Contents [hide]

Gervais History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Gervais History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The ancestors of the Gervais family arrived in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Gervais came from the Norman personal name Gervase. The surname Gervais indicates that the bearer is a descendant of someone named Gervase. 1

Gervase of Canterbury (Gervasius Dorobornensis) (fl. 1188), was an English "chronicler, was born, apparently of a Kentish family, about 1141. As he had a brother Thomas in his monastery, who is conjectured to be identical with one Thomas of Maidstone, we have a possible clue to his birthplace; but the information is too imperfect to warrant more than an hypothesis. Gervase became a monk of Christ Church, Canterbury, on the first Saturday in Lent, 16 Feb. 1163." 2

Gervase of Chichester (fl. 1170), was an English commentator, one of the band of learned young men who gathered round Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury and Gervase of Tilbury (fl. 1211), was author of the ‘Otia Imperialia,’ was no doubt a native of Tilbury in Essex, though he appears to have been brought up in Rome, and to have spent some years of his early life in Italy. 2

Early Origins of the Gervais family

The surname Gervais was first found in Cornwall. The Gervais surname also spelled Jarvis, Gervays and Gervis, was first found in Mobonnaiss and Vallee, in Brettagne, the ancient name for Brittany, and arrived in England with William, Duke of Normandy, in 1066. 3

The first records of the family were listed in their Latin form, as in John filius Gervacii, Cambridgeshire; William filius Gervasii, Huntingdonshire; and Stephen Gervcis, Cambridgeshire. All were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 4

Early History of the Gervais family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gervais research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1262, 1268, 1273, 1379, 1393, 1397, 1410, 1587, 1616, 1621, 1625, 1628, 1629, 1640, 1653, 1654, 1666, 1667, 1675, 1693, 1739, 1799 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Gervais History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gervais Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Gervais are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Gervais include Gervais, Gervays, Gervis, Jarvis, Jervis and others.

Early Notables of the Gervais family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Gervais, (died 1268), an early English clergyman, Bishop of Carlisle in 1262 and Bishop of Winchester (1262-1268)

Gervais World Ranking

In the United States, the name Gervais is the 6,036^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Gervais is ranked the 248^th most popular surname with an estimated 16,388 people with that name. 6 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Gervais is the 146^th popular surname. 7 France ranks Gervais as 336^th with 11,930 people. 8

Migration of the Gervais family to Ireland

Some of the Gervais family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 229 words (16 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gervais migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Gervais, or a variant listed above:

Gervais Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Gervais who settled in Maryland in 1634

Gervais Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pierre Gervais, who settled in Louisiana in 1756
Charles Nicholas D. Gervais, who settled in Philadelphia in 1799

Gervais Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Gervais, who settled in Philadelphia in 1860
Edmond Gervais, aged 32, who settled in America from Paris, in 1899

Gervais Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Armand Gervais, aged 22, who landed in America from Paris, in 1905
Eleonore Gervais, aged 4, who landed in America from S. Paul, France, in 1908
Agnes Gervais, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from France, in 1908
Georges Gervais, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Bordeaux, France, in 1918
Gaspard Gervais, aged 47, who settled in America from Paris, France, in 1919
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gervais migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gervais Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jehan Gervais, who landed in Montreal in 1653
Pierre Gervais, son of Pierre and Marie, who married Marie-Anne Blain, daughter of Etienne and Gatienne, in Quebec on 19th October 1665 9
René Gervais, son of Martin and Perrette, who married Marie Jousselot, daughter of Pierre and Ozanne, in Quebec on 10th November 1669 9
Marin Gervais, son of Julien and Nicole, who married Françoise Monvoisin, daughter of Jean and Catherine, in Sainte-Famille, Quebec on 16th October 1672 9
Mathieu Gervais, son of Pierre and Catherine, who married Michelle Picard, daughter of Hugues and Antoinette, in Montreal, Quebec on 31st August 1676 9

Gervais Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jean-Baptiste Gervais, son of Charles and Jacquette, who married Marie-Jeanne Tessier, daughte rof Mathurin and Élisabeth, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec on 9th January 1700 9
Jacques Gervais, son of René and Marie, who married Madeleine Dasylva, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne, in Quebec on 15th November 1700 9
Jean-Mathieu Gervais, son of Mathieu and Michelle, who married Jeanne-Françoise Ronseray, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 11th June 1708 9
Mathieu Gervais, son of Mathieu and Michelle, who married Marie-Josephte Robidou, daughter of Joseph and Jeanne, in La Prairie, Quebec on 30th October 1719 9
Pierre Gervais, son of Mathieu and Michelle, who married Catherine Plante, daughter of Claude and Marie, in La Prairie, Quebec on 30th October 1719 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gervais Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

J. Horace Gervais, aged 34, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1912

Contemporary Notables of the name Gervais (post 1700) +

Ricky Dene Gervais (b. 1961), British seven-time BAFTA, two-time Emmy Award and three-time Golden Globe winning, comedian, actor, director and producer
Paul Gervais (b. 1946), American novelist and garden-designer, his novel, Extraordinary People, was nominated for the PEN/ Faulkner Award for Fiction in 1992
John Lewis Gervais (1741-1798), German-born, American planter and statesman from South Carolina who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1782 and 1783
Paul Gervais, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for California, 1972 10
Edward H. Gervais, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 1944 10
Marcel André Joseph Gervais (1931-2023), Canadian Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of London from 1980 to 1985, Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario from 1985 to 1989, and Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall from 1989 to 2007
Michel Gervais OC OQ (1944-2022), Canadian academic, 22nd Rector of Université Laval from 1987 to 1997
Gaétan Gervais (1944-2018), Canadian author, historian and professor from Sudbury, Ontario
Jacques Gervais, Baron Subervie, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 11
Paul Mullins Gervais (b. 1925), Canadian politician, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke (1968-1972)
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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 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
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) Jacques Gervais. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html