BERTRAND - Surname Meaning and Family History

A medieval French form of the given name Bertram, the Bertrand surname means "bright raven," derived from the elements beraht, meaning "bright" or "intelligent" and hramn, meaning "raven." Bertrando is the Italian version of the surname.

Bertrand is the 17th most common last name in France.

Surname Origin: French

Alternate Surname Spellings: BERTRAM, BERTRANDO

Famous People with the Surname Bertrand

• Alexandre Bertrand - French archaeologist
• Joseph Bertrand - French mathematician
• Alexandre Jacques François Bertrand  - French physician and mesmerist; father of Alexandre Bertrand and Joseph Bertrand
• Émile Bertrand - French mineralogist for whom bertrandite was named
• Antoine de Bertrand - French Renaissance composer
• Louis Jacques Napoléon Bertrand (pen name Aloysius Bertrand) - French poet

Where the Bertrand Surname Is Most Common

According to surname distribution from Forebears, the Bertrand surname is most prevalent in France, where it ranks as the 21st most common last name in the country. Bertrand is also fairly common in Luxembourg, where it ranks 55th, as well as Belgium (107th) and Canada (252nd). It is almost twice as common today in the United States (ranked 2,667) as it was at the time of the 1880 census (5,258).

Surname maps from WorldNames PublicProfiler demonstrate that the Bertrand surname is common throughout France, but is found in greatest numbers in the regions of Poitou-Charentes, Languedoc-Roussillon, Champagne-Ardenne, and Lorraine, as well as in nearby Wallonie, Belgium. Within the United States, Bertrand is, as you might expect, most common in Louisiana, while in Canada it is found in the greatest numbers in Quebec and the Northwest Territories.

Genealogy Resources for the Surname Bertrand

• French Surname Meanings and Origins: Does your last name have origins in France? Learn about the various origins of French surnames and explore the meanings of some of the most common French last names.
• How to Research-French Ancestry: Learn about the various types of genealogical records available for researching ancestors in France and how to access them, plus how to locate where in France your ancestors originated.
• Bertrand Family Crest - It's Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Bertrand family crest or coat of arms for the Bertrand surname. Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.
• BERTRAND Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Bertrand surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Bertrand query.
• FamilySearch - BERTRAND Genealogy: Explore over 500,000 results from digitized historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Bertrand surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• DistantCousin.com - BERTRAND Genealogy & Family History: Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Bertrand.
• GeneaNet - Bertrand Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Bertrand surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries.
• The Bertrand Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Bertrand surname from the website of Genealogy Today.

References

• _{Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.}
• _{Dorward, David. Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.}
• _{Fucilla, Joseph. Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.}
• _{Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.}
• _{Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.}
• _{Reaney, P.H. A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.}
• _{Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.}