Show ContentsMaureau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Maureau is a nickname type of surname, derived from the Old French word "more," meaning "dark skinned," which in turn derives from the Phoenician "mauharim," meaning "eastern." This name was applied to Moors and other people with dark complexions. [1] Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Surnames derived from nicknames were quite common; they usually reflected physical characteristics or other attributes of the first person.

Early Origins of the Maureau family

The surname Maureau was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France, where this eminent family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Moreau was also found in the town of Montmoreau located in the department of Charente in the southwestern part of France. [1]

The family rose to nobility through the ages including in Brittany (French: Bretagne) where they were the lords of Keravel, cited in 1426. Over in Berry, the Moreau family were Lords of Chassy, and one of them was an alderman to the town of Bourges in 1651. Later they were also the lords of Lizoren, ennobled in 1819. [2]

Louis Moreau, born in 1649, son of François and Françoise (née Dubout), was a French doctor that travelled from La Rochelle to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Elizabeth Gagnon, daughter of Robert and Marie (née Parenteau), at Sainte-Famille on 21st February 1678. They had two daughters together, Élisabeth, born 28th September 1679, and Geneviève, born 2nd November 1681. They lived together in Quebec until Louis passed away at the age of 34 on 15th January 1683. [3]

Early History of the Maureau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maureau research. Another 314 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1386, 1467, 1477, 1522, 1656, 1717, 1733, 1740, 1741, 1750, 1763, 1781, 1787, 1791, 1793, 1804, 1806, 1813, 1814, 1819, 1826, 1882, 1884, 1892 and 1898 are included under the topic Early Maureau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maureau Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Moreau, Morreau, Moreaux, Morreaux, Morault, Morrault, Moreault, Moreaul, Morreaul, Moreaud, Morreaud, Moraud, Morraud, Morot, Morrot, Moreu, Morreu, Moreux, Morreux, Moron, Morron, Moureau, Moureaux, Moureaul, Moureu, Moureux, Mouraut, Mourault, Mouron, Lemoreau, Lamoreau, Lamoreaux, la Moreau, de Moreau, de la Moreau, Demoreau and many more.

Early Notables of the Maureau family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Jean-Baptiste Moreau (ca. 1656-1733), a French composer of the baroque period; Jacob Nicolas Moreau of Burgundy, born in 1717; Moreau of Saint-Rémy (1750-1819), a representative of Martinique at the Constituent Assembly; Pierre-Jean...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maureau Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Maureau family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Sannder Morrot, who arrived in Boston in 1652; Jean Moreau, who settled in Virginia in 1700; Francois Moreau, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719; Alexandre Moreau, who arrived in Louisiana in 1752.



  1. Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
  2. 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.
  3. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print


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