include “Vidal” and “Vacher”.
Below you’ll find the table with the columns: Surname, Meaning/Origin, Notable people, and Variants.
Surname: You use the Surname column to find the exact family name with correct spelling and visible accents.
Meaning/Origin: This column gives a concise origin or meaning, so you quickly understand the name’s linguistic or geographic roots.
Notable people: Here you see one to three notable bearers, helping you connect the surname to historical or contemporary figures you may research.
Variants: This column lists common alternate spellings and regional forms, so you can track name changes across records.
French last names that start with V
| Surname | Variant spellings | Meaning/Origin | Notable people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vachon | Vachon (Québec variant) | Diminutive of vache, occupational/caregiver to cattle | Pierre Vachon (composer), Maurice Vachon (wrestler) |
| Vacher | Vachier, Vaché | From vacher ‘cowherd’, occupational | Émile Vacher (1883–1969), accordionist |
| Vaillant | Vaillant(e) | From Old French vaillant ‘brave’, nickname | Léon Vaillant (1834–1914), zoologist |
| Vallet | Valet, Vallette | Diminutive of valet or occupational attendant | Nicolas Vallet (lutenist, 1583–1640) |
| Vallée | Vallee, Vallé | Topographic, ‘the valley’ | Jacques Vallée (b.1939), scientist |
| Vallières | Vallieres | Locational, from small valleys | Yvon Vallières (b.1949), Québécois politician |
| Vannier | Vanniers | Occupational, maker of winnowing baskets | Jean‑Claude Vannier (b.1943), composer |
| Varin | Varrin | Possibly from Old French ‘var’ (marsh) or personal name | Jean Varin (1604–1672), sculptor |
| Vasseur | Vaseur, Vasseau | Occupational, from vasseur ‘steward/manager’ | Cédric Vasseur (b.1970), cyclist |
| Vauquelin | Vauquelin | Norman origin, diminutive of Vauquel (personal name) | Nicolas Vauquelin (1763–1829), chemist |
| Vautier | Vautiers | From the personal name Gauthier (Walter) | René Vautier (1928–2015), film director |
| Vautrin | Vautrin | Diminutive of Walter/Gauthier; literary presence | Jean Vautrin (1933–2015), novelist |
| Verdier | Vertier, Verdierre | From Old French vert ‘green’ or occupational dyer | Jean Verdier (1864–1940), cardinal |
| Vergès | Verges | Occitan/Catalan origin, possibly vine‑grower | Jacques Vergès (1925–2013), lawyer |
| Vergne | Vergné, Vergnes | From Occitan vergne ‘alder grove’ | Jean‑Éric Vergne (b.1990), racing driver |
| Vernet | Vernett | From Latin vernetum ‘alder grove’ | Claude‑Joseph Vernet (1714–1789), painter; Horace Vernet (1789–1863) |
| Vernier | Vernier | Occupational/locational, related to verne ‘alder’ | Pierre Vernier (1580–1637), instrument maker |
| Veyron | Veyron | Regional Occitan form, topographic | Pierre Veyron (1903–1970), racing driver |
| Viala | Vialas, Viale | Occitan diminutive of vial ‘country road’ | Pierre Viala (1859–1936), botanist |
| Vian | Viant | From given name Vivianus; also nicknames | Boris Vian (1920–1959), writer |
| Vidal | Vidal | From Occitan/Spanish ‘life’ or personal name Vital | Jean‑Pierre Vidal (b.1977), Olympic skier |
| Vibert | Vibert | Possibly from Old French vivier ‘fishpond’ | Jean‑Baptiste Vibert (1782–1866), painter |
| Vigier | Vigier | From Latin viticarius or vicaire origins | Jean‑Pierre Vigier (1920–2004), physicist |
| Vigneron | Vigneron | Occupational ‘vineyard worker, winemaker’ | (general usage) |
| Vignon | Vignon | From vignoble/vigne ‘vineyard’ or locational | Paul Vignon (artist, historical records) |
| Viguer | Viguier, Viguier | From Latin vicarius ‘vicar’ or local official | (clerical families historically) |
| Vilain | Vilain | From Old French ‘villain’, originally villager/noble negative | (historic noble and common bearers) |
| Villard | Villard | Topographic from villa ‘farmstead’ | Paul Villard (1860–1934), chemist |
| Villemain | Villemain | Locational from small town name | Abel Villemain (1790–1870), writer and politician |
| Villemin | Villemin | Locational or occupational from ‘ville’ | Jean‑Joseph Villemin (1827–1892), physician |
| Villemot | Villemot | Variant of Villemain, locational | Bernard Villemot (1911–1989), poster artist |
| Villeneuve | Villeneuve | Locational ‘new town’ | Gilles Villeneuve (1950–1982), racing driver; Jacques Villeneuve (b.1971), racer |
| Villiers | Villiers | Locational, from ‘ville’ + suffix | (noble French and Anglo‑French families) |
| Villon | Villon | From Old French ‘little town’ or diminutive | François Villon (c.1431–after 1463), poet |
| Vincent | Vincent | From given name Vincentus ‘conquering’ | Arthur Vincent (b.1999), rugby player |
| Vinet | Vinet | Diminutive of vigne or personal name | Alexandre Vinet (1797–1847), theologian |
| Viret | Viret | From Old French ‘vire’ or personal name | Pierre Viret (1511–1571), Reformed theologian |
| Vivier | Vivier | From vivier ‘fishpond’ or lively ‘vivier’ | Claude Vivier (1948–1983), composer |
| Voisin | Voisin | From voisin ‘neighbor’, nickname | Gabriel Voisin (1880–1973), aviation pioneer |
| Volant | Volant | From volant ‘flying’ or nickname | (recorded as medieval nickname) |
| Vuillard | Vuillard | Arpitan/Occitan origin, variant of Vuillier | Édouard Vuillard (1868–1940), painter |
| Vuillemin | Vuillemin | Franco‑Provençal form of Guillaume or villa | Jean Vuillemin (computer scientist) |
| Vuillermoz | Vuillermoz | Savoyard patronymic form | Alexis Vuillermoz (b.1988), cyclist |
| Vulliez | Vulliez | Franco‑Provençal variant | (regional records in Savoie) |
| Vuilleumier | Vuilleumier | Swiss‑French variant of Vuillemin | (Swiss‑Romande bearers historically) |
Descriptions
Vachon
Common in France and Québec; originally occupational, now widespread among francophone communities, often found in Normandy and Canada.
Vacher
Traditionally Occitan and northern French; denotes a herdsman or keeper of cattle; frequent in rural records and music/fair traditions.
Vaillant
Medieval nickname turned surname; found across France, notably in Normandy and Île‑de‑France, often associated with military or civic records.
Vallet
Common in western France; can derive from ‘valet’ (servant) or small valley; seen in musicians and artisan families.
Vallée
Very common French locational surname; concentrated in northern and central France and Québec; denotes origin from a valley.
Vallières
Frequent in francophone Canada and parts of France; often toponymic, indicating hilly or valley origins.
Vannier
Found in northwestern France; artisan surname tied to agriculture and traditional crafts.
Varin
Historic surname in central France; appears among artists and metalworkers in early modern records.
Vasseur
Common in Normandy and northern France; often linked to estate management or household offices.
Vauquelin
Old Norman family name found in northwestern France; notable in science and naval history.
Vautier
Derived from Germanic Gaultier; present across France, recorded among artists and activists.
Vautrin
Known from Balzac’s fiction and real families; common in northeast France and literary circles.
Verdier
Widespread in southern France; can be topographic or occupational (dyer, green‑worker); common in ecclesiastical records.
Vergès
Frequent in southern France and Réunion; notable in law and politics, Catalan linguistic influence.
Vergne
Typical of southwestern France; indicates woodland or alder habitats; found in rural families and modern athletes.
Vernet
Prominent Provençal surname with celebrated painter dynasty; common in Marseille and Aix regions.
Vernier
Historic in Bourgogne and Rhône areas; Pierre Vernier gave name to the vernier scale.
Veyron
Concentrated in southwestern France; associated with rural origins and motor‑sport fame through Pierre Veyron.
Viala
Southern French Occitan surname; common in Languedoc and Provence, present among scientists and viticulturists.
Vian
Established surname in Parisian and northern circles; notable literary and musical bearers in 20th century.
Vidal
Frequent in southern France and Catalonia border; common in sports and arts.
Vibert
Occitan/Norman occurrences; linked to artists and rural occupations.
Vigier
Found in central France; associated with scientists and public figures.
Vigneron
Classic wine‑region surname (Bordeaux, Burgundy); denotes ancestral involvement in viticulture and winemaking.
Vignon
Recorded in central France; linked to viticulture and occasional artists.
Viguer
Southwestern France surname; often associated with church officials and administrators.
Vilain
Common medieval nickname that survives as surname; appears across France with variable social origins.
Villard
Frequent in eastern France; notable in science and local administration.
Villemain
Literary and political surname, recorded in Parisian intellectual circles.
Villemin
Known for tuberculosis research; common in eastern French medical families.
Villemot
Associated with advertising and graphic arts; Parisian and southern records.
Villeneuve
Noble and common families; widespread in France and francophone Canada, famous in motorsport.
Villiers
Historic aristocratic surname with branches across France and Britain; appears in politics and military history.
Villon
Medieval poet’s name; common in northern France with literary associations.
Vincent
Extremely common surname across France; derived from Latin personal name, appears in all regions.
Vinet
Found in Savoy and Romandy; notable in theology and philology among francophone Swiss.
Viret
Swiss‑French and southeastern France distribution; significant in Protestant history.
Vivier
Common in Normandy and Brittany; occupational origins, present in music and arts.
Voisin
Widespread surname, especially Île‑de‑France and Paris suburbs; appears across industry and invention.
Volant
Regional occurrences in northwestern France; may be occupational or descriptive.
Vuillard
Provençal/Parisian artistic surname; linked to Nabis movement and decorative arts.
Vuillemin
Concentrated in eastern France and Switzerland; common in academia and technical professions.
Vuillermoz
Typical of Alpine France (Savoie); present in cycling and mountain professions.
Vulliez
Found in Alpine and Franche‑Comté registers; small but established family name.
Vuilleumier
Seen in Romandy and Haute‑Savoie; often in scholarly and clerical records.