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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Benoit History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

The name Benoit has been included within French history since the early portion of the Middle Ages. This Languedoc name is derived from remembrance of St. Benoit d'Aniane, who lived from 750 to 821.

Early Origins of the Benoit family

The surname Benoit was first found in Languedoc, where the family held a family seat since ancient times.

The ancient lineage of this family was believed to originate from the family of Saint Benoît d'Aniane (750-821). By the 1300's the family was well established in the region of Languedoc where several members distinguished themselves through their contribution to the community in which they lived and received grants of lands, titles, and letters patent confirming their nobility and that of future generations. Gilles Benoît was made a Knight in recognition of his great contribution to his region.

Paul Benoit, born in 1626, son of François and Marie (neé Chatellain), arrived in Quebec on 22nd September 1653. He worked as a carpenter and married Isabelle-Elizabeth Gobinet in Montreal, Quebec on 16th September 1658. 1

Early History of the Benoit family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Benoit research. Another 175 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1582, 1618, 1632, 1717, 1721, 1741, 1742, 1770 and 1900 are included under the topic Early Benoit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Benoit 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 Benoit, some of which include Benoît, Benoit, Benois, Benoie, Benoi, Benoy, Benoyt, Benoyte, Benoye, Benoys, Bennoît, Bennoit, Bennois, Bennoie, Bennoi, Bennoy, Bennoyt, Bennoyte, Bennoye, Bennoys, Benoitt, Bennoitte, De Benoît, De Benois, De Benoiste, De Bennoist and many more.

Early Notables of the Benoit family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Antoine Benoist (1632-1717), a French painter and sculptor, personal painter to King Louis XIV. Claude de Benoît, was Count Palatine of the city of Avignon.Another Antoine Benoist (1721-1770), was a draughtsman and engraver, was born at Soissons in 1721. Early in life he was brought to England by Claude du Bosc, the engraver, and found employment as a teacher of drawing in many private families of the higher class. Among...
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Benoit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Benoit World Ranking

In the United States, the name Benoit is the 1,738^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Benoit is ranked the 208^th most popular surname with an estimated 18,547 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Benoit is the 124^th popular surname. 4 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Benoit as 88^th with 341 people. 5 France ranks Benoit as 122^nd with 24,046 people. 6

Benoit migration to the United States +

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. 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, the Acadians 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 Benoit were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Benoit were

Benoit Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jacques Benoît, who settled with his wife, Sara Mounie and son, Jean, in Carolina in 1695

Benoit Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Claude Benoit, who landed in Massachusetts in 1757 7
Jean Benoit, who landed in Massachusetts in 1760 7
Margaret Benoit, who landed in Massachusetts in 1763 7
Margueritte Benoit, aged 32, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1785 7
Marie Benoit, aged 48, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1785 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Benoit Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Georgianne Benoit, who arrived in Colorado in 1883 7
Delphine Benoit, who landed in Colorado in 1883 7

Benoit Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Georgianna Benoit, who landed in Colorado in 1906 7

Benoit migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Benoit Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Jean Benoit, French labourer travelling to Canada to work for François Peron, arriving on 7th July 1655 8
Mr. Bernard Benoit, French labourer travelling to Canada to work for Arnaud Peré arriving on 3rd April 1656 8
Mr. Laurent Benoit, (b. 1639), aged 18, French labourer travelling to Canada to work for Antoine Grignon, Pierre Gaigneur, and Jacques Massé, arriving on 3rd February 1657 8
Mr. Jean Benoit, (b. 1639), aged 18 French labourer travelling to Canada to work for Antoine Grignon, Pierre Gaigneur, and Jacques Massé, arriving on 3rd March 1657 8
Mr. Laurent Benoit, French labourer travelling to Canada to work for Antoine Grignon, Pierre Gaigneur, and Jacques Massé, arriving on 3rd March 1657 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Benoit Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Benoit, son of Gabriel and Marie-Anne, who married Jeanne Degerlais, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 20th August 1705 9
Pierre Benoit, son of Paul and Élisabeth-Isabelle, who married Barbe Gazaille, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Quebec in 1708 9
Nicolas Benoit, son of Étienne and Nicole, who married Catherine Thibaut, daughter of Pierre and Catherine, in Rivière-des-Prairies, Quebec on 9th December 1711 9
François Benoit, son of Paul and Isabelle-Élisabeth, who married Angélique Chagnon, daughter of François and Catherine, in Quebec on 7th February 1711 9
Claude Benoit, son of Martin and Marie, who married Jeanne Hébert, daughter of Étienne and Jeanne, in Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia on 19th January 1711 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Benoit (post 1700) +

David Benoit (b. 1968), former American professional basketball player
Robert P. Benoit (1927-2008), American chief operating officer and general manager of the Hollywood Park Racetrack, Inglewood, California
Nancy Elizabeth Benoit (1964-2007), American professional wrestling valet and manager
David Benoit (b. 1953), American five-time Grammy nominated jazz keyboardist
Josaphat T. Benoit, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1944; Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire, 1944-61; New Hampshire Democratic State Chair, 1945 10
John Joseph Benoit (b. 1951), American Republican politician, Police officer; Member of California State Assembly 64th District, 2002- 10
Jamie Benoit, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 2008 10
Henri A. Benoit, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1956 10
Edward Benoit, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Idaho, 1960 10
Edmond Benoit, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 8th Ward; Elected 1938 10
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Benoit 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: Benefacientes benedicti
Motto Translation: Blessed be doing well

Citations +

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
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html