Racette History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Of all the French names to come from that northwestern peninsula of France known as Brittany, Racette is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Brittany. The surname Racette was a also common occupational name for a grower of root vegetables. Interestingly, the name Racette was originally from the Old French word "racin," meaning "root."

Early Origins of the Racette family

The surname Racette was first found in Brittany (French: Bretagne) where they held a family seat in the seigneurie of Galisson, where they were members of the ancient aristocracy of that region.

Étienne Racine, born in 1607, son of René and Marie (née Loysel), travelled from Normandy to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Marguerite Martin, daughter of Abraham and Marguerite (née Langlois), on 22nd May 1638. They remained together in Quebec until Marguerite's death at Château-Richer on 25th November 1679. Étienne passed away at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré on 24th April 1689. 1

Early History of the Racette family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Racette research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1639, 1692, 1699 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Racette History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Racette Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by 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 Racette is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Racine, Racinne, Racina, Racinna, Racineux, Racinet, Racinnet, Racineau, Racinneau, Racineu and many more.

Early Notables of the Racette family

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

Racette Ranking

In the United States, the name Racette is the 16,395^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Racette is ranked the 720^th most popular surname. 3

Migration of the Racette family

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and 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 Racette 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 Racette were Etienne Racine who arrived in Quebec in 1637 from Normandy; Charles and Peter Racine settled in New York State in 1775; George Racine settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1848.

Contemporary Notables of the name Racette (post 1700) +

Patricia Lynn Racette (b. 1965), American operatic soprano
Felix A. Racette, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 4th District, 1934, 1934, 1936, 1936, 1938, 1940 4
Francine Racette (b. 1947), French-Canadian actress

Citations +

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/
"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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html