Papillon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Papillon were among those contributors:

Papillon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• François Papillon who settled in Louisiana in 1712

Papillon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Francois Papillon, aged 22, who landed in America, in 1892

Papillon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

• Georges Papillon, aged 27, who landed in America from France, in 1904
• Louisa Papillon, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, in 1905
• George Papillon, aged 26, who immigrated to America from Paris, in 1906
• Olle Papillon, aged 23, who landed in America from Havre, in 1922

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Papillon Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

• Etienne Papillon, who settled in Quebec in 1691
• Genevieve Garnier Papillon, who arrived in Quebec in 1691
• Etienne Papillon, son of François and Michelle, who married Geneviève Garnier, daughter of François and Jacqueline, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 11th June 1691 6

Papillon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Pierre Papillon, son of Etienne and Geneviève, who married Marie-Angélique Gaudin, daughter of Charles and Marie-Madeleine, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 21st July 1721 6
• Etienne Papillon, son of Etienne and Marie-Geneviève, who married Marie-Madeleine Larue, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Catherine, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 12th January 1722 6
• Etienne Papillon, son of Etienne and Marie-Geneviève, who married Elisabeth Willis, daughter of Jean and Louise-Catherine, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 28th September 1733 6
• Pierre-Charles Papillon, son of Pierre and Marie-Angélique, who married Marie-Josephte Richard, daughter of Jacques and Marie-Charlotte, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 2nd February 1750 6
• Etienne Papillon, son of Etienne and Marie-Madeleine, who married Madeleine Ruel, daughter of jean-Baptiste and Marthe, in Sorel, Quebec on 7th January 1750 6
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Papillon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Pierre, Andre, Daniel, and Elie Papillon, who were listed among the "Families from La Rochelle in Canada"

• John Papillon (1806-1889), English cricketer from Acrise, Kent who later became a Church of England priest, Rector of Bonnington, Kent (1831-1841), and Lexden, Essex (1841-1889)
• Godfrey Keppel Papillon (1867-1942), English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire (1901-1903)
• Jean-François Papillon (d. 1800), African-born slave in Haiti, one of the principal leaders in the Haitian Revolution against slavery and French rule
• Annick Papillon (b. 1980), Canadian politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Québec (2011-2015)
• John Ashton Papillon (1838-1891), British photographer and Royal Engineer
• Denis-Pierre-Jean Papillon (1727-1794), French connoisseur of art and an administrator