Arsenault
A French surname ultimately from a personal name, most common in Acadian and French-Canadian families.
The #4,052 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,245 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Arsenault is a French surname built from the old personal name Arsenault/Arsenau, which in turn goes back to a Germanic given name related to Arnold. The name likely developed as a family-name form meaning, in effect, "descendant of Arsenault" rather than from a place or occupation. In North American usage it is especially associated with French-speaking communities.
History
The surname is well known in Acadian and French-Canadian family lines, and many bearers in the United States descend from French-speaking ancestors from Canada or the Maritime provinces. English-language sources from the 19th century usually treated it simply as a surname in circulation rather than explaining its origin, which reflects how established it already was in North America. The spelling often varies between Arsenault and Arseneault, with other French-like spellings appearing in records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name is especially common in areas shaped by Acadian migration, so it often appears in family histories connected to both Canada and French-speaking parts of the United States.
From the historical record
“name of Diddle, Mr. Arsenault lives at Swanton, Vt. ; Mr. Bram, at Pittston, Me. ; Mr. Crump, at New London, Conn., and also at Whately, Mass. ; and Mr. Fasset, at Gloucester, R.I. There was an English author named Fettiplace (1666); and we have Fettyplace, Mr. MiLLSAPS is a law-student at Harvard. Mr. Tidball”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)