Show ContentsFlorida Surname History

The name Florida has a long French heritage that first began in the northern region of Normandy. The name is derived from when the family lived in Normandy, in the village of De Flers.

Early Origins of the Florida family

The surname Florida was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family was established in early times.

One branch of the family established a seigniory in Fleurent, Champagne, for De Braux. The branch Lafleur established a seigniory in Brittany in 1696 for Montlouis. The family became more prominent through alliances with other important families. Antoinette de Pellevé de Flers, the heiress of the county of Flers upon the death of her brother, married Philippe-René, the lord of Villebadin, in 1717. Hyacinthe, the marquis of Lezeau in 1803, reclaimed the title of marquis of Flers, which was conserved by his descendants. 1

Jean Lafleur, born in 1663, son of Pierre and Françoise (née Claude), settled in Trois-Rivières, Quebec in the 17th century. He married Jeanne Chebaudier, daughter of Jean and Marie (née Mercier), on 7th January 1687. 2

Early History of the Florida family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Florida research. Another 40 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1598, 1794, 1872 and 1927 are included under the topic Early Florida History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Florida Spelling Variations

The many different spellings of French surnames can be partially explained by the use of local dialects and by the influence of other languages during the early development of the French language. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Florida is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Lafleur, Lafleure, Fleur, Fleure, Flers, Leflers, de Flers, de Fleur, de Fleure, Desfleurs, Fleureau, Fleureaux, Fleurant, Fleurand, Florida and many more.

Early Notables of the Florida family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Florida Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Florida family

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, 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 Florida 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 Florida were Jean Fleurant, who arrived in Quebec in 1656; M. La Fleur, who was living in Fort Louis de la Mobile in Louisiana, in the year 1711; M. La Fleur, a wagon maker, who was living in New Orleans in 1725.



  1. Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
  2. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print


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