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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Poirier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The name Poirier dates back to the days of Medieval France, in the region of Normandy. It is derived from their residence in Normandy. The name Poirier could also be derived from the Old French word "poirier," meaning "pear tree," and was used to distinguish a person who lived near such a tree. In some cases the name may have also been used to indicate a person who sold pears or owned an orchard. 1

Early Origins of the Poirier family

The surname Poirier was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where they held a family seat in the seigneurie of Amfreville.

Vincent Poirier, born in 1628, son of François and Michelle (née Bonar), came to New France in the 17th century and is recorded as the first person in Canada with the name Poirier. He married Françoise Pinguet on 8th February 1655. He married again to Judith Renaudeau on 6th December 1662. Vincent died in Quebec on 28th April 1703. 2

Early History of the Poirier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poirier research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1097 and 1167 are included under the topic Early Poirier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poirier Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Poirier, some of which include Poirer, Poirrer, Poirier, Poirrier, Poiré, Poirré, Poirière, Poirrière, Poirez, Poirrez, Poiriez and many more.

Early Notables of the Poirier family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Comte Walter Poirier of Amfreyville (1167)

Poirier World Ranking

In the United States, the name Poirier is the 2,202^nd most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Poirier is ranked the 49^th most popular surname with an estimated 38,328 people with that name. 4 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Poirier is the 25^th popular surname. 5 France ranks Poirier as 133^rd with 22,727 people. 6

Poirier 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 Poirier 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 Poirier were

Poirier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pierre Poirier, who landed in New York in 1706 7
Jean Baptiste Poirier, who landed in South Carolina in 1755-1756 7
Rose Poirier, aged 18, who landed in South Carolina in 1763 7
Basille Poirier, aged 10, who landed in South Carolina in 1763 7
Charle Poirier, who arrived in Connecticut in 1763 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Poirier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis B Poirier, aged 30, who arrived in Missouri in 1844 7

Poirier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Poirier Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Vincent Poirier, son of François and Michelle, who married Françoise Pinguet, daughter of Louis-Henri and Louise, in Quebec on 8th February 1655 8
Mathurin Poirier, who arrived in Canada in 1663
Vincent Poirier, who arrived in Quebec from Ile-de-France in 1665
Jean Poirier, who arrived in Quebec from Guyenne in 1668
Jean Poirier, son of Jean and Jeanne, who married Marie Langlois, daughter of François and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 18th March 1668 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Poirier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Joseph Poirier, who arrived in Quebec from Poitou in 1709
Jean Poirier, son of Nicolas and Anne, who married Marguerite Jarry, daughter of Henri and Agathe, in Montreal, Quebec on 27th December 1714 8
François Poirier, son of Michel and Marie, who married Marie Haché, daughter of Michel and Anne, in Beaubassin, Acadia on 27th November 1715 8
Charles Poirier, son of Joseph and Marie, who married Marie-Anne Casse, daughter of Joseph and Marie-Françoise, in Beaumont, Quebec on 30th June 1730 8
Charles Poirier, son of Daniel and Catherine, who married Marie-Ursule Demers, daughter of Robert and Madeleine, in Montreal, Quebec on 11th February 1732 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Poirier (post 1700) +

Gregory Stephen Poirier (b. 1961), American Writers Guild of America Award wining film and television writer, director, and producer
Kevin Poirier (b. 1940), American politician, Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1977-1979)
Elizabeth Poirier (b. 1942), American politician, Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1999-)
Richard Poirier (b. 1925), American literary critic
Denise Poirier, American voice actress
P. Romeo Poirier, American Democratic Party politician, Elected New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 7th Ward 1938 9
Marion F. Poirier, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Hawaii, 2000 9
Kevin Poirier, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1988 9
Karl M. Poirier, American Republican politician, Candidate for Rhode Island State House of Representatives 5th District, 2002 9
Elizabeth Ann Poirier (b. 1943), American Republican politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives Fourteenth Bristol District, 2003-04; 9
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Poirier Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Oncques ne fauldray
Motto Translation: Never falter.

Citations +

Dauzat, Albert, Morlet, Marie-Thérèse, Dictionaire Étymologique des Noms et Prénoms de France. Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1987. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"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
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html