Lessard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The prestigious surname Lessard comes from the region of Provence, in France. The surname Lessard is of local origin, and is therefore a type of hereditary surname. Local surnames are derived either from an already existing place-name or from a local feature of the geography.

Early Origins of the Lessard family

The surname Lessard was first found in Provence, where this distinguished family held a family seat from ancient times.

In 1552, Antoine Sardo became the Deputy of Mons at Draguignan. Antoine Sarde was a clerk and deputy of Mons at Fayence and Tourettes in 1554 and at Barjols in 1574. Distinctive members of the family were Jean, Father Superior of Saint-Marcelin in 1614, and Antoine Sardi, Treasurer in 1620.

Throughout the centuries, this renowned family expanded, prospered and branched to various regions where they became prominent members of their respective communities. In Savoie for instance, Balthazard became the Chief Auditor in the Audit Office on October 19, 1622, and two noble members mentioned were, César on June 4, 1645 and Jean Antoine in 1665.

In recognition of their invaluable contributions in defending their country, several members of the family were granted titles, lands and letters patent certifying their nobility. Among those honored were the Lord Vincent Sarde of Candie in 1728 and the Count J. Sarde in 1731.

Etienne Lessard, born in 1623, travelled from Normandy (French: Normandie) to the New World in 1646. After settling in Quebec he was an ensign in the military at the Hill of Beaupré and he became co-lord of Lanoraie in 1668. He married Marguerite Sevestre on 8th April 1652 and they had 8 children, six sons and two daughters. Etienne passed away at the age of 80 and was buried at Sainte-Anne on 21st April 1703. His wife, Marguerite, passed away on 27th June 1720 and was buried at the same location as her husband. 1

Early History of the Lessard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lessard research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1384, 1406, 1580, 1598, 1617, 1622, 1634, 1655, 1658 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Lessard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lessard Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lessard, Lessart, Lessar, Lessarde, Lesart, Lesard, Lesser, Lesseir, Leser, Lezer, Lesarde, Lesar, Lezard, Lezzard, Lezart, Lezar, Lezarde, Lisart, Lizart, Sarde, Sardo and many more.

Early Notables of the Lessard family

Notable amongst the names at this time was Hubert Le Sueur (c.1580-1658), a French sculptor with the contemporaneous reputation of having trained in Giambologna's Florentine workshop; Balthazard Sarde, Chief Auditor in the Audit Office in 1622; Jean Le...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lessard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lessard World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lessard is the 4,225^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Lessard is ranked the 129^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,453 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lessard is the 39^th popular surname. 4 France ranks Lessard as 8,343^rd with 500 - 1,000 people. 5

Lessard migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lessard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charlotte Lessard, aged 38, who settled in America from London, England, in 1918
Joseph Lessard, aged 21, who immigrated to America, in 1921
Philip Lessard, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1922
Phillip Lessard, aged 25, who settled in America, in 1924

Lessard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lessard Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Guillaume Lessard, who landed in Montreal in 1657

Lessard Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Joseph Henri Lessard, aged 39, who settled in Canada, in 1905
J.A. Lessard, aged 39, who immigrated to Retford Mine, Canada, in 1906
Joseph A. Lessard, aged 30, who immigrated to Paris, destined for Canada, in 1914
Francis Louis Lessard, aged 55, who settled in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1916

Contemporary Notables of the name Lessard (post 1700) +

Raymond William Lessard (1930-2016), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia from 1973 to 1995
John Lessard (1920-2003), American composer and music educator
Stefan Kahil Lessard (b. 1974), American musician, best known as the bassist for the Dave Matthews Band
Viola Lessard, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1956 6
Peter R. Lessard, American politician, Mayor of Laconia, New Hampshire, 1965-67 6
Catherine A. Lessard, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 59th District, 1974 6
Brady Lessard, American politician, Mayor of Sanford, Florida; Elected 2001 6
Alton A. Lessard, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Lewiston, Maine, 1945; U.S. Attorney for Maine, 1947-53, 1961-65; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1956; Maine Democratic State Chair, 1958 6
André Lessard, French psychologist
Mario Lessard (b. 1954), retired Canadian NHL ice hockey goaltender
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"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/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html