Show ContentsBourassa History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Bourassa family

The surname Bourassa was first found in Auvergne, a historic province in south central France.

Early documents show Claude Bourrachot, a Sulpicien (a member of the Society of Priests of St. Sulpice) born in Lenax (Allier) who entered in the company of St. Sulpice at the age of 28. He taught philosophy in Lyon, theology in Clermont and in Paris, where he was Director of the Seminary. He was also abbey of Neauphe-le-Vieux, and after his death he left a manuscript, conserved in the library of Mazanne, and mixed works of philosophy, theology, letters, sciences, and arts.

Jean Bourassa, born in 1629, travelled from France to the New World in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Perette Valley, daughter of Nicolas and Madeleine (née Major), on 20th October 1665. He married again on 5th November 1676 to Catherine Poitevin, daughter of Guillaume and Françoise (née Macre). They settled together in Quebec until Jean's death on 22nd January 1718. [1]

Early History of the Bourassa family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bourassa research. The years 1747, 1789, 1813, 1836, 1838 and 1862 are included under the topic Early Bourassa History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bourassa Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bouras, Bourras, Bourasse, Bourassé, Bourrasse, Bourrassé, Labourrasse, Bourrasset, Bourragué, Bourrageas, Bourrachot, Bourrat, Bouret, Bourran, Bourassa, Bourrassa, Bourasseau and many more.

Early Notables of the Bourassa family

Notable amongst the family was Joseph, Marquis of Bourran, who was a man of politics. Lord of Marsac and of S. Hilaire, Baron of Lacour, lord of Bessones, he was born in Villeneuve-d'Agan in 1747. In 1789 he was elected by the nobility of Agen deputy into the rank of general. Later, he was named mayor of Villeneuve d'Agen and then prefect of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, and finally was elected deputy to the legislative corpus. Jean-Jaques Bourassé was an archaeologist, born in Ste-Maure in Touraine in 1813. He entered the great seminary of Tours and, being intelligent, was...
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bourassa Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bourassa World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bourassa is the 7,169th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [2] However, in Canada, the name Bourassa is ranked the 671st most popular surname with an estimated 7,817 people with that name. [3] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Bourassa is the 289th popular surname. [4]


United States Bourassa migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bourassa Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • N. Arthur Bourassa, aged 34, who immigrated to America, in 1912
  • Nap Arthur Bourassa, aged 36, who landed in America, in 1914
  • Vivienne Bourassa, aged 1, who immigrated to Newark, New Jersey in 1923

Canada Bourassa migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bourassa Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Jean Bourassa, son of Jacques and Françoise, who married Pérette Vallay, daughter of Nicolas and Madeleine, in Quebec on 20th October 1665 [5]
  • Jean Bourassa, son of Jacques and Françoise, who married Catherine Poitevin, daughter of Guillaume and Françoise, in Quebec on 5th November 1676 [5]
  • François Bourassa, son of François and Marguerite, who married Marie Le Ber, daughter of François and Jeanne, in Contrecoeur, Quebec on 4th July 1684 [5]
  • Jean Bourassa, who married in 1698 in St. Nicholas, Quebec
  • Jean Bourassa, son of Jean and Pérette, who married Françoise Métot, daughter of Abraham and Marie-Madeleine, in Saint-Nicolas, Quebec on 10th November 1698 [5]
Bourassa Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • René Bourassa, son of François and Marie, who married Agnès Gagné, daughter of Pierre and Catherine, in La Prairie, Quebec on 23rd October 1710 [5]
  • François Bourassa, son of Jean and Catherine, who married Marguerite Jourdain, daughter of Guillaume and Jeanne, in Lévis, Quebec in 1714 [5]
  • François Bourassa, married in 1721 in Laprairie
  • Jean Bourassa, son of Jean and Françoise, who married Angélique Buisson, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Louise-Françoise, in Saint-Nicolas, Quebec on 13th November 1724 [5]
  • Antoine Bourassa, son of François and Marie, who married Marie-Catherine Baret, daughter of Guillaume and Jeanne, in La Prairie, Quebec on 24th January 1729 [5]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bourassa Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Henry Bourassa, aged 25, who immigrated to Valleyfield, Canada, in 1906
  • Henri Bourassa, aged 39, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1908
  • Napuleon Bourassa, aged 84, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1912
  • Addine Bourassa, aged 40, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1912

Contemporary Notables of the name Bourassa (post 1700) +

  • Ernest Bourassa, American politician, Mayor of Oconto, Wisconsin, 1950 [6]
  • C. Edward Bourassa, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Hampshire Governor's Council 3rd District, 1949-53 [6]
  • Carmen Bourassa (1942-2021), Canadian television producer from Trois-Rivières, Quebec
  • Jocelyne Bourassa CM (1947-2021), Canadian professional golfer, who had a distinguished amateur career with the LPGA
  • Napoléon Bourassa (1827-1916), Canadian architect, painter and writer
  • Lucien Bourassa, Canadian politician, Mayor of Shawinigan, Quebec (1936-19374)
  • Joseph Boutin Bourassa (1853-1943), Canadian politician and notary, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Lévis (1911-1925)
  • Joseph-Napoléon-Henri "Henri" Bourassa (1868-1952), Canadian politician and publisher, son of Napoléon Bourassa
  • François Bourassa (b. 1959), Canadian jazz pianist from Quebec, son of Robert Bourassa
  • François Bourassa (1813-1898), Canadian farmer and politician who represented Saint-Jean in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1896
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  4. "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
  5. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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