Show ContentsCaryer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Caryer has a history dating as far back as the early portion of the Middle Ages. It was a Languedoc name for a carter. Tracing the origin of the name further, we found the name Caryer was originally from the Old French word "carrier," which means "carter".

Early Origins of the Caryer family

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

The name was first found in Canada with Jean Carrier in 1670. 1 Jean was born in France in 1640 and is the son of Jean and Jeanne (née Dodier). After arriving in Quebec he married Barbe Halay, daughter of Jean and Mathurine (née Vallet), on 14th November 1670. 2

Early History of the Caryer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caryer research. Another 272 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1662, 1683, 1717 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Caryer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caryer Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Caryer is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Carrier, Carier, Carrié, Carié, Carriey, Carriay, Carryer, Caryer, Carriaie, Carriais, Cariaie, Cariais, De Carrier, De Carier, De Carrié, De Carié, De Carriey, De Carriay, De Carryer, De Caryer, De Carraie, De Carriais, De Cariaie, De Cariais, Du Carrier, Du Carier, Du Carrié, Du Carié, Du Carriey, Du Carriay, Du Carryer, Du Caryer, Du Carriaie, Du Carriais, Du Cariaie, Du Cariais, Le Carrier, Le Carier and many more.

Early Notables of the Caryer family

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Caryer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Caryer family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec, in 1663 there were only 500, 2,000 migrants arrived during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. 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. Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 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 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many distinguished contributions have been made by members of this family name Caryer. It has been prominent in the arts, religion, politics and culture in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Caryer were Archibald Carrier, aged 45; settled in Philadelphia in 1822; Arthur Carrier settled in Philadelphia in 1865; Flora Carrier, aged 40; settled in Philadelphia in 1865 with 2 children.



  1. Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
  2. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print


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