French words in old records · card F

fils

Fils is French for "son"; fils de, son of, introduces the parents in baptism, marriage and burial entries.

In records fils is usually followed by de and the father's name, then et de and the mother's: fils de Anaclet Racicot et de Justine Lacasse.

Words around it add detail. Fils légitime means a son born to married parents, fils majeur a son of legal age and fils mineur one under age. Beau-fils can mean either son-in-law or stepson, so read the whole entry before deciding.

As seen in a recordBaptism entry in a Catholic parish register, Quebec, 1870s
Hilaire, fils légitime de Prosper Vadeboncœur, cultivateur, et de Clothilde Racicot, de cette paroisse
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How to cite this page

Daily Ancestor. "fils." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/french/fils. Last checked 2026-10-28.

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