Meaning & History
Favreau is a French surname. It is a diminutive of Favre, itself a southern French variant of Fèvre. The root name, Fèvre, is an occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.
The suffix -eau is a common French diminutive ending, often indicating "little" or associating with a characteristic. Thus, Favreau likely referred to "little blacksmith" or "son of the blacksmith," a typical French surname evolution.
The name shares roots with other French surnames like Fabre (Occitan), Lefebvre, and Lefèvre, all deriving from the Latin word for smith. Variants also exist in other languages, such as Italian Fabbri, Fabbro, and Favero, and Occitan Fabre and Faure.
Notable Bearers
- Bertrand Favreau (born 1947), French lawyer
- Guy Favreau (1917–1967), Canadian lawyer, politician, and judge
- Jon Favreau (born 1966), American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- Jon Favreau (speechwriter) (born 1981), American political commentator
- Karen Favreau (1968–2010), American comic
- Marc Favreau (1929–2005), French Canadian humorist, film actor, and poet
- Réal Favreau, Canadian jurist
- Robert Favreau (born 1948), Canadian film director and film editor
Related Names
Sources: Wikipedia — Favreau