dit Briard
The use of dit with "an identifier" was a common practise at the time which helped identity a individual and distinguish them from other individuals in the community. "Dit" is French, meaning "known as" and Briard is French meaning "from the Region of Brie".
Quite often, but not always, the dit name referred to the geographic or political area. In the case of Pierre LeJeune dit Briard, he is from the LeJeune family who comes from Brie, a region in northern France.
Brie is a very fertile farming region located about an hour's drive east of Paris, France, near the Champagne Region. The city of Meaux is a major commercial center in the Region with a population of approximately 70,000.
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