Show ContentsLeblance History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Leblance is derived from the French words "le" and "blanc", which translates to "the white." It was no doubt originally given to a man with white or blond hair and the feminine form, blanche, was usually given to a woman that possessed great beauty. 1

Early Origins of the Leblance family

The surname Leblance was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this ancient family were part of the Royal House of Blois and held a family seat with lands, titles, estates and manors. Members of this family were the hereditary Barons of Bailleul of Norman Conquest fame, and who assisted Duke William of Normandy, head of the House of Blois, in his conquest of England in 1066.

Members of this distinguished and Royal family branched to many locations throughout Europe and amongst the locations were: Silesia, Holland, Italy and Britain. The earliest record of the name Blanch occurred in Normandy between 1180-95 with William Blanc and Robert and John Blanche. 2

Another early finding of the name was Blanche of Navarre (1226-1283), also known as Blanche of Champagne, was the daughter of Theobald the Troubador, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne, and his second wife Agnes of Beaujeu. Blanche of Navarre (French: Blanche d'Évreux) (1330-1398) was Queen consort of France as the wife of King Philip VI of France. Blanche I (1387-1441) was Queen of Navarre from 1425 to 1441 and her daughter Blanche II of Navarre (1424-1464), was titular Queen of Navarre (1461-1464) and by marriage Princess of Asturias.

Another source also claims that the name could come from the Vendée, a department in western France and the town of Noirmoutiers, an island off of the west coast of France. 1

The name Blanche was first recorded in the western part of France with two former noble families. In Britain, Colin Blanche was a member of the house of the Duchess in 1400, Jean, was an armed archer for the Duc in 1420, and François, was a man involved in an armed watch of the city of Dinan in 1489. 3

The noble family with the name Blanche in Normandy and in Maine was maintained in the 1666 election around the time that Philippe was the Archbishop of Tours. The names including the article, such as Le Blanc, were most commonly seen in Northern France. 4

Jean Leblanc, born in 1620, was the son of Clement Leblanc and Anne Fevre. He was one of the first ancestors with the name Leblanc found in Canada. Jean married Euphrasie-Madeleine Nicolet on 21st November 1643 and together they had seven children. 5

Early History of the Leblance family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leblance research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1572, 1602, 1700, 1718, 1778 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Leblance History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leblance Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Leblance is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Leblanc, Lebland, Leblang, Le Blanc, Blanc, Blanche, Blanchet, Blancheteau, Blancheton, Blanchonnet, Blanchot, Blanchaud, Blanquet, Blancot, Bianchi, Blanchecappe, Blanchecotte, Le Blank, Blank, Blanque, Blanke, Blancke and many more.

Early Notables of the Leblance family

Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leblance Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Leblance family

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 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. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Leblance has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Leblance were Anne, Catherine, Elizabeth, Desiré LeBlanc with his wife Marie, Jacques LeBlanc and with his wife Joseth, Simon LeBlanc with his wife Marie Joseph, and Jerome LeBlanc, who all settled in Oxford county in Quebec in 1763.



The Leblance Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sans tache
Motto Translation: Without stain.


  1. Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. 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.
  4. Dauzat, Albert, Morlet, Marie-Thérèse, Dictionaire Étymologique des Noms et Prénoms de France. Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1987. Print.
  5. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print


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