Show ContentsCloutiere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient history of the name Cloutiere dates back to the days of the Medieval period of southern. It was a Norman name given to a person who sold nails, having derived from the French word "clous", which means "nails." 1

Early Origins of the Cloutiere family

The surname Cloutiere was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where they held a family seat in the seigneurie of Pas-de-Calais at De Cléty, a village in the arrondisement of Saint-Omer. The family was a respected member of Norman aristocracy for many centuries from their first reference around the 12th century.

Zacharie Cloutier, born in 1590, arrived at Beauport, Quebec from Perche, France on 8th August 1634, along with his wife, Xaintes (née Dupont), who he married on 18th July 1616, and his five children, Zacharie, Jean, Charles, Anne, and Louise. They eventually moved to Château-Richer and they remained there until his death at the age of 87 on 17th September 1677.

His eldest son, Zacharie, married Madeleine Aymard at Saint-Barthélemy, Quebec on 4th April 1648. 2

Early History of the Cloutiere family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cloutiere research. Another 40 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1590, 1677 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Cloutiere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cloutiere 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 Cloutiere is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Cloutiere, Cloutier, le Cloutier, Clouterie, Cloutour, Cloutrier, Clouteau, Clouter, Clouté, Clutier, Clutiere and many more.

Early Notables of the Cloutiere family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cloutiere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cloutiere family

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, 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. 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. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Cloutiere 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 Cloutiere were Zacharia Clouter arrived in Barbados in 1663 and may have been from the north, perhaps the maritimes or Quebec; J.B. Cloutier arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1823 and was listed on the New Orleans ship lists..



  1. Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
  2. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print


Houseofnames.com on Facebook