Show ContentsMartines History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Of all the French names to come from Normandy, Martines is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Martines family

The surname Martines was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family has held a family seat since early times.

By 1204 a branch of the family was firmly established in Fittleton where Elyas de Martigni in Normandy gave five marks to pay tax on his lands in England. A second family of this name originated from the region of Faucigny, in the province of Savoie, then moved to Bourgogne, where they established in the region of Charollais.

Among its members were: Guillaume, a "gruyer" (supervisor of lands and forests) of Charollais in 1358; another Guillaume, a Knight, who was listed in an arms display in 1419; Jean, a Knight of the Order and Lord of la Villeneuve and Rocheprise, who died in 1576; and Jean and Claude, sons of Jean, who were Horsemen in 1593.

This certain family were admitted to the Estates in 1562. The last family originated from the region of Poitou. A member included in this family was: Jean, a Knight of Saint-Lazare, and spouse of Anne de Boigne, and who was a nephew of a Counselor of the Parliament of Bordeaux.

Louis Martineau, born in 1632, son of Jean and Mathurine (née Bonne), travelled to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Madeleine Marcot, born in 1634, daughter of Mathurin and Marie (née Regnaud), at Château-Richer on 9th April 1663. They remained together in Quebec until Louis passed away at Saint-François-de-l'île-d'Orléans on 21st May 1709. 1

Early History of the Martines family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Martines research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1139 and 1576 are included under the topic Early Martines History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Martines Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Martines, including Martigny, Martignie, Martignies, Marrtigny, Marrtignie, Marrtignies, Martigney, Martinerie, Martinière, Martinier, Martini, Martygny, Martygnie, Martygnies, Marttigny, Marttignie, Marttignies, de Martigny, du Martigny and many more.

Early Notables of the Martines family

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

Martines Ranking

In the United States, the name Martines is the 6,906th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2


United States Martines migration to the United States +

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Martines were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Martines were

Martines Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Martis Martines, aged 36, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 3
  • Manuel Martines, aged 32, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1831 3
  • Jose Maria Martines, who landed in Texas in 1835 3
  • Plas Martines, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1850 3
  • Juan Martines, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1859 3


The Martines 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: Sub umbra tuarum
Motto Translation: I will rest under a shadow.


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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