Favre History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Italy

Early Origins of the Favre family

The surname Favre was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Bury St. Edmunds who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Favre family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Favre research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1095, 1510, 1538 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Favre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Favre Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Faber, Fabri, Fabre, Favre and others.

Early Notables of the Favre family

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

Favre Ranking

In France, the name Favre is the 332^nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,079 people with that name. 2

Favre migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Favre or a variant listed above:

Favre Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francois Favre, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1764 3
Jean Favre, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1764 3
Simon Favre, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1764 3
William Favre, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1764 3
G J Favre, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1798 3

Favre Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jose Favre, aged 23, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1825 3
Louis Favre, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1849 3
Lewis Favre, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1859 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Favre (post 1700) +

Deanna Tynes Favre (b. 1968), American breast cancer activist and the wife of NFL quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre (b. 1969), nicknamed "The Gunslinger," American NFL football quarterback, probably best known for his time with the Green Bay Packers (1992-2007), Super Bowl Champion (XXXI)
William R. Favre Jr., American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, 1981 4
Peter C. Favre, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Monroe County, 1938 4
Corinne Favre (b. 1970), French professional ski instructor, competitive ski mountaineer and champion mountain runner, two-time gold medalist, three-time silver medalist and five-time bronze medalist
Philippe Favre (1961-2013), Swiss racing driver
Lucien Favre (b. 1957), Swiss former footballer, current head coach of Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach
Louis Favre (1826-1879), Swiss civil engineer builder of the Gotthard Rail Tunnel
Gilbert Favre (1936-1998), Bolivian flautist
Jules Claude Gabriel Favre (1809-1880), French lawyer and politician

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html