Dufresne
A French surname meaning “of the ash tree,” originally for someone who lived by an ash or ash grove.
The #7,236 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,958 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dufresne comes from Old French fresne, meaning “ash tree,” with du meaning “of the” or “from the.” The name therefore originally identified someone living by an ash tree or ash-lined place. It is the French counterpart of surnames like English Ash.
History
The name is well established in French naming, and related forms appear in older French records with spellings such as Fresnel, Fresnay, and Freune. It also traveled to other countries through French migration and settlement, where it remained recognizable as a French surname. In English-language genealogical references it is sometimes noted alongside the surname Ash as a direct semantic equivalent.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Genealogists sometimes point out that Dufresne and the English surname Ash are essentially the same name in different languages.
From the historical record
“FREYNE. O. Fr. fresne, an ash-tree, from residence near one. So the modern Fr. surname Dufresne and our own Ash. la Norman times this name had the variations Fresnel, Fresnay, Freune, &c. FRIAR. See Ecclesiastical Surnames.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom