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Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • Southern French : variant spelling of Rabelais, from an adjectival form of Rabel, a derivative of Raba. This is a common name in LA, particularly Avoyelles parish.
  • A Rabalais from the Poitou region of France was established in New Orleans, LA, around 1730, with the secondary surname Matelot.

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