Leveske History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

The name Leveske belongs to the early history of France, in the much fought over region of Normandy. It is a product of the family's residency in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Leveske family

The surname Leveske was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy. One of the first records of the family was Ralph and John Leveske, who were listed there from 1180-98 according to the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. 1

The root name, Eveske, means "bishop." Interestingly, while few of the family migrated to England after the Norman Conquest, Henry Eveske was listed as living there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273.

Robert Levesque, born in 1645, son of Pierre Levesque and Marie Gaumont, was a carpenter that arrived in New France (Quebec) from Normandy. He married Jeanne Le Chevalier in Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 22 April 1679 and together they had six children, three of which were sons that carried on the name Levesque. Robert was buried in Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec on 3 September 1699. 2

Early History of the Leveske family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leveske research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1634, 1675, 1792, 1807, 1809 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Leveske History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leveske Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Levesque, Lévesque, Levecke, Levek, Leveque, Lévèque, Lavesque, Levèque, Levesques, Levecque, Levecques, Lavecque, Levècque, Lévèque, Levéque and many more.

Early Notables of the Leveske family

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leveske Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Leveske family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Leveske has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Leveske were Marie Levesque settled in Virginia in 1700; Paul Levesque, aged 14; settled in New Orleans in 1820; Alexandre Levesque, aged 17; settled in New Orleans in 1820.

Citations +

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)
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print