Descent from the Huguenots, the French Protestants who were persecuted for their faith, is a source of pride for many families in the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, South Africa, and beyond. It is also one of the most mythologized corners of genealogy. This guide explains the history, the records, and the limits, including what the law says today about descendants and French nationality.
Who the Huguenots were
Huguenot is the name given to members of the French Reformed church, the Calvinist Protestants of France. The Edict of Nantes in 1598 gave them a measure of legal toleration, and in 1685 Louis XIV revoked it with the Edict of Fontainebleau, making Protestant worship illegal. Of roughly 900,000 French Protestants at the time, well over 200,000 are estimated to have fled, though figures vary by source. The great majority of Protestants, however, stayed in France.
Where the refugees went
- The Dutch Republic: estimates range from 35,000 to 75,000 refugees, probably around 50,000.
- England, Switzerland, and the German states, especially Brandenburg-Prussia, which actively welcomed them.
- South Africa, where Huguenots settled at the Cape.
- North America, in smaller numbers, to colonies such as New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina.
The number who reached the future United States was modest, and it is hard to quantify, but their descendants are numerous and many appear in colonial records. See our history of French emigration to America for the broader story.
The most common mistakes
- Assuming any French surname means Huguenot. Most French emigrants were Catholic, and many Huguenot families anglicized their names.
- Accepting a family legend without evidence. A “Huguenot ancestor” needs a record trail to a French Protestant family, such as a baptism in a Reformed register or a refugee church membership.
- Ignoring the refuge records. Many Huguenots appear in the registers of French churches in London, Amsterdam, and other cities rather than in France.
Records for Huguenot research
Records fall into three periods:
- Before 1685. Reformed churches kept their own registers in many places, and some survive. Others are lost, and Protestants sometimes appear in Catholic registers.
- 1685 to 1787. Public Protestant worship was banned, so many Protestants were baptized and married in the Catholic Church or in clandestine ceremonies, and appear in Catholic registers or in registers kept by pastors of the “Desert” period.
- After 1787. The Edict of Tolerance restored civil recognition, and from 1792 civil registration applies to everyone.
Our guide to French parish registers explains how to read these, and for a deeper background on Protestant history, the Musée protestant is an authoritative source.
In the refuge: church and community records
If your ancestor left France, the most useful records are often those of the refuge: membership and communion rolls of French Reformed churches, naturalization and denization records in the new country, and published lists of refugees. Many families anglicized or translated their names in the process, so search for variants. In the colonies, church records, wills, and land grants often identify a French origin.
The 1790 law and French nationality today
A common question is whether Huguenot descendants can claim French nationality. The short history: in 1790 the revolutionary government declared that anyone born abroad and descended “in any degree” from a French man or woman who had left for religious reasons was French, if they returned, settled in France, and took the civic oath. That law was rescinded by the Nationality Code of October 19, 1945, so, barring other French connections, descendants of Huguenots abroad have no automatic right to French citizenship today. See the Law Library of Congress report on the 1790 law for the legal background.
For the rules that do apply, read our French citizenship guide.
A practical approach
- Start with your own family’s documents and trace the line to the earliest ancestor in America or Britain.
- Look for evidence of French Protestant origin, such as a French Reformed church membership or a Huguenot-linked place.
- Search the refuge records, then the French Reformed and Catholic registers for the family’s home region.
- Search a name index such as MyHeritage or Geneanet to find French-side trees, and verify in the registers. See our comparison guide.
- Cite each source, and do not claim Huguenot descent until the evidence supports it.
Illustrative composite (not a real family): A family in South Carolina has a tradition of Huguenot descent. Colonial church records show their ancestor as a member of the French Protestant church in Charleston, and a French-side baptism in a Reformed register in Poitou links him to a family that left after 1685.
For the research method in full, see our complete guide to tracing French ancestry.
Surname clues and anglicized names
Many Huguenot families changed their names after leaving France, either by anglicizing the spelling or by translating the name outright. The silversmith Paul Revere’s family name, for example, descends from the French Rivoire, and the Bowdoin family of Massachusetts descends from Baudouin. If a surname looks French in sound but English in spelling, check for a French original before assuming the English form is the “real” name.
Places in America with Huguenot roots
- New Rochelle, New York, named for the French port of La Rochelle, from which many settlers came.
- New Paltz, New York, whose Huguenot Street preserves a group of early stone houses.
- Charleston, South Carolina, where a French Protestant church community has long existed.
- Virginia and Massachusetts, where smaller groups settled and quickly blended into local communities.
Common questions about Huguenot ancestry
- Does a French surname prove Huguenot descent? No. Most French immigrants were Catholic, so you need evidence of a French Protestant family.
- Can I join a Huguenot lineage society? Many require documented descent from a specific refugee, so gather your evidence first and check each society’s rules.
- My ancestors were Walloons, not French. Are they Huguenots? Walloon Protestants from the southern Low Countries are a related but separate story, with their own records and churches.
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