Lecuyer Family History

French (Lécuyer): status name with fused definite article l' from écuyer ‘squire’ a term originally meaning ‘shield-bearer’ (from Latin scutarius a derivative of scutum ‘shield’).

This became a status name for a man belonging to the social rank immediately below that of knight.

In North America, the surname was sometimes translated into English as Cook; the original term écuyer having lost transparency of meaning it was taken as a noun derivative of the verb cuire ‘to cook’.

Compare Lagoy and Lequire.