Show ContentsRoussel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Roussel family

The surname Roussel was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France where the family has been traced from ancient times.

For the next several centuries the family prospered and branched to Dauphiné where they held the lands and titles of Counts of Roussilon. In Dauphiné the family again branched and held the lands of Anjo and Annonay. During the 17th century, branches formed in Toulouse and Languedoc where many members intermarried with the distinguished families of those regions, such was the case in Languedoc on 6th October 1827, where the family head, in recognition for his dedication to the King and country, was awarded letters patent confirming his nobility on the day of his marriage.

Early History of the Roussel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roussel research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1271, 1294, 1389, 1431, 1443, 1452, 1468, 1493 and 1538 are included under the topic Early Roussel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Roussel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Roussillon, Roussillons, Rousillon, Rousillons, Roussilon, Roussilons, Russillon, Russillons, Rusillon, Rusillons, Russilon, Russilons, de Roussillon, du Roussillon, RossillonRousselot, Rousselet and many more.

Early Notables of the Roussel family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Raoul Roussel (1389-1452), Archbishop of Rouen from 1443 to 1452 who played a part in the trial of Joan of Arc in 1431

Roussel World Ranking

In the United States, the name Roussel is the 4,548th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Roussel is ranked the 762nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,009 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Roussel is the 320th popular surname. 3 France ranks Roussel as 39th with 45,771 people. 4


United States Roussel migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roussel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mathien Roussel, who settled in Virginia in 1700
  • Marthien Roussel, who landed in Virginia in 1700 5
  • Mathieu Roussel, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 5
  • Louis Roussel, aged 16, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 5
  • Claude Roussel setttled in Louisiana in 1719
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Roussel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Fred Roussel, who settled in New York in 1822
  • Eugene Roussel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1844
  • Thomas Roussel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1851
  • George Roussel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1858
  • Amede Arthur Roussel, who arrived in Colorado in 1879 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Roussel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Roussel Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • François Roussel, son of Jacques and Madeleine, who married Madeleine Pepin, daughter of Guillaume and Jeanne, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 7th April 1671 6
  • Pierre Roussel, son of Pierre and Jacques, who married Barbe Loisel, daughter of Louis and Marguerite, in Montreal, Quebec on 26th October 1676 6
  • Timothée Roussel, son of Étienne and Jeanne, who married Catherine Fournier, daughter of Jacques and Hélène, in Quebec on 16th August 1688 6
Roussel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Guillaume Roussel, son of Jean and Marie, who married Nicole Filiatreau, daughter of René and Jeanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 29th April 1700 6
  • Antoine Roussel, son of Guillaume and Nicolas, who married Angélique Massiot, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Louise, in Lachine, Quebec on 26th January 1728 6
  • Joseph-François Roussel, son of Timothée and Catherine, who married Madeleine Gauvreau, daughter of Pierre and Madeleine, in Quebec on 17th January 1730 6
  • François Roussel, son of François and Reine, who married Marie-Agnès Roy, daughter of Jean-Noel and Angélique, in Saint-Vallier, Quebec on 10th June 1743 6
  • Mathieu Roussel, son of Philippe and Geneviève, who married Marie-Angélique Morin, daughter of Pierre-Jean and Marie-Louise, in Montreal, Quebec on 30th August 1762 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Roussel (post 1700) +

  • Peter Roussel (1941-2022), American press secretary and public relations executive
  • Warren J. Roussel, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1952 7
  • Louis J. Roussel, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1952, 1956 7
  • Herbert Roussel, American politician, Supervisor of Norton Township, Michigan, 1917; Defeated, 1917 7
  • Hélène Roussel (1932-2022), born Yvonne Louise Gabrielle Roussel, a French actress
  • Jean Charles Roussel, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
  • François Xavier Roussel, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
  • William Roussel (b. 1976), French musician
  • Nelly Roussel (1878-1922), French feminist activist
  • Nathalie Roussel (b. 1956), French actress
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Roussel +

  • The Roussel Register by Robert Louis Leo Roussel.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "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
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. 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)
  6. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, September 9) Jean Roussel. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  9. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, September 9) François Roussel. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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