French Surnames of Anjou and Perche: The Provinces That Built New France

Your French-Canadian family name may trace back to two provinces you have never heard of. Anjou and Perche sit quietly in western France. But they sent more settlers to New France than almost anywhere else in the country.

Between 1608 and 1680, thousands of ordinary French men and women crossed the Atlantic. They built Quebec City, Montreal, and the villages of the St. Lawrence Valley. A huge share of them came from Anjou and Perche.

If your family name ends in -eau, -ier, or -ard, this article may explain exactly where you come from.

The Historic Provinces of Anjou and Perche

Anjou was a powerful medieval county. It sat along the Loire River, with its capital at Angers. For centuries, Anjou was one of the great power centres of France.

The Plantagenet kings of England came from Anjou. Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, and King John all had Angevin blood. The region’s noble families shaped European history for four hundred years.

Perche was smaller and less famous. It lay north of Anjou, in what is now the Orne and Eure-et-Loir departments. Its rolling hills and forests made it farming country. But its people had ambition. Hundreds of Percheron families chose to cross the ocean and start again.

Today, Anjou is part of the Maine-et-Loire department. Its landscapes are gentle. The Loire flows wide and slow past white stone towns and vineyards. It looks exactly like a place your ancestors might have left behind with a heavy heart.

Why Anjou and Perche Sent So Many Settlers to New France

France founded Quebec City in 1608. The early colony struggled. Disease, cold, and conflict kept settlers away for decades.

That changed in 1627. Cardinal Richelieu created the Compagnie des Cent-Associés. This company was given a monopoly on the fur trade. In return, it had to bring four thousand settlers to New France within fifteen years.

The company hired recruiters. These men travelled to Anjou, Perche, Poitou, and Normandy. They targeted young men and women who had little to lose. They offered land, food, and a fresh start.

Perche had a particular story. A man named Robert Giffard was born there. He became a surgeon and a colonist. He returned to Perche again and again, recruiting families from his own region. By the 1640s, entire Percheron villages had sent sons and daughters to Canada.

Historians call this group the “Percherons.” They form one of the best-documented settler groups in Quebec’s history. Many Quebec families can trace a direct line back to a Percheron ancestor.

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French Surnames of Anjou: Origins and Meanings

The surnames of Anjou reflect centuries of history. Many come from Latin, through Old French. Others come from the Germanic languages of the Franks and Normans.

Martin — From the Latin name Martinus. This derives from Mars, the god of war. Martin became the most common surname in France. In Quebec, the Martins arrived early and spread widely.

Gautier — From the Germanic name Walthari. Walt means “rule” and hari means “army.” The name came to France with the Franks. It produced the modern French name Gauthier and the English Walter.

Girard — Another Germanic name. Ger means “spear” and hard means “brave” or “strong.” The Girards were a large family group in Anjou. Many reached Quebec in the 1650s and 1660s.

Marchand — This is an occupational name. It means “merchant” or “trader.” Many Marchands were cloth traders or small-goods dealers in the Loire Valley towns.

Lefebvre — From the Latin faber, meaning “craftsman.” In France, this usually meant a blacksmith. The name appears in dozens of spelling variants: Lefèvre, Febvre, Fabre. In Quebec, it became one of the most common family names.

Thibault — A Germanic name meaning “people-bold.” Theud means “people” and bald means “bold” or “brave.” This name was popular among the Angevin nobility. It spread through all classes over time.

Bonneau — A pleasant-sounding name from Old French. It combines bon (good) with eau (water), suggesting a clean or pleasant stream nearby. Bonneau families were widespread in Anjou.

Chevalier — This occupational name means “knight” or “horseman.” Many who carried it were not actual knights. They may have worked in noble households or stables. In Quebec, the Chevaliers became a large and well-known family.

Morin — From the Latin Maurus, meaning “dark” or “swarthy.” The Moors of North Africa gave this name its original meaning. Over centuries, it became a common French surname with no ethnic meaning attached.

Bérard — Another Germanic name: ber means “bear” and hard means “brave.” Bear imagery was powerful in early medieval Europe. The bear-brave combination was a high compliment for any family.

French Surnames of Perche: Origins and Meanings

Perche produced its own set of surnames. Many have a rougher, more rural character than the noble-sounding Angevin names.

Gervais — From the saint’s name Gervase. Saint Gervase was an early Christian martyr. His cult was strong in western France. Many Percheron boys were baptised in his name.

Ménard — From the Germanic magan (strength) and hard (brave). This name means “strength-brave” or “powerful warrior.” The Ménards were a large Percheron settler family. They spread throughout Quebec after 1640.

Lemaire — An occupational name meaning “the mayor” or “the leader.” This was the title given to the head of a village council. A Lemaire ancestor may have been a local official or the son of one.

Rousseau — A descriptive name from roux, meaning “red” or “reddish-brown.” This referred to a person’s hair or skin tone. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the philosopher, carried this Percheron name to fame centuries later.

Desrochers — A topographic name meaning “of the rocks.” It described someone who lived near a rocky area. In Canada, the landscape was very rocky. This name found a second home in Quebec.

Pothier — An occupational name for a potter. From the Old French pot. The Pothiers made clay pots, jugs, and dishes. They were essential craftspeople in every French town.

Perron — A topographic name meaning “large stone” or “stepping stone.” It described a boundary stone or a large rock near a house. Perron is still a common name in both France and Quebec.

Gravel — From Old French, this name described gravelly or stony ground. It was a topographic name for a family that lived near a gravel pit or a stony field. In Quebec, the Gravels became a well-known settler family.

How These Surnames Changed in Quebec

French names changed when they crossed the Atlantic. Spelling was not fixed in the seventeenth century. A priest in Quebec might write the same name three different ways in the same register.

Lefebvre became Lefèvre, then Fèvre, then sometimes Fever in English records. Gautier became Gauthier, then Gauthier-dit-Lamontagne, with a dit name added. Bonneau became Bonneau, Bonno, or Bonno-dit-Lacroix.

The dit name was a Quebec invention. When two families with the same surname lived in the same parish, each took a different nickname. These nicknames became part of the family’s identity. Many Quebec families still use their dit name today.

This means your Quebec ancestor’s name may look very different from the original Anjou or Perche spelling. When searching French archives, try several spelling variants of your family name. See our guide to tracing your French ancestry for full details on searching across spelling variants.

Where to Trace Your Anjou or Perche Ancestry

The best starting point for Anjou is the Archives Départementales de Maine-et-Loire in Angers. This archive holds parish records from before 1792 and état civil records after that date. Many are available online at free of charge.

For Perche, the records are split across two modern departments. The Archives de l’Orne cover the northern part of historic Perche. The Archives d’Eure-et-Loir cover the southern part.

The PRDH (Programme de Recherche en Démographie Historique) at the University of Montreal has built a vast database of early Quebec church records. If your ancestor arrived before 1760, the PRDH may have them indexed.

FamilySearch has free collections for both Anjou and Perche. Their French parish records go back to the 1500s in many regions. Search by surname variant, not just exact spelling. You may also find useful resources in our article on French-Canadian surnames.

The Société généalogique canadienne-française in Montreal is another key resource. They hold microfilmed records and published research on Percheron and Angevin settlers specifically.

Heritage Travel: Visiting Your Ancestral Provinces

Anjou is one of France’s most rewarding regions to visit. The city of Angers has a massive medieval fortress. The Château d’Angers dates from the thirteenth century. It is one of the finest medieval castles in France.

The Loire Valley runs through the heart of old Anjou. You can follow the river past dozens of historic towns. Saumur, Chinon, and Cholet all sit within the historic borders of Anjou. Read our article on French surnames of Normandy if your roots also extend into that neighbouring region.

Perche is quieter and less visited. The town of Mortagne-au-Perche is the best base. It has a strong link to Quebec through the Percheron settlers. There is a small museum there dedicated to the emigrant families.

The forests of Perche are peaceful. Small roads wind through hamlets that look much as they did in the 1630s. If you walk through the right village, you may find a church where your ancestor was baptised.

For the full story of one of France’s most dramatic diaspora groups, read our article on the Acadians: expelled from Nova Scotia, forever French.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common French surnames from Anjou?

The most common Anjou surnames include Martin, Lefebvre, Gautier, Girard, and Marchand. Many of these spread to Quebec in the seventeenth century. They remain among the most common family names in French Canada today.

What French provinces sent the most settlers to Quebec?

The main source regions for Quebec’s settlers were Normandy, Anjou, Poitou, Perche, and Île-de-France. Perche sent a high number of settlers relative to its small size. Historians estimate that about a third of all early Quebec settlers came from just three provinces.

How can I find out if my Quebec family name came from Anjou or Perche?

Start with the PRDH database at the University of Montreal. This tool links Quebec birth, marriage, and death records to identify immigrant ancestors. Once you find your immigrant ancestor’s name, the Archives Départementales of the relevant French region will hold earlier records.

What is a dit name in Quebec genealogy?

A dit name is a secondary surname added to a Quebec family name. When two families with the same name lived in the same parish, each took a different nickname to avoid confusion. These nicknames became part of the family’s identity. For example, Bonneau-dit-Lacroix means the Bonneau family known as “the Cross.”

Is the Perche region easy to visit from Paris?

Yes. Mortagne-au-Perche, the main town of historic Perche, is about 160 kilometres from Paris. You can drive there in under two hours. The region is often combined with a trip to Normandy, which lies to the north.

You Might Also Enjoy

• How to Trace Your French Ancestry – A Step-by-Step Guide for Canadians and Americans
• French Surnames of Normandy: Origins, Meanings and Family Heritage
• The Acadians: Expelled from Nova Scotia, Forever French

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