| ![Show Contents]() Fresnel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 France Noble surnames, such as Fresnel, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Fresnel, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Bourgoigne. In France, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Fresnel family originally lived in the village of Fresne, in the province of Bourgoigne. Early Origins of the Fresnel familyThe surname Fresnel was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France, where the family held a family seat in early times. This family can be traced back to Thibaut, the lord of Fresnes, who was in the service of the duke of Burgundy with eight horsemen, in 1358. The members of this family also settled in other regions of France. One branch was formed in Fresnières, a village in the department of Oise, in the district of Compiègne, in Picardy. Some members of the different family branches became prominent through their contributions to their respective communities. Claude de Fresne was the lord of Fresne and of Fleurey, in 1472. Among his descendents were: Étienne, a knight of Malte, the commander of Vaufranche, in Berry, during the 16th century; Chrétien, the captain of one hundred men-at-arms, who was killed during the battle at Saint-Quintin; François, the captain of Montbard; another François, a battle marshal in 1652, a captain of the Château of Montreal; and René, a sea captain, who was married in 1689. The family became even more prominent through alliances with other important families of the day, such as the Thiron, the Languet, the Chalon, the Viesse and the la Loge families. Early History of the Fresnel familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fresnel research. The year 1694 is included under the topic Early Fresnel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Fresnel Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Lafrenière, Lafrenierre, Lafrennière, Lefrenier, Frenier, Frener, Frenet, Frenais, Frenaison, Frenois, la Fresnaye, Fresnay and many more. Early Notables of the Fresnel familyAnother 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fresnel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Fresnel familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Nicolas La Frenière, who was living in Louisiana in 1706; Albert Fresne, who settled with his wife, Lidie, and his children, Albert and Albertine, in Pennsylvania in 1787.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Fresnel (post 1700) | + |
- Augustin Jean Fresnel, French physicist and engineer, known for his research on light
- Leonor Fresnel Loree (1858-1940), American railroad executive, President of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (1901-1904), President of Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad in 1904, President of Kansas City Southern Railway (1918-1920), principal founder of The Newcomen Society in North America
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