The rare French surname DeschanelGeopatronyme.Com is probably for D'Eschanel, regional variant form of eschamel "stepladder", nickname of a trader.Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par Marie-Thérèse Morlet, p. 195a It is supposed to be from the region of Lyon, maybe in the Ain département. Notable people with the surname include:
A family of French politicians: Émile Deschanel (1819–1904), French author and politician, and his son: Paul Deschanel (1855–1922), 11th President of the French Republic
A family of French American artists: Caleb Deschanel (born 1944), American cinematographer, and his daughters: Emily Deschanel (born 1976), actress Zooey Deschanel (born 1980), singer and actress Mary Jo Deschanel (née Weir, born 1945), American actress
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