Fontain History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The French region of Savoie is the ancestral homeland of the prestigious surname Fontain. The name Fontain is derived from the Old French word "fontaine," which means "fountain," and as a name it no doubt originally served as a mark of recognition for someone who lived near such a landmark. As such, Fontain is classed as a topographic surname.

Early Origins of the Fontain family

The surname Fontain was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where this renowned family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Early History of the Fontain family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fontain research. Another 310 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1238, 1339, 1357, 1390, 1418, 1450, 1521, 1551, 1579, 1600, 1621, 1658, 1663, 1685, 1695, 1696, 1702, 1731, 1745, 1752, 1789, 1816 and 1882 are included under the topic Early Fontain History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fontain Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lafontaine, Lafontain, Lafantaine, Fontaine, Fantaine, Fontain, Fontein, Fantein, Fantaine, Fonteyn, Lafonteyn, Lafon and many more.

Early Notables of the Fontain family

Notable in the family name at this time was

Pierre Fontaine (c. 1390-1450), a French composer and singer, who served in the chapel of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy
François Lafontaine , Lord of Mézeyrac during the 1600's
Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695), a French poet and man of letters, considered one of the great French classical authors
Jean Desfontaines (c. 1658-1752), a French Baroque composer
The Abbé Pierre François Guyot-Desfontaines (1685-1745), a French journalist, translator and popular historian

Fontain migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fontain Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Fontain, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 1
Theodor Jacob Fontain, who arrived in America in 1754 1

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)