Montaigu History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The surname Montaigu is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Montaigu is derived from the Old French words mont, meaning mountain, and agu, meaning pointed or sharp, and indicates that the original bearer lived near or at a mountain with a pointed peak.

Early Origins of the Montaigu family

The surname Montaigu was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France, where this very famous family has been traced from very early times.

Early History of the Montaigu family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Montaigu research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1192, 1297, 1308, 1314, 1363, 1381, 1409 and 1470 are included under the topic Early Montaigu History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Montaigu Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Montaigu, Montaigue, Montaigues, Montaigou, Montaigoue, Montaigoues, Montaigoux, Montaigous, Montaigout, Montaigoud, Monttaigu, Monttaigue, Monttaigues, Monttaigou, Monttaigoue, Monttaigoues, Monttaigoux, Monttaigous, Monttaigout, Monttaigoud, Montagu, de Montaigu and many more.

Early Notables of the Montaigu family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Jean de Montaigu (1363-1409), an advisor to Charles V and Charles VI of France, made a career at the royal court, rising to become Charles VI's primary Master of the Household, duke John the Fearless...

Migration of the Montaigu family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Major Montaigue who settled in San Francisco during the gold rush in 1850; Elizabeth Montague settled in Maryland in 1737; William Montague settled in Philadelphia in 1848..

Contemporary Notables of the name Montaigu (post 1700) +

Francine Montaigu, residence nurse, Paris, France

The Montaigu 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: Dieu et l'honneur
Motto Translation: God and honor.