Gaudet
A French surname most likely from a form of the old word gaud, meaning “merry” or “cheerful.”
The #6,969 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 64,135 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The most likely source is Old French gaud, a word for someone cheerful, lively, or merry. The surname may therefore have begun as a nickname for a bright or good-humored person. Some older writers also connected related forms with regional words and with surnames such as Gaude or Gaud, but the basic sense remains the same: “the cheerful one.”
History
Gaudet is a well-attested French surname and is especially common in French-speaking areas, including parts of Canada and Louisiana. Older surname writers treated it as part of a family of Gaud- names, with variants such as Gaudeau and Gaudin. In modern usage it is found both in France and in French diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same gaud- element behind this surname appears in several older French family names that were grouped together by 19th-century surname scholars.
From the historical record
“ou Valdemar (régnant-illustre), 68i. Gaudet. 1" Dér. de Gaud : gai , gaillard (oil). Gaudibert. F. du vieux nom germ. FrtWi&cri (régnant-renommé).”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)