Voir History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The name Voir dates back to the days of Medieval France, in the region of Brittany (French: Bretagne). It is derived from their residence in Brittany.

Early Origins of the Voir family

The surname Voir was first found in Brittany where this distinguished family held a family seat at Gripel and Penhoet, and were members of the aristocracy of that region.

This distinguished family intermarried with the eminent family of d'Argenson and through this marriage they were elevated to the nobility as the Marquis d'Argenson seated at Paulny. Notables of this family were: Marc-René de Voyer, Comte d'Argenson 1623-1700; Pierre de Voyer, Viscomte d'Argenson, Governor of Canada, 1658; Marc-René de Voyer, Marquis d'Argenson, 1652-1721; René-Louis de Voyer, Marquis d'Argenson, 1694-1757; Marc-Pierre de Voyer, Comte d'Argenson, 1696-1764; Antoine-René de Voyer, Marquis de Paulmy d'Argenson, 1722-1787; Marc-René-Marie de Voyer, Marquis de Paulmy d'Argenson, 1771-1842. This family flourished on their estates until the French Revolution in 1789 when many aristocratic families lost their lands. 1

Pierre Voyer, born in 1630, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in the province of Quebec he married Catherine Crampon, born in 1642, at Château-Richer on 1st December 1662. They remained together in Quebec until Pierre's death on 14th November 1695. Catherine passed away on 6th July 1699. 2

Early History of the Voir family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Voir research. Another 20 words (1 lines of text) covering the years 1596 and 1651 are included under the topic Early Voir History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Voir Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Voir some of which are Voyer, Voier, Voyere, Voyez, Voyet, Voir, Voire, La Voyer, Lavoyer, Le Voyer and many more.

Early Notables of the Voir family

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

Migration of the Voir family

In the 1700s, land incentives were finally given out by France to 2,000 migrants. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. 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 the treaty of Utrecht, Acadia were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Voir were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Voir were Pierre Voyer arrived in Quebec in 1662 from Maine; Jacques Voyer arrived in Quebec in 1683 from Poitou; Mr. Voyer settled in Virginia.

The Voir 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: Vis et prudentia vincit
Motto Translation: Strength and prudence conquers.

Citations +

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.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print