Mirepoix derives its name, as many other elements of French cuisine do, from the patron of the chef who established it, in this case one of the house of Lévis, seigneurs of Mirepoix since the eleventh century and a famous name in Languedoc. The particular member of the house of Lévis whose chef is credited by the "Dictionnaire de l'Académie française" with giving a name to an old technique is Charles-Pierre-Gaston François de Lévis, duc de Lévis-Mirepoix (1699-1757), maréchal de France and ambassador of Louis XV. 