Daily Ancestorparrain
Parrain is French for "godfather": the man who, with the marraine, presented the child at the font and is named in the baptism entry.
After the Council of Trent the priest had to record the names of the parrain and the marraine in every baptism. Godparenthood created a spiritual bond, and under church law a godparent could not later marry the godchild.
To hold a child at the font, tenir un enfant sur les fonts, meant to stand as godparent. Some entries say how a godparent was related to the child, such as an uncle or a grandfather.
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Daily Ancestor. "parrain." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/french/parrain. Last checked 2026-10-28.