Guern History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

The French name Guern has a history dating as far back as the 13th century. This history is intrinsically entwined with that region known as Normandy, for it was derived from when the Guern family lived in Normandy, at Gueron. 1

Guérin was also originally a name given to a person that was born under the astrological sign of Aries, so it is assumed by some sources that the name Guerin stemmed form this nickname. 2

Early Origins of the Guern family

The surname Guern was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where they held a family seat at Gueron and were the seigneurie of that area, in the department of Calvados in the arrondissement of Bayou. In 1086 Turstin de Giron or Girounde was an under-tenant of Odo, Bishop of Bayou. Later, in 1133, Gueron is described as a bravassoria of the Bishop of Bayou. They also branched to Grée and Landelle in Brittany. This distinguished family were Grand Masters of the Order of St.Jean of Jerusalem in 1231.

Some scholars believe the name finds its early roots with the Guerins of Gauthier and Saint Martin. His posterity included the name Warren in England, Guaragno and Guarini in Italy, and of course Guerin in France 1.

"About 1050, Robert surnamed Guernon, Baron of Montfiquet, witnessed a charter of Duke William. He had issue, 1. William de Montfitchet, who died when the barony descended on the son of his brother: 2. Robert Guernon, or Gernon, who held a great barony in Essex in 1086. From his eldest son, William de Montfitchet, descended the Barons Montfichet; the younger branches retained the name of Guernon. Alured Gernon, the brother of William de Montfichet, had estates in Essex and Middlesex in 1130. " 3

Some ancient findings of the name include, the Guerins of Agon, ennobled in 1653, the Guerins of Chermont, ennobled in 1657, the Guerins of Grasserie who were councilors in parliament, cited in 1452, and the Guerins of Houssaye, three of which were knights of Saint Louis. 1

Claude Guerin, born in 1668, son of Michel and Jeanne (née Veron), was a soldier for M. Noyan. He married Jeanne Cusson at Montreal, Quebec on 19th November 1696. 4

Early History of the Guern family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guern research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1606, 1611, 1663, 1678, 1679, 1681, 1688, 1698, 1721, 1748, 1749, 1758, 1774, 1799, 1805, 1810, 1833, 1839, 1848 and 1874 are included under the topic Early Guern History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guern 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 Guern, including Guerrin, Guerren, Guerin, Guerinne, Guerrein, Guereon, Gueron, Gerin, Garin, Le Guerin, Guerenne, Le Guerinne, De Guerin, De Guerrin, Du Guerin and many more.

Early Notables of the Guern family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Gilles Guérin (1611-1678), French sculptor; Louis Laguerre (1663-1721), a French decorative painter who mainly worked in England; Pierre Guérin de Tencin (1679-1758), French ecclesiastic; Claudine Guérin de Tencin (1681-1749), French salonist and...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guern Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Guern family

Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. 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 the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Guern were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Guern were Guillaume Guerin who settled in Quebec in 1704 from Normandy; Bertrand Guerin settled in Quebec in 1739 also from Normandy; Jacques Benjamin Guerin from Brittany settled in Quebec in 1759.

Citations +

Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print