Combes Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Combes last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Combes last name
Meaning of the Combes last name: small valleys. Combes is a French surname from Occitan comba, "small valley", for someone living in a valley. This last name is common in southern France. Émile Combes, prime minister from 1902, prepared the separation of church and state. Related names include Combe and Lacombe.
Arms associated with the Combes name
French heraldry loved the fleur-de-lis, the lion and bold bands of colour, part of the tradition in which coats of arms associated with the Combes name grew.
Get your full Combes family history
This is only a glimpse of the Combes story. The full Combes history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Combes coat of arms. Get the full Combes report.
Combes name FAQ
What does the Combes name mean?
Small valleys. Common variants include Combe, Lacombe.
Where does the Combes surname come from?
It originates in France, and is also found in Canada, Belgium and Switzerland.
Is there a Combes coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Combes coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Albert Dauzat, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille et prénoms de France (Larousse); Marie-Thérèse Morlet, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille (Perrin, 1991).