Desmarais History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The Desmarais surname is a habitational name derived from any of several places named with the Old French words "mareis" or "maresc", meaning "marsh".

Early Origins of the Desmarais family

The surname Desmarais was first found in Cambray, Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where ancestors of the family belonged to the house of Bousis. According to Arthurian legend, Sir Hector de Maris (or Ector de Maris), was a Knight of the Round Table, younger half-brother of Lancelot and the natural son of King Ban of Benwick and the Lady de Maris.

René Desmarais, son of Jean and Jeanne (née Brassard), travelled from Poitou, France to the New World in the 17th century. He married Jeanne Blondeau at Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 16th November 1671. 1

Early History of the Desmarais family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Desmarais research. Another 297 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1096, 1108, 1113, 1360, 1429, 1463, 1496, 1500, 1518, 1519, 1526, 1544, 1567, 1595, 1604, 1610, 1619, 1647, 1648, 1650, 1656, 1661, 1662, 1676, 1679, 1682, 1686, 1696, 1709, 1714, 1721, 1728 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Desmarais History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Desmarais Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Desmarais, Demarais, Des Marais, Desmarets, Desmarés, Desmareys, Desmaray, Desmaraie, Desmarest, Desmaret, Desmarets, Démarais, Démarets, Démarey, Démareys, Démarés, Démarey, Démaré, Démarés, Démarée, Démarées, Démaraie, Démaray, Maret, Marest, Marais, Mareys, Marets, Marest, Mares, Marays, Marrey, Mareys, Marées, Des Marest, Des Maret, Des Marets, Des Marez, De Marest, Du Marest, Du Marais, Du Marrey, Du Mareys, Du Mares, Du Marays, Du Mareys, Du Marées and many more.

Early Notables of the Desmarais family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Baldwin I, Lord of Marets in the 11th century, as well as Hugues Maret, the first Priest at the Benedictine Abbey of Valbenoite, in 1108. Jean Desmarets (1595-1676), Sieur de (Lord of) Saint-Sorlin was the author of many volumes of poetry and critical works, as well as the first chancellor and co-founder of the Académie Française; Nicolas Desmarets, known as the Marquis de Maillebois (1648-1721)...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Desmarais Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Desmarais World Ranking

In the United States, the name Desmarais is the 5,961^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Desmarais is ranked the 586^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,563 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Desmarais is the 251^st popular surname. 4

Desmarais migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Desmarais Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ozine Desmarais, who arrived in Minnesota in 1871
Louis Desmarais, aged 52, who landed in America, in 1896

Desmarais Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Louis Desmarais, aged 63, who immigrated to America from Paris, in 1906
Seph Desmarais, aged 43, who landed in America, in 1908
Rene Eugene Desmarais, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1912
Sephora Desmarais, aged 60, who settled in America from Paris, France, in 1914
Joseph N. Desmarais, aged 25, who settled in America, in 1918
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Desmarais migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Desmarais Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Charles Desmarais, 38, who arrived in Canada in 1643
Charles Desmarais, aged 38, who landed in Canada in 1643
Pierre Desmarais, who was on record in Montreal in 1660

Desmarais Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

P.N. Desmarais, aged 36, who immigrated to Sorel, Canada, in 1913

Contemporary Notables of the name Desmarais (post 1700) +

Paul Desmarais Sr (1927-2013), Canadian financier born in Sudbury, Ontario, one of the ten richest people in Canada, chairman and chief executive officer of Power Corporation of Canada
Charles Desmarais (b. 1949), American Art Critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, recipient of the 2017 Rabkin Prize for Visual Arts Journalism
Roland G. Desmarais, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1964; Mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, 1964-67 5
Octave O. Desmarais, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1948 6
Albert Desmarais, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 13th Ward, 1938 7
Odilon Desmarais KC (1854-1904), French Canadian lawyer, judge and politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for St. James (1896-1901)
Ludger Desmarais, Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman from Sudbury who played from 1926 to 1939
James Desmarais (b. 1979), Canadian professional ice hockey player
André Desmarais OC, OQ (b. 1956), Canadian businessman, son of Paul Desmarais, Sr
Paul Desmarais Jr. OC, OQ (b. 1954), Canadian businessman, Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Power Corporation of Canada, eldest son of Paul Desmarais Sr
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Roland Desmarais. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Octave Desmarais. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, April 12) Albert Desmarais. Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html