Show ContentsBoucchar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Boucchar was formed many centuries ago in France during the Dark Ages. It was a Norman name typically given to a the Norman given name Bucchard.

Early Origins of the Boucchar family

The surname Boucchar was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family held a family seat since ancient times.

During the Middle Ages the diverse branches of the family distinguished themselves through their remarkable accomplishments and received grants of lands, titles and letters patent confirming their nobility and that of future generations. Many members appeared in the records of 1209. In recognition of his dedicated and valuable services in his community in which he lived, Pierre Bouchard was granted the title of Lord of Cornefou in 1301.

Many other members were actively involved in the social and public affairs of their region and served their country and fellowman in leading positions: as sénéchal of Angoumois and Bishop of Périgueux in the 1500's and as a Governor of Périgord in the 16th century. And because of their fame several French provinces are proud to have been the ancestral seat for such a family.

Claude Bouchard, born in 1626, son of Claude and Marie (née Fremon), was a doctor that travelled from Picardie, France to Quebec in the 17th century. He married Marguerite Benard on 20th November 1651 and together they had two sons, Jean and Paul-Claude. 1

Early History of the Boucchar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boucchar research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1599, 1619, 1622, 1635, 1645, 1646, 1653, 1662, 1667, 1676, 1686, 1702, 1720, 1730 and 1794 are included under the topic Early Boucchar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boucchar Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames: during the early development of the written 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. Certain variations were adopted by different branches of the family name. Spelling variations of the name Boucchar, include Bouchard, Bouchar, Boucharde, Bouchart, Boucharte, Bouchare, Bouchars, Boucharre, Buchard, Buchar, Bucharde, Buchart, Bucharte, Buchare, Buchars, Boucchard, Boucchar, Bouccharde, Boucchart, Bouccharte, Boucchare, Boucchars, Boucharse, Boucherd, Boucherde, Boucherte and many more.

Early Notables of the Boucchar family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Pierre Bouchard, Lord of Cornefou; and Étienne Bouchard (c. 1622 - 1676), a French surgeon who came to Ville-Marie (Montreal) in 1653 under the sponsorship of the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal.Samuel Bochart (1599-1667) was a French Protestant biblical scholar, a student of Thomas Erpenius and the teacher of Pierre Daniel Huet. Born in Rouen, he was for many years a pastor of a Protestant church at Caen, and also studied in Oxford, where he was tutor to Wentworth Dillon, later Earl of Roscommon. His two-volume Geographia Sacra seu Phaleg et Canaan (Caen 1646)...
Another 109 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boucchar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Boucchar family

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Boucchar has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Boucchar were Mrs. Bouchard settled in Louisiana in 1721; Michel Bouchard from Antille-le-Marois, France, settled in Québec in 1700; Jean-Baptiste Bouchard settled with his brother, Jean, in Qué.



The Boucchar 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: Fais honneur
Motto Translation: Do honor


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


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