Desvaux History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The proud French name Desvaux was formed in Brittany (French: Bretagne) when the family resided in a valley. The name Desvaux is derived from the French word "vallée," which means "valley."

Early Origins of the Desvaux family

The surname Desvaux was first found in Brittany, where they held a family seat in the honor of the seigneurie of la Burie.

By the 14th century they had also acquired estates in Brittany at des Fossés, St-Jouan, and du Val. They also held Montrayer, on the Island of Martinique. The Pimodan branch of the family were elevated to the nobility as the Marquis de Pimodan. They also acquired possessions near the border of Flanders, Normandy, and in the Franche-Comté to the south. By 1512 they held a seigneurie at Chenillon in Lorraine. Louise LaVallière was a favourite of Louis XIV, with whom she had four legitimate children.

Pierre Lavallee, born in 1645, son of Pierre and Madeleine, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Marie-Thérèse Leblanc, daughter of Leonard and Marie, on 12th January 1665. 1

Early History of the Desvaux family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Desvaux research. The years 1385, 1404, 1414, 1620, 1644, 1661, 1664, 1665, 1667, 1673, 1682 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Desvaux History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Desvaux 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 Lavalle, Lavallée, Lavallee, La Vallee, Levalle, Leval, Lavallière, Lavallier, Levallier, Lavallois, Levallois, Lavallet, Levallet, Lavalet, Levalet, Lavaley, Levaley, Lavalley, Levalley, Lavally, Levally, Lavallière, de Vallée, de Vallee and many more.

Early Notables of the Desvaux family

Notable amongst this name at this time was Guy XIII de Laval, (1385-1414), seigneur of Laval and of Kergorlay, inherited the Laval title through his marriage on 22 January 1404 to Anne de Laval, As daughter and sole heir to Guy XII de Laval, Anne was "dame de Laval", and one of the conditions of the marriage was that any children born to it would...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Desvaux Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Desvaux Ranking

In France, the name Desvaux is the 5,043^rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Desvaux migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Desvaux Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

F. Desvaux, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British King" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name Desvaux (post 1700) +

Jean-Jacques Desvaux de Saint-Maurice, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 3

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 27) Jean-Jacques Desvaux. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html