From the historical and enchanting region of Bourgoigne emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Lebas family. Originally, the French people were known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted in France is extremely interesting. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Often they adopted names that were derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The name Lebas is a nickname type of surname for a short person. The surname Lebas is derived from the Old English words "bas" and "basse", which mean low, short; these words ultimately stem from the Latin word "bassus" which means "thickset".
The surname Lebas was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lebas research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1229, 1258, 1294, 1300, 1400, 1501, 1573, and 1620 are included under the topic Early Lebas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Baissey, Baissy, Baisseys, Baissie, Baysee, Bassey, Bassye, Baysey, Baysay, Baysie, Baycy, Baycey, Baissies, Bayssey, Bayssie, Bayssies, Beissey, Beissie, Beissies, Baicey, Baicie, Baicies, Baycey, Baycie, Baycies, Beicey, Beicie, Beicies, de Baissey and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Lebas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.