Legrand
A French descriptive surname meaning “the tall” or “the big one.”
The #6,306 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 57,038 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Legrand is a French surname built from le, “the,” and grand, “large, tall, great.” In origin it was a descriptive byname for someone notably big in stature or imposing in presence. Historical surname writers also gloss it simply as “the big” or “the tall.”
History
French descriptive surnames of this type became hereditary over time and remain common in France and French-speaking regions. The form is also well known outside France because French surnames often keep the article, as in Lejeune and Lebeau. In English-language surname works, Legrand is treated as a straightforward French nickname surname rather than a place-name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
It is one of several French surnames where the article le stayed attached to the adjective, preserving the original phrase-like form.
From the historical record
“faber, smith, carpenter] LEGRAND I (Fr.) The Big or Tall [Ft. le, LE GRAND J the + grand, L?it.grand-is,-great, tall] LEGROS 1 (Fr.) The Big or StOut [Fr. le, LE GR08) the; and see under Grose in Diet.] LEHMANN 1 (Ger.) Vassal [Ger. lehnmann;”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)