Jean Merrien, for civil status René de La Poix de Fréminville, born June 3, 1905 in Chesnay (current Yvelines) and died June 7, 1972 in Friborg in Switzerland, is a French navigator and writer specializing in maritime history. He is also a convinced Breton nationalist activist, active in particular during the Occupation.
His pseudonym recalls his lifelong attachment to the sea. The name "Merrien" was chosen out of attachment to a small port located in the town of Moëlan-sur-Mer. Popular novels by him, notably detective novels, have also appeared under the signatures of Christophe Paulin or René Madec.