Vigne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Belgium
France

The history of the Vigne family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northwestern France, to the regions known as Brittany and Normandy. The name Lavigne is derived from the Old French word "vigne," meaning "vine," and as such it is likely that the first bearers of this name owned or worked on a vineyard. 1

Early Origins of the Vigne family

The surname Vigne was first found in Brittany where they held a family seat in the seigneury of Haute Morays.

They later branched to Houle in that same province. They were closely allied to this latter House of Houlle de Kermassonet. Branching to the region of Tournai they intermarried with the family of Hennebert. Branches were later found in Maine, Le Mans, Bourbonnais, Guyenne, and Artois. In the south of France they held a family seat in the region of Languedoc at Puylaroque.

Joseph Lavigne, son of Pierre and Jeanne (née Gazaille), settled in Contrecoeur, Quebec and married Marie-Anne Gareau on 12th November 1727. 2

Early History of the Vigne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vigne research. More information is included under the topic Early Vigne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vigne 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 Vigne is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Lavigne, Levine, Levin, Levigne, Levigny, Laveine, Lavignes, Lavene, Des Vignes, deVigne, Devignes, Devigne, De lavigne and many more.

Early Notables of the Vigne family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

the Lavigne family of Hautemorays

Vigne Ranking

In France, the name Vigne is the 1,360^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,192 people with that name. 3

Vigne migration to the United States +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, 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. By the same year 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 Vigne 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 Vigne were

Vigne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Adam Vigne, who arrived in Virginia in 1714
Anthony Vigne, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1792

Vigne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jules Vigne, who arrived in New Orleans in 1827
Charles Vigne, who settled in New Orleans in 1827

Contemporary Notables of the name Vigne (post 1700) +

Godfrey Thomas Vigne (1801-1863), English traveller, eldest son of Thomas Vigne of Walthamstow, Essex

Citations +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/