Surname Duplessis - Meaning and Origin
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Duplessis: What does the surname Duplessis mean?
The last name Duplessis originates from the French surname ‘Du Plesse’, which means ‘Of the Wood’. In a literal sense, the name could refer to someone who was associated with wood, either as a trader or a woodsman. On a more symbolic level, the name might indicate someone who was loyal, hardworking, and able to navigate their way even in difficult terrain.
Duplessis, which has since evolved to Duplesse, was likely popularized by the descendants of the Norman conquerors who established their settlements in what is now France in 1066. These settlers were likely farmers, traders and other skilled tradespeople, who would have relied heavily on the forests for resources.
The name Duplessis has been seen in records in various European countries, from Sweden to Scotland, as well as in many parts of North America. The name is sometimes associated with famous people, including the 20th century Quebec politician Maurice Duplessis.
In today’s world, the Duplessis surname still holds a certain air of prestige and has been held by numerous people who have achieved success in business, the arts, and high office. It is a proud name with an interesting history, and carries strong connotations of loyalty and hard work.
Order DNA origin analysisDuplessis: Where does the name Duplessis come from?
The last name Duplessis is most commonly found among people of French ancestry, particularly those from the Canadian province of Quebec. The Duplessis family originally originates from the region of Normandy, France and first settled in the Canadian province of New France (modern day Quebec) during the early 1600s.
Today, Duplessis continues to be a fairly common name in Quebec, with the most occurrences of it being found in northern parts of the province like Saguenay and the Mauricie. There is also a strong presence of the family name in southern Quebec, particularly in the Montreal and Laval regions.
Additionally, Duplessis can be found in descending pockets of the United States, with the most significant concentration located in the New England area. The most common states being Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island. There are also some scattered occurrences of the name in other parts of the United States, particularly in Mississippi, Michigan, New York and Louisiana.
It is believed that there are roughly 8,000 Duplessis living in Canada today, with an additional 4,000 residing in the United States.
Variations of the surname Duplessis
The surname Duplessis is a French surname, descending from Medieval France when family occupation was often indicated by their surname. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Duplessis include:
Du Plès, Du Plè, Duplesse, Duple, Du Plais, Depleis, Deplesse, Deplei, Delplesse, Delpleis, Desplees, Desples, Despleis, Deulates, Deulat, Deleis and Dele.
Duplessis, likely derived from the Latin “placita” meaning "pleasure" or "place,” is a topographical name meaning "from the pleasant place,” used to describe someone living on a pleasant piece of land. As French surnames expanded to other parts of the world, the spelling changed to accommodate the local languages.
Duple/Duples is an older spelling of Duplessis also derived from the Latin term of “placita.” It is also seen in English records as Deupales or Dupales. The most common spelling found today is Duplessis which is found primarily in Canada, the United States and France.
Du Plès is another primary spelling of the same surname, derived from the Latin term as well and is mainly found in France, followed by England, Ireland and Canada. This spelling is similar to the one most commonly seen today but has a circumflex on the “e” indicating a vowel voicelessness.
Depleis is another spelling of the surname that descends from the term as well. It may also be spelled as Deplei, Delplesse, Delpleis, Desplees, Desples, Despleis, Deulates, Deulat, Deleis and Dele. Most of these variants of the name are found mainly in France and the United States with some found in Ireland, England and Canada.
Famous people with the name Duplessis
- Maurice Duplessis: A lawyer, he served as the 16th Premier of Quebec and leader of the Union Nationale from 1936 to 1939 and from 1944 to 1959.
- Claire Duplessis: Claire was the widow of Maurice Duplessis and became a Liberal Member of the federal Parliament in the 1990s.
- Jessica Duplessis: Also known as Jessica Lauren, she is an American singer-songwriter and music producer.
- André Duplessis: A Quebec-based journalist and political analyst who wrote various columns about the Quebec politics for the Montreal Gazette for 20 years.
- Claude Duplessis: He is the current mayor of Shawinigan, Quebec since 2013.
- Fabien Duplessis: He is a French football goalkeeper who currently plays for Ligue 2 club Le Havre.
- Nathalie Duplessis: Nathalie is a classical pianist who released several albums of classical music.
- Jean-Paul Duplessis: A Canadian entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Jean-Paul is the co-founder of Impression Phototech, a Canadian company that designs and manufactures digital printing and scanning products for the graphic arts industry.
- Mathieux Duplessis: Matthew Duplessis is a Canadian hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League from 1989 to 2000, and won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1996.
- Christopher Duplessis: Christopher is a Canadian television producer and one of the founders of Motionmedia.
- Stephany Duplessis: Stephany is an artist and a member of the Canadian artist collective Art & Skate.