Lafontaine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France-Alt
France

The French region of Savoie is the ancestral homeland of the prestigious surname Lafontaine. Lafontaine is a topographic surname, which is a form of hereditary surname. A topographic name would have been given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Lafontaine is derived from the Old French word fontaine, which means fountain, and served as a mark of recognition for someone who lived near such a landmark.

Early Origins of the Lafontaine family

The surname Lafontaine was first found in Savoie, where this renowned family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Early History of the Lafontaine family

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

Lafontaine 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 Lafontaine family

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

Lafontaine World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lafontaine is the 7,598^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Lafontaine is ranked the 492^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,899 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lafontaine is the 223^rd popular surname. 3 France ranks Lafontaine as 2,648^th with 2,500 - 3,000 people. 4

Lafontaine migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lafontaine Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Marie Lafontaine, aged 38, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719
Jean LaFontaine, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 5
Marie LaFontaine, aged 38, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 5
Joseph Lafontaine, who settled in Louisiana in 1755

Lafontaine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

F. L. Lafontaine, aged 22, who settled in Mississippi in 1820
John LaFontaine, aged 28, who settled in Charleston in 1823

Lafontaine migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lafontaine Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Fiacre LaFontaine, who arrived in Montreal in 1653
Pierre Lafontaine, who arrived in Montreal in 1659
Anthoine Lafontaine, who landed in Montreal in 1662
Germain LaFontaine, who landed in Canada in 1669
Malcoeur Lafontaine married Marie-Josephte Ripau, daughter of Jacques-Roch and Marie-Anne, in Cap-Santé, Quebec on 6th February 1689 6

Lafontaine Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Denis Lafontaine, son of Julien and Marguerite, who married Marie-Anne Savard, daughter of Jean nad Marguerite, in Quebec on 15th June 1713 6
Jacques Lafontaine, son of Claude and Jeanne, who married Marie-Anne Sénécal, daughter of Pierre and Marguerite, in La Prairie, Quebec on 29th January 1725 6
Alexis Lafontaine, son of Jean and Catherine, who married Marguerite Bellecque, daughter of Louis aand Madeleine, in Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan, Quebec on 25th November 1753 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Lafontaine (post 1700) +

Harry Lafontaine, American Motion Picture Company Executive, Miami Beach, Florida
Patrick "Pat" LaFontaine (b. 1965), American NHL ice hockey player
Don LaFontaine (1940-2008), American voice-over actor, nicknamed "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God"
Russell LaFontaine, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 1996 7
Louis C. Lafontaine, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Clinton County, 1915 7
Joseph Lafontaine, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maine 1st District, 1908 7
Andrea M. LaFontaine, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives 32nd District; Elected 2012 7
Brigadier-General Henri-Jean Lafontaine (1882-1966), French General Officer Commanding 55th Infantry Division (1940) 8
Oskar Lafontaine (b. 1943), German politician, Minister of Finance from 1998 to 1999
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine (1807-1864), Canadian politician, the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 5) Henri-Jean Lafontaine. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Lafontaine/Henri-Jean/France.html