Doucette History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The story of the name Doucette is a long and distinguished tale beginning in the French Province of Gascogne. Doucette was a name for a person of sweet, pleasant, or mild disposition as it is derived from the French word "douce," which directly translates to "fresh." Some sources also believe that it could be derived from the French word "doux," which means "soft." 1

Early Origins of the Doucette family

The surname Doucette was first found in Gascony (French: Gascogne), an area of southwest France bordering Spain, that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Germain Doucet is recorded as the first ancestor with the name Doucet to arrive in Canada. He arrived at La Heve, Acadia in the year of 1632. In July 1640 his name is seen again as Captain of Pentagouet. Germain received war honours and awards and he returned to France in 1654. Germain had two children that remained in Acadia, one of which was Pierre, who is recorded as the ancestor of all the Canadian Doucet. 2

Early History of the Doucette family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Doucette research. Another 221 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1272, 1273, 1308, 1459, 1670, 1724, 1750, 1766 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Doucette History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doucette Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Doucette is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Doucet, Doucé, Dousset, Doussé, Doussée, Doussais, Doussay, Doulcet, Douchet, Doucete, Douget, Dougette and many more.

Early Notables of the Doucette family

More information is included under the topic Early Doucette Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doucette World Ranking

In the United States, the name Doucette is the 4,755^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Doucette is ranked the 506^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,630 people with that name. 4 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Doucette is the 751^st popular surname with an estimated 57 people with that name. 5

Doucette migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Doucette has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Doucette were

Doucette Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

M. Doucette, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895

Doucette Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Lizen Doucette, aged 36, who landed in America, in 1918
Mathew Doucette, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1919
Alfred Doucette, aged 25, who settled in America from Le Havre, France, in 1919
Dosite Doucette, aged 54, who immigrated to the United States from France, Bordeaux, in 1919
Russell Doucette, aged 4, who settled in America from Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Doucette (post 1700) +

James E. Doucette, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1996, 2000 6
John W. Doucette, American Brigadier General in the United States Air Force, recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters and many more distinctions
Bernard F. Doucette (d. 1974), American meteorologist, known for his insightful observations of the 1939 Pacific typhoon season
Allan E. Doucette (1872-1901), All-American football player
Paul John Doucette (b. 1972), American rhythm guitarist and former drummer for the band Matchbox Twenty
John Doucette (1921-1994), American film character actor, known for his many roles as Western bad guys, he appeared in 275 titles
Jeff Doucette (b. 1947), American television and film actor, known for his roles in Bedazzled (2000), Splash (1984), Babylon 5: The River of Souls (1998) and Doctor Dolittle (1998)
Jerry Victor Doucette (1952-2022), Canadian Juno Award winning guitarist and singer-songwriter, born in Montreal, but raised in Hamilton, Ontario, best known for his song "Mama Let Him Play"
Sarah Doucette, Canadian politician, Toronto City Councillor (2010-)
Chad Doucette (b. 1988), Canadian singer from East Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia

Citations +

Dauzat, Albert, Morlet, Marie-Thérèse, Dictionaire Étymologique des Noms et Prénoms de France. Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1987. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, September 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html