Girardeau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The prominent surname Girardeau originated in France, a country which has been a dominant presence in world affairs for centuries. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in France were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. As well as the names of the saints of the Christian Church, many of the most common French surnames are derived from personal names of Germanic origin. The name Girardeau is derived from the Germanic personal name Gerhard, which means "brave spear".

Early Origins of the Girardeau family

The surname Girardeau was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France where this celebrated family held a family seat from ancient times.

The first member of this ancient family is recorded in the ancient archives as Guillaume Girard of la Magdelaine who was the Magistrate for the county of Charollais in 1325. The Girards were well established in the region of Bourgogne where members of this noble family were prominent citizens in the political arenas of the times. By 1370, members of the family held the title of Lord of Charollais, such as Etienne Girard of Perrecy.

As many members of this family held important positions in political and military fields, they were deeply affected by the French Revolution. Some important members at this time were: Jean François Girard, a Deputy for the Clergy at the Estates General in 1789; François Joseph Henri Girard, Secretary General at the Prefecture and a Legislator; Jean-Baptiste Girard, Count, Commander and Officer of the Legion of Honour, promoted to General of the Brigade in November, 1806, and who received the Cross of Saint-Louis from the Emperor; and Jean-Pierre Girard, who became General of the Brigade after being Chief of the 3rd Batallion, and was later made a member of the Legion of Honour and a Baron of the Empire. 1

Early History of the Girardeau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Girardeau research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1518, 1528, 1595, 1632, 1641, 1648 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Girardeau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Girardeau Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gerrard, Girard, Girarde, Girardeau, Girardin, Girart, Girars, Girardes, Jirard, Jirarde, Jirart, Jirars, Guérard, Guirard, Guirarde, Guirart, Guirars and many more.

Early Notables of the Girardeau family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Girardeau Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Girardeau Ranking

In France, the name Girardeau is the 2,048^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,064 people with that name. 2

Girardeau migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Girardeau Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Louis Girardeau, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 3

Girardeau migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Girardeau Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Noel Girardeau, who landed in Canada in 1641
Mr. Nicolas Girardeau, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 15th April 1641 4
Pierre Girardeau, son of Louis and Suzanne, who married Françoise Achin, daughter of André and Françoise, in Montreal, Quebec on 1st December 1687 5
David Girardeau, son of David and Marie, who married Catherine-Romaine Dechambe, daughter of Jean and Catherine, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 6th February 1690 5

Girardeau Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

David Girardeau, son of David and Marie, who married Isabelle Marcot, daughter of Nicolas and Martine, in Deschambault-Grondines, Quebec on 25th April 1713 5
Laurent Girardeau, who landed in Canada in 1738
Laurent Girardeau, son of Claude and Jeanne, who married Anne Tertochot, daughter of Louis and Anne, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 9th November 1738 5
Jean-Baptiste Girardeau, son of Pierre and Marie-Cécile, who married Marie-Charlotte Gautier, daughter of Guillaume and Marguerite, in La Visitation-de-l'île-Dupas, Quebec on 3rd August 1750 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Girardeau (post 1700) +

Arnett Elysus Girardeau Sr. (1929-2017), American dentist and politician, Member of the Florida House of Representatives (1976-1982)

Citations +

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.
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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.