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Naming Conventions

Canadian names generally follow English naming conventions. However, there is slight variation between English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians, with the latter following some French naming conventions.

English Conventions

• English naming conventions arrange names as follows: [first given name] [middle given name(s)] [FAMILY NAME]. For example, Justin BROWN (male) or Emma Marie CLARKSON (female).
• One’s ‘first name’, known as a ‘personal name’ or ‘given name’, is chosen at birth as the individual’s personal identifier. It always comes before the family name.
• The ‘family name’, known as a ‘surname’ or ‘last name’, is inherited from one’s parents and shared with other members of the individual’s immediate family.
• Most English Canadian names are traditionally patrilineal, whereby children are given their father’s family name.
• Some parents may choose to give their children a hyphenated surname that contains both the surname of the mother and father (e.g. Justin WILSON-BROWN).
• It is traditional for (English-speaking) Canadian women to adopt their husband’s family name at marriage. However, this is not an enforced rule.
• Many Canadians also have a ‘middle name’, which is a secondary given name written between the person's first name and their family name. For example, Emma Marie CLARKSON’s middle name is ‘Marie’.
• Middle names are optional and are rarely used in daily life. However, most Canadians have one or multiple.

French Conventions

• French naming customs generally follow the same conventions as English names, i.e. [first given name] [middle given name] [FAMILY NAME]. However, there are a few differences.
• French Canadian family names are multilineal, whereby children are given their mother and/or father's family name. Hyphenated surnames are very common amongst French-speaking Canadians.
• In Quebec, the Civil Code requires parents to assign their child only one surname (either a single or compound surname) derived from their respective surnames.1 Compound surnames may not have more than two parts, with or without hyphens. Thus, a couple named Joseph BOUCHARD-TREMBLAY and Marie DION-ROY could give their children the surnames:
  • BOUCHARD
  • TREMBLAY
  • DION
  • ROY
  • BOUCHARD-TREMBLAY
  • DION-ROY
  • BOUCHARD-DION
  • BOUCHARD-ROY, and so on.
• In Quebec, the law provides that spouses retain their respective birth names when they are married.
• Some older French Canadians may have three non-hyphenated given names arranged as follows: [gender-specific name] [godparent’s name] [personal name] [FAMILY NAME]. This traditional French Catholic naming custom is no longer common among people born after the 1970s.
• For example, Joseph Jacques Jean CHRÉTIEN: ‘Joseph’ indicates the person is male, ‘Jacques’ is the name of their godfather, and the person is addressed as ‘Jean’ for all intents and purposes of everyday life.
• Only the third given name is used to address/identify the person on a daily basis.2
• Under this convention, the names ‘Marie’ (female), ‘Jean’ and ‘Joseph’ were most commonly used to indicate a person’s gender. Therefore, it is very common for multiple siblings to have the same first name (e.g. Marie Anna Yvonne TREMBLAY, Maria Anna Louise TREMBLAY).

Names

• Most Canadian parents choose their children’s personal names based on aesthetic appeal.
• The most popular first names for Canadian children in 2019 were Sophia, Olivia, Emma, Amelia, Aria (female) and Jackson, Noah, Liam, Lucas, Benjamin (male).3
• Many of the most common names have Christian origins, e.g. Noah, Joshua, Michael, Grace.
• Non-gender specific names have also gained popularity in recent years (e.g. Peyton, Charlie, Riley).
• The most common Canadian family names have a British origin, e.g. SMITH, BROWN, MCDONALD, WILSON, JOHNSON.
• It is common for Indigenous Canadians to carry family names of French or English origin.

French Names

• It is common for French-speaking Canadians to have French names, e.g. Adèle, Amélie, Éleanore (female) and André, Antoine, Jacques (male).
• Many French names may have an English translation. For example, the name ‘Guillaume’ is ‘William’, ‘Maxime’ is ‘Max’.
• Many French names have Christian origins. For example, ‘Pierre’ is named after Saint Peter.
• It is common for French Canadians to have a first name that is hyphenated, e.g. ‘Jean-Marc’. These names are considered to be a single unit rather than two separate names.
• Many traditional French names are gender-specific, meaning that masculine names can be made feminine and vice versa by adding or omitting a few letters. For example, the masculine name ‘Jean’ in its feminine form is ‘Jeanne’.
• The most common family names among French-speaking Canadians are TREMBLAY, GAGNON, ROY, CÔTÉ andÌý³Ò´¡±«°Õ±á±õ·¡¸é.4

Addressing Others

• Canadians generally address one another verbally by the first given name alone.
• In formal situations, people may use a person’s title (e.g. Mr., Mrs., Ms., Doctor, etc.) followed by their family name.
• Middle names are almost never used to address a person unless quoted on formal/legal documentation.
• An exception to this rule applies if someone’s naming follows French Catholic naming conventions (see French Conventions above).

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1 Director of Civil Status, 20202 Schneider, 2012Bee, 20203 Bee, 20204 YourFolks.com, 2020