French colonization of the Americas From 1851 to 1951 it was the site of a notorious penal colony, Devil's Island ("Île du Diable"). Since 1946, French Guiana has been an overseas department of France. French colonization of the Americas The French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued on into the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. France founded colonies in much of eastern North America, on a number of Caribbean islands, and in South America. Most colonies were developed to export products such as fish, rice sugar, and furs. As they colonized the New
Spencer (given name) late 2000s, but has been rising exponentially since 2009. 244 baby girls were named Spencer in 2016. Spencer (given name) Spencer is a given name of British origin, meaning "steward" or "administrator". It is a shortened form of the English word "dispenser", which derives from Anglo-French "dispensour", from Old French "dispenseor", from Latin "dispensatorem", the agent noun of "dispensare", meaning "to disperse, administer, and distribute (by weight)". The name originated as the surname Spencer, but later gradually came to be used as a given name as well. From its origin as a surname, it has been given to both males