Show ContentsDelasvignes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Delasvignes family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northwestern France, to the regions known as Brittany and Normandy. The name Lavigne is derived from the Old French word "vigne," meaning "vine," and as such it is likely that the first bearers of this name owned or worked on a vineyard. 1

Early Origins of the Delasvignes family

The surname Delasvignes was first found in Brittany where they held a family seat in the seigneury of Haute Morays.

They later branched to Houle in that same province. They were closely allied to this latter House of Houlle de Kermassonet. Branching to the region of Tournai they intermarried with the family of Hennebert. Branches were later found in Maine, Le Mans, Bourbonnais, Guyenne, and Artois. In the south of France they held a family seat in the region of Languedoc at Puylaroque.

Joseph Lavigne, son of Pierre and Jeanne (née Gazaille), settled in Contrecoeur, Quebec and married Marie-Anne Gareau on 12th November 1727. 2

Early History of the Delasvignes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Delasvignes research. More information is included under the topic Early Delasvignes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Delasvignes Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Delasvignes, including Lavigne, Levine, Levin, Levigne, Levigny, Laveine, Lavignes, Lavene, Des Vignes, deVigne, Devignes, Devigne, De lavigne and many more.

Early Notables of the Delasvignes family

More information is included under the topic Early Delasvignes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Delasvignes family

Immigration to New France was slow; therefore, 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 Delasvignes 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 Delasvignes were Pierre Lavigne who settled in Quebec in 1757 from Bourbonnais; Guillaume Lavigne arrived in Quebec from Guyenne 1708; Joseph Lavigne arrived in Quebec from Guyenne in 1739.



  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


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