Dupont
A French surname meaning “of the bridge,” originally used for someone who lived near or by a bridge.
The #3,456 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,862 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dupont is a French surname built from du, meaning “of the,” and pont, meaning “bridge.” The underlying Latin root is pontem, “bridge,” so the literal sense is “of the bridge” or “from the bridge.” It began as a locational name for someone living near a bridge or identified by a notable bridge in their area.
History
The surname is long established in France and appears in 19th-century surname dictionaries as a very common French family name. It also spread beyond France, especially through migration to English-speaking countries and francophone communities. Writers of the period often grouped Dupont with other French locational surnames such as Dupre and Dubois.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In English-language surname books, Dupont is often used as a stock example of a typical French locational surname, much like “Smith” is used for an occupational surname.
From the historical record
“DU PARC J Park in Diet.] DUPONT 1 (Fr.) Of the Bridge [Lat. DU PONT J pont-em, ace. oipons, a bridge] DUPRAT -> DU PRAT DUPRE DU PRE ■ See Pratt and Pray in the Diet. (Fr.) Of the Meadow [Lat.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)