Doucet is a

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

, especially popular in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, the former area of

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

in particular (now

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

, and parts of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

and

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

). As a result of the Great Expulsion in 1755 and later from Acadia, Doucets are also amongst the

Cajuns The Cajuns (; Louisiana French language, French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French people, Louisiana French ethnic group, ethnicity mainly found in t ...

and Creoles of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. The first Doucet to reach North America is thought to be Major Germain Doucet dit La Verdure, a French military officer at Port-Royal (now Annapolis Royal) in 1632 who attempted to defend what is now Maine and Acadia from invasions from Boston in 1654. Many Doucets in North America trace their lineage to Germain Doucet.

Variants and pronunciation

Common variants include " Doucett" and " Doucette". Most Doucets in Canada pronounce their surname as or , rather than as

modern French French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-Romance, a descendant of the Latin spoken in ...

might require. Some argue this pronunciation may derive from dialects of sixteenth-century French such as was found in Brittany, a common origin of French-Canadian settlers.

Notable people

* Albert Doucet (born 1942), Canadian businessman and politician from New Brunswick *

Alexandre Cédric Doucet Alexandre Cédric Doucet is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick () is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature, in the province of N ...

, Canadian politician from New Brunswick * Alexandre-Joseph Doucet (1880–1951), Canadian farmer and politician from New Brunswick * Andrea Doucet, Canadian sociologist and writer * Benoit Doucet (born 1963), Canadian-German ice hockey coach * Cat Doucet (1899–1975), American sheriff from Louisiana * Camey Doucet (born 1939), American musician and disc jockey * Camille Doucet (1812–1895), French poet and playwright * Catherine Doucet (1875–1958), American actress * Clément Doucet (1895–1950), Belgian composer and jazz/classical pianist * Clive Doucet (born 1946), Canadian politician and writer * Early Doucet (born 1985), American football player * Fred Doucet (born 1939), Canadian lobbyist, educator, university administrator, and political aide * George Doucet (born 1939), Canadian high school principal and politician from Nova Scotia * Gerald Doucet (1937–2017), Canadian politician from Nova Scotia * Germain Doucet (1595 – c.1654), called ''Sieur de la Verdure'', French commandant in Maine and Acadia * Gilbert Doucet (1956–2020), French rugby player * Henri Lucien Doucet (1856–1895), French painter * Jacques Doucet (disambiguation), multiple people, including: ** Jacques Doucet (fashion designer) (1853–1929), French fashion designer ** Jacques Doucet (sportscaster) (born 1940), French-Canadian sportscaster ** Jacques Doucet (sailor), French sailor * Jeff Doucet (died 1984), American kidnapper and child molester, killed by Gary Plauché * J. André Doucet (1880–1963), Canadian politician from New Brunswick *

Julie Doucet Julie Doucet (born December 31, 1965)
is a Canadian

(born 1965), Canadian cartoonist * Luke Doucet (born 1973), Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist * Lyse Doucet (born 1958), Canadian journalist, presenter and correspondent for the BBC * Michael Doucet (born 1951), American fiddler, singer and songwriter * Moses J. Doucet (1862–1906), Canadian merchant and politician from Nova Scotia * Paul Doucet, Canadian actor * Rick Doucet, Canadian businessman and politician from New Brunswick * Roger Doucet (1919–1981), Canadian singer * Sandrine Doucet (1959–2019), French politician * Suzanne Doucet (born 1944), German composer and producer * Tommy Doucet (1902–1992), Acadian fiddler, from Nova Scotia, Canada * Yves Doucet, the name taken by Yves Dreyfus (1931–2021), Olympic medalist épée fencer, to escape Nazi detection during the

Nazi occupation of France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

References

{{surname French-language surnames Surnames