Blanchard

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name of French origin, borne by various people, and occasionally used as a first name
2. A surname of French origin shared by a number of notable individuals, sometimes given as a first name
3. A French-derived family name carried by many people across different countries and generations

Etymology: "Blanchard" is a surname in French and, from it, English, and the word's story is largely the story of a name rather than a meaning. In French it is a family name formed from "blanc" (white) with a suffix, and it was borrowed into English as a surname that could then be applied to people who bore it. Because it began life as a personal name, it carries no dictionary sense of its own, and its interest lies in how a French family name crossed the Channel and settled into English use.