Show ContentsDefleury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Defleury is from that region of northern France called Normandy. The name came from the medieval given name Fleuri.

Early Origins of the Defleury family

The surname Defleury was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family has been kept on record from ancient times. Some of the first records of the name include: Abbo of Fleury (Latin: Abbo Floriacensis) (c. 945-1004), also known as Saint Abbon was a monk, and later abbot, of Fleury Abbey; Abbo of Fleury (died 1004) a monk and abbot of Fleury; Andrew of Fleury (fl. 1043) wrote Miracula sancti Benedicti; and Hugh of Fleury (died c. 1118) a monk of Fleury known for his chronicles and other writings.

Early History of the Defleury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Defleury research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1522, 1527, 1605, 1640, 1641, 1652, 1653, 1672, 1696, 1698, 1715, 1723, 1726, 1743 and 1794 are included under the topic Early Defleury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Defleury 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 Defleury is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Fleury, Fleurie, Fleurey, Fleuries, Fleurry, Fleurrie, Fleurries, Fleurrey, de Fleury, du Fleury, de Fleurey, du Fleurey, de Fleurry, du Fleurry, de Fleurrey and many more.

Early Notables of the Defleury family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Jean Fleury (or Florin) (died 1527), a 16th-century French naval officer and privateer, best known for the capture of two out of the three Spanish galleons carrying the Aztec treasure from Mexico to Spain in 1522. According to Forbes, he was the sixth highest earning pirate who had a wealth...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Defleury Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Defleury 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 Defleury were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Defleury were Jacques Fleury, who was on record in Montreal in 1653; Francois Fleury, who came to Quebec in 1659; Abraham Fleury, who arrived in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1680.


Contemporary Notables of the name Defleury (post 1700) +

  • François de Fleury (1749-1799), French officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War
  • Joseph Omer Joly de Fleury (1715-1810), French opponent of the Encyclopédie, Jesuits and inoculation
  • Hubert Rohault de Fleury (1828-1910), French painter
  • Hubert Rohault de Fleury (1779-1866), French general
  • Hubert Rohault de Fleury (1777-1846), French architect
  • Georges Rohault de Fleury (1835-1904), French archaeologist and art historian
  • Charles Rohault de Fleury (1801-1875), French architect
  • André Hercule de Fleury (1653-1743), French prelate
  • Maria De Fleury (1773-1791), London Baptist poet, hymnist and polemicist


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