Show ContentsPiccard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Piccard has a long French heritage that first began in northwestern region of Brittany. The name is derived from when the family lived in Brittany.

Early Origins of the Piccard family

The surname Piccard was first found in Picardy (Picardie in French) where they held a family seat in the seigneurie of Vieilleville, an honor held by the family for several centuries.

"The Société des Antiquaires de Picardy, it appears, considers that Picard denoted a pike-man; and it is surmised that Picardie was famous tor this class of soldier." 1

Early History of the Piccard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Piccard research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1540, 1620, 1669, 1670, 1673, 1682 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Piccard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Piccard Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Picard, Piccard, Picaud, Piccaud, Picart, Piccart, Picarte, Piccarte, Picardet, Pichard, Pichat, Pichault, Picaut, Piccaut, Piccault and many more.

Early Notables of the Piccard family

Notable amongst the family name at this period was Jean Picard, a French bookbinder and bookseller, active in the 1540s; and Bernard Picart (1673-1733), a French engraver, known for his book-illustrations, including the Bible and Ovid.Jean-Félix Picard (1620-1682) was a French astronomer...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Piccard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Piccard family

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and 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 Piccard 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 Piccard were Pierre Picard, one of the earliest settlers, arrived in Quebec from Normandie in 1629; Hugues settled in New France from Brittany in 1665; Louis Picard arrived in Quebec from Ile-de-France in 1759.


Contemporary Notables of the name Piccard (post 1700) +

  • Don Piccard (b. 1926), American teacher and balloonist
  • Jeannette Piccard (1895-1981), Swiss born, American balloonist, teacher, scientist, priest
  • Jean Piccard (1884-1963), American organic chemist, balloonist, eponym of the "Star Trek Next Generation" character Captain Jean-Luc Picard
  • Auguste Antoine Piccard (1884-1962), Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer, twin brother of Jean Felix Piccard
  • Bertrand Piccard (b. 1958), Swiss psychiatrist, balloonist
  • Dr. Jacques Piccard (1922-2008), President for the study and preservation of Seas and Lakes


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print


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