Gilot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The French name Gilot first arose during the Medieval period in the Languedoc region. It is derived from when the family having lived in Languedoc.

Early Origins of the Gilot family

The surname Gilot was first found in Languedoc, where the family has held a family seat since very early times.

Descending from the original line of Languedoc were François de Ricard, Lord of Cauderoque, Durand de Ricard, Lord of Villenouvette, Jean de Ricard de Villeneuve, Lord and Baron of Villeneuve-la-Comtal. In 1789 Jacques de Ricard de Villeneuve was a member of the Assembly of nobility of Castelnaudary. Jean-Henry de Ricard was a Lawyer in Parliament.

In the 15th century, Bérenger Guilhot became the archbishop of Auch. The family was believed to participate in the affairs of their community and were awarded lands, titles and letters patent confirming their nobility. Those who were granted the title of Lords of Ferrières were Bérenger Guilhot, Jean Guilhot, Arnaud Guilhot and Dominique Guilhot. The granting of the title to the prestigious members of this family was believed to confer special rights, privileges and responsibilities and Guillaume Guilhot became the Lord and also the Baron of Ferrières.

François Guilhot who branched out to Crouzet was given the title of Lord of Crouzet, rewarded with lands, estates, and became the founder of a new branch of this esteemed family. Notable among the distinguished branch of Lagarde was Emile-Joseph-Marie Guilhot who was the Captain and the Commandant of the 8th regiment of Hussars in the 19th century.

Jean Guillot, born in 1650, son of François and Jeanne (née Brou), was a carpenter for the king that travelled to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Françoise Trud, daughter of Mathurin and Marguerite (née Gareman), on 3rd February 1688. 1

Early History of the Gilot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gilot research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gilot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gilot Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Gilot, including Guilhot, Guilot, Guillhot, Guillot, Guillut, Guilut, Guilhut, Gillot, Gilhot and many more.

Early Notables of the Gilot family

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

Gilot Ranking

In France, the name Gilot is the 4,833^rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Gilot family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Gilot has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Gilot were Hennemon Guillot settled in Louisiana in 1752; Jacques Guillot settled in Louisiana in 1756; François Gillot, aged 13; settled in Louisiana in 1719.

Contemporary Notables of the name Gilot (post 1700) +

Françoise Gaime Gilot (1921-2023), French painter in watercolors and ceramics, lover and artistic muse of Pablo Picasso, from which she had two children, when she left him he discouraged galleries from buying her work and unsuccessfully tried to block her 1964 memoir, Life with Picasso, from being published
Joseph Gilot, 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, March 6) Joseph Gilot. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html