Huguenot

American  

[hyoo-guh-not, yoo-] / ˈhyu gəˌnɒt, ˈyu- /

noun

1. a member of the Reformed or Calvinistic communion of France in the 16th and 17th centuries; a French Protestant.

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Huguenot British  

/ -ˌnɒt, ˈhjuːɡəˌnəʊ /

noun

1. a French Calvinist, esp of the 16th or 17th centuries

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adjective

1. designating the French Protestant Church

Other Word Forms

• Huguenotic adjective
• Huguenotism noun

Etymology

Origin of Huguenot

1555–65; < French, perhaps blend of Hugues (name of a political leader in Geneva) and eidgenot, back formation from eidgenots, Swiss variant of German Eidgenoss confederate, literally, oath comrade

Example Sentences

The museum, located in the historic home of a 17th-century Huguenot leader, doesn’t have on-site security.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

Built in 1743, it started life as a French Protestant church serving the Huguenot population, but was shut in 1809 due to a drastic decline in attendance.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2025

Pickup was at 7, sometimes earlier, and then came the slog of traffic back over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to their home, a modest townhouse in the Huguenot neighborhood that Susan had purchased in 2004.

From New York Times • May 13, 2023

Charles Julius Guiteau was born on Sept. 8, 1841 in Freeport, Illinois to a family of French Huguenot ancestry.

From Salon • Sep. 11, 2022

Of his own troop, not more than thirty men were found capable of action at the end of that day, and, at least, one third of the whole Huguenot force was unfit for service.

From The Huguenot: (Volumes I-III) A Tale of the French Protestants. by James, G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford)