The name "Jazzer"--(possibility of humorous French names)

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>   In order to judge whether Jazzer might derive from French jaseur,
>it's necessary to get a clear idea about the humorous U.S. or
>Canadian surnames of French origin. In other words, the surname might
>not exist in France but be present on this side of the Atlantic.
>
>    One possible example: A man named Nicholas Beaugenou was born in
>Canada, 1741, and eventually moved to St. Louis. Beaugenou is not
>listed in Dauzat's dictionary of French names and is very possibly of
>humorous origin; its literal meaning is "Beautiful Knee." Similarly,
>there was a man named Beaupied ("Beautiful Foot").

There is the name Jasserand (with variants).

As for Beaugenou, I would naively consider the possibility of alteration
from something like Bougnou or Bougeniere ... perhaps an illiterate
immigrant, with illegible handwritten documents from the boonies, needed to
be processed quickly at the port of entry ....

-- Doug Wilson