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Messier History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Messier Surname History

Origins Available:
England
France

The name Messier reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Messier is for a person employed in reaping or harvesting. The name can be traced to the Old French word messier, which meant harvester.

Early Origins of the Messier family

The surname Messier was first found in Lincolnshire where they were one of the noted families of the area. Roger Messer was the first on record in Lincolnshire, in 1172, a little over a century after the Conquest. In 1180 Erkenbald Messer was recorded in the same county. At about the same time Jacobus Mesoart was registered in Normandy. Early in their history a branch of this family moved to Scotland.

Early History of the Messier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Messier research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1273, 1296 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Messier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Messier Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Messier are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Messier include Messer, Mesher, Messor, Mersser, Masar, Messier, Meisser, Measure and many more.

Early Notables of the Messier family

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

Messier World Ranking

In the United States, the name Messier is the 5,863^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Messier is ranked the 973^rd most popular surname with an estimated 5,563 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Messier is the 370^th popular surname. 3

Messier migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Messier, or a variant listed above:

Messier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Johannes Messier, who arrived in New York, NY in 1650 4

Messier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A. Messier, aged 26, who landed in America, in 1892
Ernestin Messier, aged 2, who immigrated to America, in 1892
Heinrich Messier, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
Mr. Heinrich Messier, aged 37, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Bourgogne" 5
Geo. Andrew Messier, aged 47, who landed in America, in 1897

Messier Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Richard J Messier, who landed in Colorado in 1900 4
Roxie Messier, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1921

Messier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Messier Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Michel Messier, son of David and Margeurite, who married Anne Lemoyne, daughter of Pierre and Judith, in Montreal, Quebec on 25th February 1658 6
André Messier, son of Jean and Jeanne, who married Anne Aubry, daughter of Louis and Julienne, in Quebec on 16th September 1673 6
Jacques Messier, son of David and Marguerite, who married Marie-Renée Couillard, daughter of François and Marie-Esther, in Quebec in 1685 6

Messier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

François-Michel Messier, son of Michel and Anne, who married Marie-Anne Amiot, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Geneviève, in Varennes, Quebec on 6th February 1706 6
Jacques Messier, son of Jacques and Marie-Renée, who married Isabelle Bissonnet, daughter of Jacques and Marguerite, in Varennes, Quebec on 23rd November 1712 6
René Messier, son of Michel and Anne, who married Marie-Madeleine Guillet, daughter of Louis and Marie, in Batiscan, Quebec on 25th August 1718 6
François-Michel Messier, son of Michel and Anne, who married Marie-Jeanne Duval, daughter of Jean and Marie, in Saint-Ours, Quebec on 8th October 1725 6
Jean-Baptiste Messier, son of François-Michel and Marie-Anne, who married Marie-Anne Mongeau, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Élisabeth, in Varennes, Quebec on 19th November 1731 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Messier migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Messier Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas J. Messier, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashburton" in 1857

Contemporary Notables of the name Messier (post 1700) +

Roland E. Messier, American politician, Mayor of Central Falls, Rhode Island, 1970-71
Jean-Marie Messier (b. 1956), French businessman, former Chairman and Chief Executive of Vivendi SA
Mark Douglas Messier (b. 1961), retired Canadian professional NHL ice hockey centre inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (2007)
Marc Messier (b. 1947), Canadian actor, recipient of two Gemini awards for best lead male role in 1988
Éric Messier (b. 1973), retired Canadian NHL ice hockey defenceman
Charles Messier (1730-1817), French astronomer most notable for publishing an astronomical catalogue consisting of deep sky objects such as nebulae and star clusters that came to be known as the 103 "Messier objects"

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"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
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)
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2130
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.