Thedit name (French:nom-dit[nɔ̃di]) was a commonFrench-Canadian custom by which families often adopted an alternatesurname. They were also used in France, Italy, and Scotland.[1] The practice lasted until the 19th century, and in a few cases into the 20th century.[1] Thedit name poses challenges forgenealogists confronted with different surnames in different documents, particularly if they are not familiar with the custom.[1]
Dit and the feminine formdite translate as "called" and are thepast participle of the French verbdire, "to say". A name such asAdolphe Guilletdit Tourangeau can translate as "Adolphe Guillet, called Tourangeau", where both "Guillet" and "Tourangeau" are used as surnames, sometimes together and sometimes individually in different situations.[1] Thedit name carried the same legal weight as the original family name with regard to land transfers and the naming of children.[2]Dit names developed for a variety of reasons, such as distinguishing one family from another nearby family with the same surname, or allowing an adopted child to retain both their birth and adopted family names. In some cases, both the original name and thedit name were retained, resulting in full-blowndouble-barrelled names such as Miville-Deschênes.
A family'sdit name often derived from a personal attribute (Leblond, Leblanc, Leroux), place of origin (St-Onge, Coderre, LeBreton), or profession (Chartier, Meunier, Vanier).[3] For example, an immigrant toNew France fromParis might receive thedit nameParisien, and a person who worked as a blacksmith might receive the dit nameLefebvre. Sometimes, the name could be ironic. A large person could be "Tiny" or Petit. The custom originated in the military, where those with the same name adoptednoms de guerre to distinguish themselves. Children often adopted thedit name, sometimes dropping the original family name. Sometimes some of the children chose to take only the family name and others only thedit name.[4]
