Show ContentsPelkie Surname History

The French family name Pelkie dates back to the Middle Ages. It was a Norman name given to a furrier. Looking back even further, we found the name was originally derived from the Old French word "pellet", meaning "animal skin", and was used to indicate a person in the trade of removing and selling the skins of animals.

Early Origins of the Pelkie family

The surname Pelkie was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where they held a family seat in the honors of Martinville, Molande, Ravinieres and Houssaye.

After the revolution this aristocratic family were made Barons of the Empire in the early 19th century. They also appeared in l'île-de-France, and Lyonnais and Toulouse to the south of France. Notable was Pierre Pelletier, French chemist, 1788-1842, who discovered, together with Caventou, the sulphate of quinine, and Jean Charles Paltier, French Physician 1785-1845.

Guillaume Pelletier, born in 1598 in Orne, France, came to Canada with his wife, Michelle (née Mabille). They married in France on 12th February 1619 and had two sons before travelling to the New World together. Guillaume worked in Quebec as a carpenter and had six more children with Michelle. Jean, their oldest son, was born on 12th June 1627. He married Anne Langlois in Quebec on 15th November 1649. Jean died in Rivière-Ouelle and was buried there on 25th February 1698. 1

Early History of the Pelkie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pelkie research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pelkie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pelkie Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Pelkie, including Peletier, Pelletier, Pelletiers, Pelletiere, Pelletierre, le Pelletiere, Peltier, Peltiers, Peltiere, Peltierre, Le Peltier, Pellettier, Pellettiere, Peltear, Pelteare and many more.

Early Notables of the Pelkie family

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

Migration of the Pelkie family

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. 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. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 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 Pelkie 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 Pelkie were François (1684), René (1679), Mathurin (1756) Pelletier all arrived in Quebec from Aunis on the west coast of France; Georges Pelletier arrived in Quebec in 1652 from Normandie.



  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print


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