A French Genealogy Glossary
© Anne Morddel
A
- Abjuration - Abjuring or forswearing one's faith
- Acte d'état civil - Civil registration of a birth, marriage, death, etc.
- Acte de notaire - Contract or document written by a notaire
- Adultérin / e - A person born of an adulterous relationship, also enfant aldultérin
- Affinité - Familial relationship by marriage
- Agnatique - In the male line, ascendant or descendant
- Aïeul / Aïeule - Grandfather / Grandmother
- Aïeux - Grandparents, ancestors
- Aîné / Ainée - Eldest or first-born
- Alliance - Familial relationship by marriage
- An / Année - Year
- Ancêtre - Ancestor
- Annuel / annuelle - Yearly
- Août - August
- Apparenté / Apparentée - Related by marriage
- Apprentissage - Apprenticeship
- Après-midi - Afternoon
- Arbre généalogique - Family tree drawing
- Arrière-grand-oncle - Great-great-uncle
- Arrière-grand-père - Great-grandfather
- Arrière-grande-mère - great-grandmother
- Arrière-grande-tante - Great-great-aunt
- Arrière-petit-neveu - Great-great-nephew
- Arrière-petite-nièce - Great-great-niece
- Ascendant - Ascending
- Audit - Abovementioned
- Aujourd'hui - Today
- Avril - April
B
- Bans - Marriage banns
- Baptême - Baptism
- Bâtard - Bastard, illegitimate child
- Beau-fils - Son-in-law or step-son
- Beau-frère - Brother-in-law or step-brother
- Beau-père - Father-in-law or step-father
- Bel-oncle - Uncle by marriage, e.g. the husband of an aunt or the uncle of a spouse
- Belle-fille - Daughter-in-law or step-daughter
- Belle-mère - Mother-in-law or step-mother
- Belle-soeur - Sister-in-law or step-sister
- Belle-tante - Aunt by marriage, e.g. the wife of an uncle or the aunt of a spouse
- Bénédiction nuptiale - Nuptial blessing
- Benjamin - A boy who is both the youngest son and child
- Bisaïeuls - Great-grandparents
- Branche - Branch
- Bretagne, à la mode de Bretagne - Relationships through first cousins: Neveu à la mode de Bretagne is the son of a first cousin; Oncle à la mode de Bretagne is a male first cousin of a parent, cousin à la mode de Bretagne is a distant cousin
- Brève - The abbreviated, brief version of a notarial document or acte.
C
- Cadet - After a name or signature, second son, sometimes any son between ainé and benjamin
- Calviniste - Calvinist
- Catholique - Catholic
- Ce jourd'hui - Today
- Célibataire - Unmarried
- Cimetière - Cemetery
- Citer - To cite
- Cognatique - Descending genealogical line with a different surname from that of the ancestor
- Collatéraux - Collateral
- Commune - Town, village, city, large enough to have its own town or city hall and a mayor
- Concubinage - A couple relationship that is not a marriage but has some legal status
- Conjoint/e - Spouse
- Consanguins - Children who share a father but have different mothers
- Conseil de famille - Formal family council to decide guardianship, marriage of a minor, etc., with the decision given in an affidavit.
- Contrat de mariage - Marriage contract
- Cousin germain / cousine germaine - First cousin, one sharing the same grandparents
- Cousin issu de germain - Cousin who is a child of a first cousin
- Cultivateur - Farmer, a post-Revolutionary term for peasant
- Curatelle - Guardianship
- Curateur - Guardian
- Curé - Curate
D
- Dame - An informal, honorific title for a mature woman; translating it as Lady will cause confusion
- De cujus - The deceased person from whom a genealogical line, ascending or descending, has been traced
- Décembre / X - December / 10th month
- Décès - Death
- Décédé / e - Deceased person
- Déclaration de grossesse - A specific and legally required declaration of pregnancy
- Défunt /e - Deceased
- Degré de parenté - Degree of relationship - the number of generations between two relatives
- Demeurant à - Living in
- Demoiselle - An informal, honorific title for a young woman; translating it as Lady will cause confusion
- Descendant - Descending, descendant
- Désert - Literally, desert, but used in reference to Protestant registrations and meetings during the period that they were banned, after the revocation of the Eict of Nantes in 1685. So, registres du Désert, are Protestant baptism, marriage and death registers.
- Diacre - Deacon
- Dimanche - Sunday
- Diocèse - Diocese
- Dispense de consanguinité / Dispense de mariage - Dispensation of consanguinity between two people who wish to marry, issued by a bishop or the pope
- Dispense pour affinité - Dispensation of affinity, such as alliance by marriage of one's relatives, or a godparent-godchild relationship, between two people who wish to marry, issued by a bishop or the pope
- Dit - Said, but when it comes between names, such as in Lebon dit Lafontaine the word means "called" and that the person is called by a name added to or in place of his legal name
- Domicilié - Domiciled
- Dot - Dowry
- Docteur - Doctor, not always of medicine
- Dument - Duly
E
- Eglise - Church
- Eglise réformée - Reformed church, Calvinist Protestantism
- Enfant - Child
- Enfant adultérin - A child born of an adulterous relationship
- Enfant féminin / masculin - Feminine / masculine child
- Enfant légitime et naturel - A child conceived before the marriage of his or her parents but born legitimate
- Enfant naturel - Natural or illegitimate child
- Enfant trouvé - Foundling
- Enterré / Enterrée - Buried
- Enterrement - Burial
- Environ - About, approximately
- Epouser - To marry
- Epoux / Epouse - Husband / wife, spouse
- Evêque - Bishop
F
- Famille - Family
- Féminin - Feminine
- Femme - Wife or woman
- Feu / Feue - Late, deceased (as an adjective)
- Février - February
- Fiançailles - Engaged persons
- Filiation - Familial relationship
- Fille - Daughter
- Filleuil / le - Godson / goddaughter
- Fils - Son
- Fratrie - Group of siblings
- Frère - Brother
- Frère consanguin - Half-brother, sharing the same father but not mother
- Frère germain - Brother, sharing both father and mother
- Frère par alliance - Step-brother
- Frère utérin - Half-brother, sharing the same mother but having a different father
- Futur / Future / Futurs - Groom / Bride / Wedding couple
G
- Gémini - Twin (rare)
- Gendre - Son-in-law
- Génération - Generation
- Grand-oncle - Great uncle
- Grande-tante - Great aunt
- Grosse - The copy of document or acte written by a notaire given to the parties
- Grossesse - Pregnancy
H
- Hameau - Hamlet
- Héraldique - Heraldry
- Héritier - Heir
- Homme - Man
- Hôtel de Ville - Town or City Hall
I
- Illégitime - Illegitimate
- Implexe - An adjective indicating that a person holds more than one position among ancestors in a tree, producing "pedigree collapse". Thus: two aïeuls implexes will be one person who is a grandfather to two or more people in a family tree
- Inconnu - Unknown
- Inhumé / e - Buried
- Insinuation - An abbreviated copy of a notarial document or acte that has been formally registered with the relevant government bureau
- Intestat / e - Intestate
J
- Janvier - January
- Jeudi - Thursday
- Jour - Day
- Journalier - Day-labourer, not journalist!
- Juif / juive - Jewish man / woman
- Juillet - July
- Juin - June
- Jumeau / x - Twin / twins
L
- Légitime - Legitimate
- Légitimé/e - Legitimated (when an illegitimate child is recognized by his or her parents, he or she is thenceforward legitimate)
- Légitime et naturel/le - A legitimate and naturally born child
- Lieu - Place
- Lieu-dit - Name of a house or farm
- Ligne collatérale - Collateral line
- Ligne directe - Direct line between ascending or descending generations
- Lundi - Monday
- Luthérien / ne - Lutheran
M
- M - The abbreviation for Monsieur, not to be mistaken as a first initial
- Mai - May
- Maire - Mayor
- Mairie - Town Hall
- Maître - Master, an honorific title always used with notaires; abbreviated as Me
- Mardi - Tuesday
- Mari / Marie - Husband / wife
- Mariage - Marriage
- Mariage consanguin - Marriage between cousins
- Mariage putatif - A marriage that has been annulled but that was initially made in good faith
- Marié - Married, husband
- Mariée - Married, wife
- Marraine - Godmother
- Mars - March
- Masculin - Masculine
- Maternel/Maternelle - Maternal, e.g. Oncle maternel is an uncle on the mother's side
- Matin - Morning
- Médecin - Medical doctor
- Mercredi - Wednesday
- Métier - Profession, art or skill, see here for full lists
- Minute - Original document or acte written by a notaire and signed by all parties
- Mois - Month
- Mort / e - Dead
- Mort né - Stillborn
- Muselman / e - Muslim
N
- Naissance - Birth
- Natif / native - Native to or from a certain place
- Naturel/le - Natural; illegitimate child
- Neveu - Nephew
- Nièce - Niece
- Nom - Name
- Nom de famille - Surname
- Non dénommé / e - Not named
- Notaire - A person who draws up all forms of contracts and documents, including wills and marriage contracts
- Nourrice - Wet-nurse
- Nourrisson - Suckling child
- Nouveau né - Newborn child
- Novembre / 9e - November / 9th month
O
- Octobre / 8e - October / 8th month
- Officier d'état civil - Civil registration officer
- Oncle - Uncle
- Ondoiement - The "little baptism" (petit baptême) given by a midwife to a newborn not expected to survive
- Orphelin - Orphan
P
- Pape - Pope
- Paroisse - Parish
- Parpaillot - A pejorative term for Protestant
- Parents - Parents; this can also mean relatives
- Parrain - Godfather
- Parrainage religieux - Related through god-parenting (considered a relationship by law, not by blood)
- Pasteur - Pastor (Protestant)
- Paternel/Paternelle - Paternal, e.g. tante paternelle is a paternal aunt
- Patronyme - Surname
- Petit-fils - Grandson
- Petite-fille - Granddaughter
- Petits-enfants - Grandchildren
- Petit-neveu - Great-nephew
- Petite-nièce- Great-niece
- Premier lit - First marriage
- Présenter / Présenté - To present / presented
- Prêtre - Priest
- Procès verbal - Affidavit
- Propriétaire - A person who owns at least some land
- Protestant / e - Protestant, Huguenot
- Publications - Marriage banns
- Puiné - Penultimate child of a couple, sometimes any child not the eldest or youngest
Q
- Quartier - All ancestors of a single generation
R
- Rabin - Rabbi
- Reconnaissance - Recognition (of a child)
- Registre - Register
- Registres paroissiaux - Parish registers
- Répertoire - Alphabetical or chronological index
- Rentier / rentière - A person living off of passive income such as rents, dividends, etc.
- RPR - Religion prétendue réformée - "Alleged reformed [Christian] religion"- The term used by the authorities to refer to Protestant religions
S
- Sage-femme - Midwife
- Samedi - Saturday
- Second lit - Second marriage
- Septembre / 7e - September / 7th month
- Sépulture - Burial
- Sieur - An informal, honorific title for a man; translating it as Sir will cause confusion
- Sigillographie - Sigillography
- Soeur - Sister
- Soeur germaine - Sister, sharing both father and mother
- Soeur consanguine - Half-sister, sharing the same father but having a different mother
- Soeur par alliance - Step-sister
- Soeur utérine - Half-sister, sharing the same mother but having a different father
- Soir - Evening
- Sous-signé / soussigné - Undersigned
- Synagogue - Synagogue, Jewish place of worship
T
- Table - Index
- Tante - Aunt
- Témoin - Witness
- Temple - Protestant place of worship or church, or a temple of the Knights Templar, never a synagogue
- Templiers - Knights Templar
- Testament - Will, testament
- Trisaïeuls - great-great-grandparents
- Tutelle - Guardianship
- Tuteur - Guardian
- Trisaïeuls - Great-great-grandparents
U
- Utérins - Children of the same mother but different fathers
V
- Vendredi - Friday
- Vente - Sale
- Vers - About, toward
- Veuf / veuve - Widower / widow
- Vicaire - Vicar
- Ville - City or town