Le gris History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The surname Le gris is a name of ancient French origin. It was a Breton name given to a person with gray hair. The name Le gris is derived from the Old French word "gris," which means "gray," and was often given to someone with gray hair.

Early Origins of the Le gris family

The surname Le gris was first found in Brittany where this distinguished family held a family seat at Motte, and were prominent members of the aristocracy.

Early History of the Le gris family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Le gris research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1789 is included under the topic Early Le gris History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Le gris Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Le gris some of which are Gris, Griss, Grix, LeGris, Legris, Legriss and many more.

Early Notables of the Le gris family

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

Le gris Ranking

In France, the name Le gris is the 3,283^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 1

Le gris migration to Canada +

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Le gris surname were

Le gris Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Adrien Legris (1686), Jean Legris (1692), and Denis Legris (1728) all arrived in Quebec from Ile-de-France
Adrien Legris, son of Guillaume and Claire, who married Françoise Branche, daughter of René and Marie, in Quebec on 25th November 1686 2
Jean Legris, son of Guillaume and Claire, who married Marie-Geneviève Sédilot, daughter of Jean and Marie-Claire, in Quebec on 7th January 1692 2

Le gris Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Claude Legris, son of Adrien and Françoise, who married Marie-Josephte Martin, daughter of Nicolas and Marie-Angélique, in Quebec on 28th November 1717 2
Pierre Legris, son of Jean and Marie-Geneviève, who married Marguerite Bray, daughter of Léger and Marguerite, in Longueuil, Quebec on 11th February 1726 2
Pierre-Denis Legris, son of Pierre and Marie-Anne, who married Marie-Catherine Trefflé, daughter of François and Geneviève, in Quebec on 4th October 1728 2
Jean-Baptiste Legris, son of Jacques and Catherine, who married Gertrude-Louise Déry, daughter of Joseph and Marie-Élisabeth, in L'Assomption, Quebec on 6th November 1741 2
Adrien Legris, son of Jean and Jeanne, who married Thérèse Chevalier, daughter of Étienne and Marguerite, in Quebec on 14th October 1743 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Le gris (post 1700) +

Robert Legris, Montreal Lawyer, Quebec, Canada
Sylvia Legris (b. 1960), Canadian poet

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.