Livas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Noble surnames, such as Livas, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Livas, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful île-de-France region. In France, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Livas family originally derived its surname from the name of the place in Levy Saint Nom in île-de-France.

Early Origins of the Livas family

The surname Livas was first found in île-de-France, where this remarkable family has been traced since the 12th century.

The family branched into several other regions throughout France, and held lands and estates. One such branch extended to Bourgogne from Lugny in the 1400's, by Eustache de Lévis. He was the second son of Philippe, who was the Lord of Florensac and of Alix de Quélus. After his marriage to Alix, Dame of Cousan and daughter of Hugues Damas, Lord of Cousan and Alix of Beaujeu, Philippe became the owner of lands in Lugny in Charollais, which was one of the four largest baronies in the county and one that his descendants still hold.

This family also held fiefs in la Perrierre, le Plessis, Bragny, Ecuelle, Châtelet, la Barre, Saint-Germain-du-Plain, Ouroux, Limon, Thorey, Servigny, and Talant in Chalonnais, as well as the baronies of Bernon, Servoisy, and Lignière. François Gaston, Duke of Lévis, (1720-1787), born in Ajac (Aude), was a Marshal of France and tried in vain to save Canada. His son, Pierre Marie Gaston, was a member of the French National Assembly. The family held the hereditary titles of Duc de Venetadour, Duc de Damville, and the Duc de Fernando-Luis.

Early History of the Livas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Livas research. Another 36 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1230, 1647, 1717, 1719, 1760, 1785 and 1787 are included under the topic Early Livas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Livas Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lévis, Lévi, Lévie, Le Vie, de Lévis, de Lévie, de Lévis, Lévy, Levison, Levisonne, Levisonnes, Levisson, Levissonne, Levissonnes, Levisons, Levissons, Levisont, Levisonts, Levisond, Levisonds, Levey, Lévee, Levis and many more.

Early Notables of the Livas family

Notable amongst the family was Louis Charles de Lévis (1647-1717), a French nobleman and Duke of Ventadour.François-Gaston de Lévis, Duc de Lévis (1719-1787), styled as the Chevalier de Lévis until 1785, was a nobleman and a...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Livas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Livas family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Mary Levis settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1767; Elizabeth Levis, aged 24; settled in Philadelphia in 1820; C. B. Levison settled in Philadelphia in 1858.

The Livas 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: Aide dieu au second Chretien Levis
Motto Translation: God help the second Chretien Levis