Show ContentsD'archambeau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The D'archambeau surname is derived from a personal name, which derives from the Latin "Arcambaldus". According to etymologists, this personal name is in turn derived from the ancient Germanic elements "Ercan", meaning "precious", and "bald", meaning "bold" and "daring". 1

Early Origins of the D'archambeau family

The surname D'archambeau was first found in Limousin, situated in the north-western part of the Massif-Central where one can trace the origin of this eminent family settled with lands and seats.

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance some members of the family distinguished themselves through many contributions to the community and province in which they held a family seat, and some were granted certain privileges, land and a place amongst the French nobility. Through the years, some of the members branched to Orleans and south of Paris. Thus the province of Burgundy has been the seat of the eminent family of the Archambault de Beaunes for several centuries.

There is evidence of the family later branching northwards, under the name of Archambault, as the name can be found today in the Parisian region as well as in the former province of Orléanais, located around the middle of Loire. This was part of the Royal domain since the 10th century, and which was to be annexed to the French crown in the middle of the 15th century. The noble family of Archimbaud also settled in the province of Provence, located in the South of France.

Early History of the D'archambeau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our D'archambeau research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1242, 1604 and 1688 are included under the topic Early D'archambeau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

D'archambeau Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Archambault, Archambaut, Archambeault, Archambeau, Archambeaux, Archambau, Archambaux, Archambot, Archambod, Archambode, Archambold, Archambolde, Archambote, Archambolt, Archambolte, Archambauld, Archambaulde, Archambaud, Archambaude, Archambaute, d'Archambault, d'Archambaut, d'Archambeault and many more.

Early Notables of the D'archambeau family

Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early D'archambeau Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the D'archambeau family

In the 1700s, land incentives were finally given out by France to 2,000 migrants. 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, Acadia 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 D'archambeau were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name D'archambeau were Jacques Archambault and his wife Françoise Tourault and their six children, who left from Dompierre sur Mer in 1645-6 for Québec; Laurent Archambault married Catherine Marchand in Montré.


Contemporary Notables of the name D'archambeau (post 1700) +

  • Pierre D'Archambeau (1927-2014), Swiss-born, American violin virtuoso and pedagogue


  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.


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