Sartres

Sartres is a French surname. In English-language writing, Sartres may refer to multiple people bearing the surname Sartre or to a family or lineage associated with that name.

The surname Sartre originates from Old French sart, meaning a cleared plot of land; as a habitational or topographic name, it likely referred to someone from a cleared place, often in marginal or marshy regions. The root is found in various place-name elements in northern France and neighboring regions, and the surname likely arose from such geographic associations.

Today, the name is found mainly in France and in Francophone communities abroad, including parts of Belgium, Canada, and former French colonies, reflecting patterns of migration and settlement.

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) is the most prominent bearer of the name. A philosopher, novelist, and playwright, he helped shape existentialism and phenomenology and remains a central figure in 20th-century European thought. He declined the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964, a decision frequently noted in discussions of his career.

See also: Sartre (surname)