Show ContentsLefler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Lefler has a long French heritage that first began in the northern region of Normandy. The name is derived from when the family lived in Normandy, in the village of De Flers.

Early Origins of the Lefler family

The surname Lefler was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family was established in early times.

One branch of the family established a seigniory in Fleurent, Champagne, for De Braux. The branch Lafleur established a seigniory in Brittany in 1696 for Montlouis. The family became more prominent through alliances with other important families. Antoinette de Pellevé de Flers, the heiress of the county of Flers upon the death of her brother, married Philippe-René, the lord of Villebadin, in 1717. Hyacinthe, the marquis of Lezeau in 1803, reclaimed the title of marquis of Flers, which was conserved by his descendants. [1]

Jean Lafleur, born in 1663, son of Pierre and Françoise (née Claude), settled in Trois-Rivières, Quebec in the 17th century. He married Jeanne Chebaudier, daughter of Jean and Marie (née Mercier), on 7th January 1687. [2]

Early History of the Lefler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lefler research. Another 40 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1598, 1794, 1872 and 1927 are included under the topic Early Lefler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lefler Spelling Variations

The many different spellings of French surnames can be partially explained by the use of local dialects and by the influence of other languages during the early development of the French language. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Lefler is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Lafleur, Lafleure, Fleur, Fleure, Flers, Leflers, de Flers, de Fleur, de Fleure, Desfleurs, Fleureau, Fleureaux, Fleurant, Fleurand, Florida and many more.

Early Notables of the Lefler family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lefler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lefler Ranking

In the United States, the name Lefler is the 8,818th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [3]


United States Lefler 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 Lefler 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 Lefler were

Lefler Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Dorothea Lefler, who landed in New York, NY in 1763 [4]
Lefler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Lefler, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 [4]
  • George Lefler, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1847 [4]
  • Charles Lefler, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1849 [4]
  • Heimrich Lefler, aged 74, who immigrated to America, in 1894
Lefler Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Johann Lefler, aged 3, who immigrated to the United States, in 1908
  • Elizabeth Lefler, aged 0, who landed in America, in 1908
  • Mary Lefler, aged 60, who settled in America from London, England, in 1916
  • Louis Lefler, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1918
  • Helen Lefler, aged 26, who landed in America, in 1924

Australia Lefler migration to Australia +

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

Lefler Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Lefler, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constitution" in 1851 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Lefler (post 1700) +

  • John C. Lefler (b. 1975), American songwriter, singer, guitarist, pianist
  • Wade Hampton Lefler (1896-1981), American Major League Baseball player
  • Doug Lefler, American film director, screenwriter, film producer and storyboard artist


  1. Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
  2. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTITUTION 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Constitution.htm


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