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Jean-Louis Beaucarnot

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot Genealogist, author and great storyteller of our origins

Genealogist, author and speaker, Jean-Louis Beaucarnot is France’s leading figure in popular genealogy.

For more than forty years, he has been turning archives, surnames and family histories into accessible, lively and often surprising stories.

Languages
French
Duration
From 45 minutes to two hours
Formats
Talk, In-depth interview, Cultural activity, Introductory workshop, Panel discussion, Meet the author

Biography

The “pope of genealogy”

Passionate about the subject since childhood, Jean-Louis Beaucarnot has done a great deal to popularise genealogy in France. Through books, press, radio, television and talks, he has spent decades inspiring the general public to go in search of their roots.

His gift for storytelling and making things accessible turns a discipline sometimes seen as dry into a genuine exploration of family history.

Big History through small stories

Who were our ancestors? How did they live? Why do we bear this name? Forgotten trades, migrations, marriages, wars and family secrets: Jean-Louis Beaucarnot shows how individual destinies can tell the story of History with a capital H.

Behind every family tree lie the transformations of society, of territories and of ways of life.

Understanding where we come from

For Jean-Louis Beaucarnot, genealogy is not just about collecting names and dates. It is a way of exploring identity, transmission and the family legacies that connect us to the generations before us. 

Today, digitised archives, databases, DNA and artificial intelligence open up new possibilities, without replacing one fundamental rule: technology suggests, but documents prove.

Telling the story of genealogy, today and tomorrow

In 2025, he published Dictionnaire amoureux de la généalogie with Plon, a personal work that brings together stories, methods, characters and discoveries around this passion. 

In it, he also describes the profound transformations of the discipline and questions its future, at a time when digital technology and artificial intelligence are changing the way we find and understand our ancestors.

« Our ancestors do not sleep in the past: they still live within us. »

— Jean-Louis Beaucarnot
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Conferences

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot turns genealogy into a human adventure. Because, deep down, talking about our ancestors is always talking a little about ourselves.

01

The Secrets of Our Family Names

A thousand years of history hidden in a few letters

Why are we called Martin, Lefèvre, Petit or Dupont?

Most of our surnames were born in the late Middle Ages, and they tell of trades, places, character traits, languages and forgotten stories. Jean-Louis Beaucarnot reveals what our names say about those who came before us.

  • Discovering where surnames come from
  • Understanding what they mean
  • Exploring forgotten trades, regions and dialects
  • Finding out why some names disappear
  • Making history a deeply personal subject
Ideal for General public, public libraries, local authorities, fairs, cultural institutions
Format Talk · 45 to 120 min
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02

Meet Your Ancestors

Genealogy as a gripping detective story

We all have hundreds, then thousands of ancestors. But how do we find them?

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot turns genealogical research into an adventure of archives, unexpected discoveries, family secrets and unlikely cousins.

  • Getting started with genealogy
  • Learning how to question the archives
  • Rediscovering forgotten branches
  • Understanding your family history
  • Bringing History’s anonymous figures back to life
Ideal for Public libraries, associations, fairs, family and heritage events
Format Talk or cultural activity · 45 to 120 min
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03

How Did Our Ancestors Live?

Bringing the past back to life

What did they eat? How did they work? How did they marry? What did they believe in?

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot takes his audience into the daily lives of past generations. A history of France told at human scale.

  • Discovering trades and ways of life
  • Understanding beliefs and traditions
  • Exploring food and family life
  • Connecting personal history with collective history
  • Rediscovering the roots of our culture
Ideal for Cultural events, local authorities, public libraries, universities of the third age
Format Talk · 45 to 120 min
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04

What Our Ancestors Pass On to Us

We inherit far more than a name.

Values, stories, silences, migrations, trades, traditions: every family passes on far more than material assets.

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot explores what travels across generations and shapes our identity.

  • Understanding family legacies
  • Connecting memory and identity
  • Giving family stories their place
  • Bringing generations into dialogue
  • Reflecting on what we will pass on in turn
Ideal for Transmission, heritage, family, intergenerational, local authorities
Format Talk or in-depth interview · 45 to 120 min
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05

DNA, Archives and Artificial Intelligence

Genealogy’s new revolution

For centuries, genealogy relied on registers and archives. Then came the Internet, databases, DNA and now artificial intelligence.

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot explains how technology is transforming our ability to trace our origins — and why it will never replace critical thinking.

  • Understanding what DNA can reveal
  • Discovering the new digital archives
  • Exploring the possible uses of AI
  • Identifying the limits of technology
  • Keeping documents at the heart of proof
Ideal for Cultural innovation, public libraries, genealogy, general public, digital technology
Format Talk or in-depth interview · 45 to 120 min
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06

Those Who Make the Headlines, as Told by Their Ancestors

A different way of looking at public figures

Presidents, ministers, artists, writers: their family histories often hold plenty of surprises.

Through surnames, migrations, social origins and family connections, Jean-Louis Beaucarnot offers an unexpected look at the people we think we know.

  • Discovering astonishing family histories
  • Connecting individual destinies with national history
  • Understanding social and geographical origins
  • Revisiting current affairs through genealogy
  • Blending history, humour and anecdotes
Ideal for Festivals, media, local authorities, cultural conferences, general public
Format Talk · 45 to 120 min
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For which events?

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot speaks at the key moments where people, performance and impact matter.

  • Seminars and conventions
  • Leadership committees and strategic talks
  • Product launches
  • CSR and climate events
  • Institutions, schools and universities

Possible formats

Formats adaptable to your goals and context.

  • Inspiring talk
  • Impactful keynote
  • Participative workshop
  • Panel
  • Webinar

Why choose them?

A unique experience serving strong, useful messages.

  • Field experience backing the message
  • Authentic and inspiring stories
  • Human, demanding and accessible approach
  • Tailored content aligned with your stakes
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Videos

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot tells the story of our origins through archives, surnames, wars, first names and family histories.

Looking for more content or a specific clip? Contact us
Tracing Your Ancestors Through the 1906 Census 03:59
Short format

Tracing Your Ancestors Through the 1906 Census

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot shows how digitised archives make it possible to trace ancestors who have vanished from family histories and to open up new leads.

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The Origin and History of Surnames 14:04
Interview

The Origin and History of Surnames

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot explains how our surnames emerged in the Middle Ages and how trades, territories and languages shaped them.

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How Wars Upend Family Destinies 06:53
Interview

How Wars Upend Family Destinies

An intimate reading of the two world wars through the bereavements, displacements, separations and reshaping of French families.

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What Our First Names Say About Our Identity 50:52
Interview

What Our First Names Say About Our Identity

Jean-Louis Beaucarnot traces the history of first names and shows how their fashions and the way they are handed down also tell the story of our society.

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Our Political Figures, as Told by Their Ancestors 23:34
Interview

Our Political Figures, as Told by Their Ancestors

Origins, family connections and family histories offer an unexpected look at the personalities in the public eye.

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Want to feature Jean-Louis Beaucarnot at your next event?

Our team helps you craft a tailored intervention, aligned with your goals and your audience.

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Publications

Dictionnaire amoureux de la généalogie

Plon, 2025

More than a manual, a personal journey through the world of genealogy. Jean-Louis Beaucarnot recounts his methods, his discoveries, the names, the archives, the migrations, the family secrets and the transformations of a passion he has helped popularise for decades.

Au bonheur des noms

JC Lattès, 2024

A deep dive into the history of our surnames. Origin, evolution, meaning: our names bear witness to forgotten trades, territories, languages and family journeys.

Les noms de famille et leurs secrets

A reference work for understanding the origin and meaning of French surnames.

Comment vivaient nos ancêtres ?

An accessible history of the ways of life, beliefs, trades, families and traditions that shaped French society.

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Workshops

Getting Started with Genealogy

Where to begin? Which documents to look for? Which mistakes to avoid?

Goal: to let participants leave with a practical method for tracing their ancestors.

What Does Your Name Tell Us?

Starting from the participants’ own surnames, Jean-Louis Beaucarnot explains their possible origins and the mechanisms that shaped family names.

Goal: to make genealogy immediately personal and vivid.

A New Way to Read Your Family History

Archives, photos, records, family stories: participants discover how to turn scattered documents into a genuine narrative.

Goal: to move from the family tree to the family story.

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