Lafleur History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
France

The name Lafleur 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 Lafleur family

The surname Lafleur 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 Lafleur family

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

Lafleur Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Lafleur 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 Lafleur family

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

Lafleur World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lafleur is the 3,436^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Lafleur is ranked the 535^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,213 people with that name. 4 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lafleur is the 286^th popular surname. 5 France ranks Lafleur as 5,888^th with 1,000 - 1,500 people. 6

Lafleur migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Lafleur has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Lafleur were

Lafleur Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Babet Lafleur, aged 34, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 7
M. Lafleur, who settled in Philadelphia in 1796

Lafleur migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lafleur Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean Lafleur, aged 18, who arrived in Quebec in 1655
Francois Lafleur, who landed in Montreal in 1659
Robert Lafleur, who married Jeanne Tardé, daughter of Jean and Marguerite, in Batiscan, Quebec on 25th August 1681 8
Jean Lafleur, son of Pierre and Françoise, who married Jeanne Chebaudier, daughter of Jean and Marie, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 7th January 1687 8
Henry Lafleur, who arrived in Canada in 1695

Lafleur Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Lafleur, son of Pierre and Jeanne, who married Angélique-Françoise Lecompte, daughter of Pierre and Suzanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 26th November 1731 8
Jacques Lafleur, son of Antoine and Élisabeth, who married Marie-Josephte Hayot, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Catherine, in Champlain, Quebec on 27th July 1738 8
Dominique Lafleur, son of François and Élisabeth, who married Marie Talon, daughter of Étienne and Geneviève, in Quebec on 29th November 1749 8
Ambroise Lafleur, son of Ambroise and Marie-Josephte, who married Marie-Josephte-Angélique Roussel, daughter of Antoine and Angélique, in Lachine, Quebec on 11th April 1763 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Lafleur (post 1700) +

Greg LaFleur (b. 1958), former American NFL football tight end
William "Bill" Lafleur (b. 1976), former American NFL football punter
David Alan LaFleur (b. 1974), former American NFL football tight end
Art LaFleur (b. 1943), American actor
Vera LaFleur, American politician, Member of Michigan Socialist Labor State Central Committee, 1953 9
Nathaniel Joe LaFleur, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 134th District, 2002 9
J. Howard Lafleur, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Louisiana State House of Representatives, 1950 9
Gerald W. LaFleur, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 22nd District, 2002; Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 9
Claire J. LaFleur, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1952 9
Arthur E. LaFleur, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Michigan State Treasurer, 1936; Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1952 9
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"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/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html