Show ContentsDupont History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The French name Dupont first arose during the Medieval period in the Languedoc region. It is derived from when the family first lived in Languedoc. The name Dupont is derived from the Old French word "pont", which means "bridge". "Du pont" directly translates to English as "from the bridge", indicating that the original bearer lived near a prominent bridge. 1

Early Origins of the Dupont family

The surname Dupont was first found in Languedoc where the family held a family seat in ancient times.

This ancient family is recorded in the old archives as early as the 12th century. N. Dupont, born in 1490, is recorded as the father of Thomas and Robert Dupont. Their descendants held the positions of Royal Notary to the Marquisate and Magistrate of Fiennes for a century. Nicolas Dupont was the King's steward and in 1640 he received his letters patent confirming his nobility.

Members of this noble family took part in the wars of their times where they fought courageously for their King and country. As a reward for their services, many members were titled Knights of Malta and Captains. This family were actively involved in the events of the French Revolution and the resultant political and cultural changes.

Gilles Dupont, born in 1636, son of Guillaume and Marguerite (née Feraut), travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. He settled at Cap-de-la-Madeleine and married Françoise Michelotte, born in 1655, daughter of Michel and Marguerite (née Maistre), on 10th August 1670. 2

Early History of the Dupont family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dupont research. Another 266 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1791, 1808, 1810, 1812, 1830 and 1831 are included under the topic Early Dupont History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dupont Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Dupont, some of which include Dupont, du Pont, Duppont, Duppon, Dupon, Dupons, Duppons, Duppond, Dupond, DuPon, DuPont, Dupen, Du Pen, du Pen, du Pons, du Pond and many more.

Early Notables of the Dupont family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • Pierre Dupont, Captain and Count of the Empire

Dupont World Ranking

In the United States, the name Dupont is the 3,211st most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Dupont is ranked the 448th most popular surname with an estimated 10,606 people with that name. 4 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Dupont is the 187th popular surname. 5 France ranks Dupont as 26th with 53,405 people. 6


United States Dupont migration to the United States +

Immigration to New France was slow; therefore, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Dupont has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Dupont were

Dupont Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jean Claude Dupont, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1764 7
  • Georg Dupont, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1768 7
  • George Dupont, who settled in Philadelphia in 1768
  • George DuPont, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1768 7
Dupont Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Pierre Samuel DuPont, who arrived in Newport, Rhode Island in 1800 7
  • Joseph Dupont, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1804 7
  • Luis Dupont, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 7
  • Bernardo Dupont, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 7
  • Edmund Dupont, aged 20, settled in New Orleans in 1820
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Dupont migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dupont Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • François Dupont, son of Nicolas and Nicole, who married Suzanne Jarou in Château-Richer, Quebec on 7th June 1663 8
  • Gilles Dupont, son of Guillaume and Marguerite, who married Françoise Michelle, daughter of Brefitte and Marguerite, in Quebec on 10th August 1670 8
  • François Dupont, son of François and Suzanne, who married Marguerite Rousseau, daughter of Symphorien and Marguerite, in Sainte-Famille, Quebec on 21st July 1688 8
  • Guillaume Dupont, son of Guillaume and Marie, who married Suzanne Métayer, daughter of François and Françoise, in Quebec on 30th June 1693 8
  • Guillaume Dupont, son of Guillaume and Anne, who married Marie-Madeleine Michel, daughter of Olivier and Madeleine, in Quebec on 12th January 1693 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Dupont Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Francois Dupont, who arrived in Canada in 1700
  • Louis Dupont, son of François and Suzanne, who married Jeanne Paradis, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne-Françoise, in Saint-Pierre-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Quebec on 21st November 1701 8
  • Guillaume Dupont, son of Guillaume and Anne, who married Anne Trotain, daughter of François and Jeanne, in Batiscan, Quebec on 8th September 1704 8
  • Michel Dupont, son of Hughes and Marie, who married Anne De Goutin, daughter of Mathieu and Jeanne, in Annapolis, Nova Scotia on 26th February 1710 8
  • Nicolas Dupont, son of Guillaume and Suzanne, married Marie-Angélique, daughter of Jacques and Geneviève-Louise, in Beauport, Quebec on 5th November 1720 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dupont (post 1700) +

  • Pierre Samuel "Pete" du Pont IV (1935-2021), American businessman, lawyer and politician, 68th Governor of Delaware (1977-1985)
  • William Dupont, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1920 9
  • Theodore A. Dupont Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Dayton, Kentucky, 1962-65; Resigned 1965 9
  • Michael DuPont, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 2004 9
  • Julius Dupont, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1936 9
  • Iris Dupont, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1936 9
  • Germain P. Dupont (1915-1963), American Democratic Party politician, Hillsborough County Commissioner, 1959-63 ; Candidate in primary for Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire, 1963 9
  • Edward Dupont, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1988 9
  • Charles H. DuPont, American politician, Justice of Florida State Supreme Court, 1854-68 9
  • C. Ory Dupont, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1948 9
  • ... (Another 27 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Flight TWA 800
  • Mr. Guy Dupont (d. 1996), from France, French journalist flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash 10


  1. Dauzat, Albert, Morlet, Marie-Thérèse, Dictionaire Étymologique des Noms et Prénoms de France. Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1987. Print.
  2. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  5. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  6. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  7. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  8. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm


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