Show ContentsBegouin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The French name Begouin is of Medieval origin. It was a Norman name for a person whose speech is affected by a stutter. The word begin was Old French slang for a person who stuttered. As such, the name is commonly called a nickname.

Early Origins of the Begouin family

The surname Begouin was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family first established itself as an important participant in the cultural and political events of the region.

Jean Béguin was a renown chemist responsible for the discovery of the chemical calomel in 1608. Jacques Begin is recorded as a prominent member of the family who later established himself in the diocese of Lisieux in 1620. Michel Bégon (1638-1710), was a French administrator after whom the "begonia" plant was named in his honor. Jacques-François Begouen, a Count of the Empire under Napoleon and Abbey of Valasse, became a senior member of the Council of State and received his title of nobility in 1808. Along with these credits, he received a large area of land worth over 10,400 francs at the time.

Louis Begin, baptized on 28th September 1636, son of Jacques and Diane (née Meloque), travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Jeanne Durand, born in 1654, daughter of Martin and Françoise (née Brunet), on 15th October 1668. 1

Early History of the Begouin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Begouin research. The years 1525, 1528, 1544, 1631, 1638, 1667, 1702, 1710, 1747, 1808 and 1812 are included under the topic Early Begouin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Begouin 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 Begouin, some of which include Begin, Bégin, Begine, Bégine, Beguin, Béguin, Beguine, Béguine, Beguinet, Béguinet, Beguinot, Béguinot, Beghin, Béghin, Begouin, Bégouin, Begon, Bégon, Begouen, Bégouen, Begougne, Bégougne and many more.

Early Notables of the Begouin family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Nicolas Lebègue (Le Bègue) (ca. 1631-1702), a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist; François-Barthélémy Beguinot, a Count of the Empire, who became a senator and received his title of nobility in 1808; Michel Bégon, known as Michel V Bégon or le Grand Bégon (1638-1710), a French ancien regime official; and his son, Michel Bégon de la Picardière (1667-1747)...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Begouin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Begouin 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 Begouin were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Begouin were Louis Bégin of Saint-Léonard de Honfleur, who came to New France in circa 1654 with his father Jacques (Louis Bégin married Jeanne Durand at Qué.



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


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