Deschanel

The rare French surname Deschanel is probably for D'Eschanel, regional variant form of eschamel "stepladder", nickname of a trader. 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