When Donald Bruce Martel was born on 16 October 1948, his father, Walter John Martel, was 31 and his mother, Eva Derksen, was 26. He died on 1 August 1994, at the age of 45, and was buried in Rhineland, Manitoba, Canada.
Some characteristic forenames: French Lucien, Andre, Armand, Normand, Marcel, Adrien, Aime, Benoit, Laurent, Yvan, Jacques, Michel.
French and English (Guernsey): nickname for a forceful person or perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a smith, from Old French martel ‘hammer’ (also recorded in late Middle English), from Late Latin martellus. The reference may be to the martel de fer, the iron hammer or mace of medieval warfare, as had been the case with Charles Martel, the grandfather of Charlemagne, who gained his byname from the force with which he struck down his enemies, the Saracens, in the battle of Tours (Poitiers) in 732.
English (Guernsey): from the Middle English and Old French personal name Martel, a pet form of Martin .
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