Today In - 'Useless Info'

The origin of “nom de guerre”

'The assigning and adopting of noms de guerre was a long standing tradition in the French army; it certainly existed before 1651. In 1716 the practice became more formalised and the French army required all regular soldiers to have a nom de guerre. The names could be arrived at through the choice of the soldier, or perhaps the soldier’s company captain. Some of the naming practices adopted by particular companies enabled the men to be identifiable as members of their companies, much like a serial number: Practices such as assigning men the names of vegetables (the Company of Casaux of the Régiment de Boulonnois-infantrie, between 1764 to 1768) existed.

These names would be retained by the soldiers when they left service and would often be passed on to their wives and children. As a result, it is important to understand the old French practice of assigning noms de guerre when tracing French family histories.'