Faux (surname)

Faux or Faulx is a surname, ultimately from Latin fagus ("beech"). The English surname is of Flemish origin.[1]

Faux
Origin
Word/nameToponymic surname; ultimately from Old French fou, fau, "beech" from Latin fagus; or from Germanic falisa, "cliff"
Region of originBelgium and France
Other names
Variant form(s)Faulx, Faut
Cognate(s)Defauw, De Fauw, Defaux, Dufaux, Defaut, Defau

The Belgian "Faux" and its variants could derive from the adjective faux (Middle French: faulx), "false", but they are most likely toponymic surnames. "Faux" is a variant of "Faulx", and "Faut" is another variant from either one of them.[2] Cognates and variants include "Defau", "Defaut", "Defauw", "Defauwe" and "De Fauwe". The Belgian surnames could refer to Faux in Court-Saint-Étienne, Wallonia, or Faulx-les-Tombes, also in Wallonia. The etymology is ultimately from Latin fagus, via Old French fou, fau (Walloon: faw), "beech". The etymology could also be from Germanic *falisa, "cliff".[2][3]

In France the surname is present in the North East, but it is also popular in the South West. Surnames from the latter place likely derive from another place called "Faux" (probably Faux in Dordogne). The etymology is always from Latin fagus.[4]

People with the surname Faux

People with the surname Faut

References
  1. Wright, Thomas (1894). The Life of Daniel Defoe Volume 1. Cassell. p. 2.
  2. Germain, Jean; Herbillon, Jules (2007). Dictionnaire des noms de famille en Wallonie et à Bruxelles. Bruselles, Belgium: Racine. pp. 330–421. ISBN 9782873865061.
  3. "Noms commençant par D". www.jeantosti.com. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  4. "Noms commençant par F". www.jeantosti.com. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
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