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Voyer History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Voyer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The name Voyer 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 Voyer family

The surname Voyer 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 Voyer family

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

Voyer Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Voyer, including Voyer, Voier, Voyere, Voyez, Voyet, Voir, Voire, La Voyer, Lavoyer, Le Voyer and many more.

Early Notables of the Voyer family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

René Voyer, French diplomat, 1596-1651

Voyer Ranking

In Quebec, Canada, the name Voyer is the 571^st most popular surname. 3 However, in France, the name Voyer is ranked the 3,156^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 4

Voyer migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Voyer has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Voyer were

Voyer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Voyer, who arrived in Virginia in 1707-1708 5
Peter Voyer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1713 5
Jeanne Urbaine Voyer, who landed in South Carolina in 1735 5

Voyer migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Voyer Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Pierre Voyer, who arrived in Quebec in 1662 from Maine
Pierre Voyer, son of Pierre and Marguerite, who married Catherine Crampon, daughter of Jean and Hélène, in Château-Richer, Quebec on 1st December 1662 6
Jacques Voyer, who arrived in Quebec in 1683 from Poitou
Jacques Voyer, son of François and Mathurine, who married Jeanne Routier, daughter of Jean and Catherine, in Quebec on 12th January 1683 6
Robert Voyer, son of Pierre and Catherine, who married Marie De Trépagny, daughter of Romain and Geneviève, in Quebec on 26th April 1688 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Voyer Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Voyer, son of Jacques and Jeanne, who married Marie-Thérèse Renaud, daughter of Guillaume and Marie, in Lorette, Quebec on 11th January 1712 6
François-Marie Voyer, son of Jacques and Jeanne, who married Marie-Agathe Hamel, daughter of Jean and Christine, in Lorette, Quebec on 15th July 1720 6
Pierre-Gervais Voyer, son of Robert and Marie-Madeleine, who married Cécile Gagnon, daughter of Pierre and Hélène, in Château-Richer, Quebec on 8th November 1723 6
Michel Voyer, son of Jacques and Jeanne, who married Marie-Anne Arcan, daughter of Simon and Marie-Anne, in Quebec on 25th November 1724 6
Noel Voyer, son of Jacques and Jeanne, who married Geneviève Moreau, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Madeleine, in Quebec on 20th October 1725 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Voyer (post 1700) +

Bernard Voyer (b. 1953), Canadian mountaineer/explorer, climbed the highest peaks in all continents
Ulric Voyer (1892-1935), Canadian composer of operas

The Voyer 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
"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.