Le Cornu

Le Cornu is a surname originally of French origin, and in particular from Calvados and the area around Bayeux.[1] It has a number of variants, including 'Cornu', 'Lecornue', 'Lecornu' and 'Cornut'.[1] Tosti comments that it was 'a name that some bearers found difficult to wear as it immediately and incontrovertibly evoked a horned person, or a cuckold'. However, this has been challenged by M.T. Morlet who comments that this identification of horns with a husband who has been cheated on only came into being at the end of the Middle Ages.[2] The discussion continues, although Tosti accepts Dauzat's view that the idea of a cuckold is found from the 13th century onwards and that 'it is this interpretation which will undoubtedly stand the test of time'.[3]

The variant 'Lecorne' is found in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Hauts de France) area of France where a feminine form 'Lacorne' is also found. In this case, while also carrying the meaning of 'horned person' it is understood to refer to a horn or trumpet player, which in turn indicates a rather naive individual.[4]

From the 15th century onwards, it has been a common surname in the Channel Islands, most notably in Jersey where it remains strongly identified with the island.[5][6] Possibly the oldest record of a Le Cornu family in Jersey is that of Jean Le Cornu (1480 - ?).[7]

Notable people with the surname include:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Jean Tosti, 'Le Dictionnaire des Noms '
  2. ^ Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par Marie-Thérèse Morlet.
  3. ^ "Nom de famille CORNU : origine et signification". Geneanet.
  4. ^ "Nom de famille LECORNE : origine et signification". Geneanet.
  5. ^ "Search results for "cornu" - Jerripedia". www.jerripedia.org.
  6. ^ "Le Cornu - Jerripedia".
  7. ^ "Descendants of Jean le Cornu (1480) - Jerripedia".
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