Many people confuse the terms Cajun and Creole. Below is an explanation of the two terms.

Cajuns, or Acadians, are descend from Acadia (Fr. l'Acadie), the area of present-day Nova Scotia. When the British took control of Nova Scotia, they deported the native, French-speaking, Catholic residents. Many of these people settled in south Louisiana and to a lesser degree in Maryland. Some popular Cajun names are Dugas, LeBlanc, Arceneaux, Melancon, Guidry, Daigle, Braud, Hebert, Broussard, Boudreaux, Gauthreaux, Thibodeaux, Fontenot.

Creoles are those people descended from "natives" or "creoles" of the Louisiana Territory. Territorial Louisiana, refers to before 1803, when Louisiana was transferred to the United States. Creoles had been in Louisiana during its time as part of New France, while under Spanish control, and briefly French again right before the Louisiana Purchase. Creoles can be of African ancestry, European ancestry, Indian ancestry, or a combination thereof. Through intermarriage, many Creoles have Cajun surnames. Some popular Creole surnames are Rousseve, Dusuau, Duplantier, Trevigne, Ladmirault, Meilleur, Delahoussaye, Demazilliere, Desdunes, Coulon, Pijeaud, Rillieux, St. Cyr, Perrault, Baham, Heisser, Roux, Labat.