Defaux (surname)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Word/name | Ultimately from Old French fou, fau, "beech" from Latin fagus; or from Germanic falisa, "cliff" |
| Region of origin | Belgium, France |
| Other names | |
| Cognate(s) | De Fauw, Faux, Dufaux, Defau |
Defaux is a surname popular in Belgium and northeastern France.
Like its cognates/variants De Fauw and Faux, it could derive from fou, fau (Old French for "beech"); be a toponymic surname indicating origin from a place called Faux or Faulx (possibly Faulx-les-Tombes in Wallonia, Belgium; Faux, Court-Saint-Étienne, Belgium; Wavrechain-sous-Faulx in the Nord department; a commune in Pas-de-Calais, or one in the Ardennes)[1][2][3] or derive from the adjective "faux" (Middle French: "faulx").[2]
The etymology of the place names in Belgium is ultimately from Latin fagus ("beech") via Old French fou, fau, or from Germanic *falisa, "cliff".[2]
Notable people with the name include:
- Alexandre Defaux (1826–1900), French artist
- Gérard Defaux (1937–2004), French American writer
- Joseph Defaux (1861–1931), Belgian representative and mayor
