Constant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The French family name Constant is a patronymic name, derived from the Christian name of the bearer's father. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin name "Constans," which meant "steadfast" or "faithful." As a surname it seems to have developed independently in various regions of France including, Languedoc, Brittany, Anjou, Touraine, and Poitou.

Early Origins of the Constant family

The surname Constant was first found in Languedoc, where the earliest known bearers of this name are thought to have originated. However, the Constant name was found in several regions from quite early times, with several different, perhaps even unrelated families taking on the surname. There was a noble family of feudal lords bearing the name in Poitou in the thirteenth century, and later, in the fifteenth century, there was another prominent family of that name among the nobility who held large fiefs in Brittany.

Walter Coutances (de Constantiis), (d. 1207), was "Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of Rouen, and is said to have been of English birth, the son of Rainfred and Gonilla; John de Schalby, in his compilation from the Lincoln records, states that he was a native of Cornwall. He may have been called of Coutances as he was sprung from the house of Corineus, the fabulous Trojan immigrant into Cornwall. He was clerk to Henry II and his eldest son, and is styled chaplain of Blythe. " 1

Early History of the Constant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Constant research. Another 214 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1770, 1800 and 1902 are included under the topic Early Constant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Constant Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Constant some of which are Constans, Constan, Constant, Constanc, Constance, Consten, Constens, Constense, Constence, Constanse, Constane, Constene, Constante, Contans, Contan, Contant, Contance, Conten, Contens, Contense, Contence, Contanse, Contane, Contene and many more.

Early Notables of the Constant family

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

Constant Ranking

In the United States, the name Constant is the 6,501^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Constant is ranked the 579^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,108 people with that name. 3

Constant migration to the United States +

In the 1700s, land incentives were finally given out by France to 2,000 migrants. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. 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 the treaty of Utrecht, Acadia were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Constant were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Constant were

Constant Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliza Constant, who landed in Virginia in 1712 4

Constant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Victor Constant, aged 45, who landed in Key West, Fla in 1838 4
Mr. Louis Constant, aged 40, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1848 aboard the ship "Colonist"
Mrs. Charlotte Constant, aged 38, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1848 aboard the ship "Colonist"
Miss Mariam Constant, aged 10, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1848 aboard the ship "Colonist"
Miss Elize Constant, aged 8, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1848 aboard the ship "Colonist"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Constant migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Constant Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Constant, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th July 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Constant (post 1700) +

Yvonne Constant (1930-2023), French actress, singer and ballet dancer
Jean Joseph Benjamin Constant (1845-1902), French painter
Clinton Constant, Chemical Engineer and Writer in Atlanta, U.S.A
Benoît Constant Coquelin (1841-1909), famous actor in France
Benjamin Constant de Rebecque (1767-1830), French author and politician
Benoit Constant Coquelin (1841-1909), French actor
Constant Allart (1796-1861), French politician, member of the National Constituent Assembly from 1848 to 1849
Constant Bens (b. 1941), Belgian former wrestler who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics
Constant Mayer (1829-1911), French-born, American painter, best known for his life-sized genre paintings
Constant Nieuwenhuys (1920-2005), Dutch painter, one of the foremost innovators of Unitary Urbanism

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey