Show ContentsMoreau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Moreau 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 Moreau family

The surname Moreau 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 Moreau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Moreau 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 Moreau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Moreau 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 Moreau 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 Moreau, Master Advisor for the Chamber of Finances of Burgundy in 1781
  • Vincent-Simon Moreau, Treasurer of France for the region of Dijon in 1787
  • Jacques Joseph Moreau of Tours (1804-1884), a French physician and Bishop Moreau of Saint-Hyacinthe (1882), Canada

Moreau World Ranking

In the United States, the name Moreau is the 3,373rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. [4] However, in Canada, the name Moreau is ranked the 288th most popular surname with an estimated 14,991 people with that name. [5] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Moreau is the 108th popular surname. [6] France ranks Moreau as 10th with 78,177 people. [7]


United States Moreau migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moreau Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jean Moreau, who settled in Virginia in 1700
  • Jean Moreau, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1700 [8]
  • Ambroise Moreau, who landed in Louisiana in 1718-1724 [8]
  • Jacques Moreau, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718 [8]
  • Francois Moreau, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Moreau Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francois Moreau, who landed in Louisiana in 1805-1809 [8]
  • Benjamin Moreau, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1805
  • Jean Victor Marie Moreau, who landed in New York in 1809 [8]
  • Alphonse Moreau, who settled in Philadelphia in 1840
  • Roselina Moreau, aged 21, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1851 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Moreau Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Arhide Moreau, aged 45, who arrived in Hancock County, Miss in 1903 [8]
  • Aristide Moreau, who landed in Mississippi in 1903 [8]
  • Henri Moreau, aged 38, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Espagne" from Bordeaux, France [9]
  • Leon Moreau, aged 17, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Espagne" from Bordeaux, France [9]
  • Jean Moreau, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "La Lorraine" from Bordeaux, France [9]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Moreau migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Moreau Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Mr. René Moreau, French settler travelling to Canada to work for Jérôme Le Royer, arriving on 8th June 1659 [10]
  • Mr. Pierre Moreau, French settler travelling to Canada to work for Jeanne Mance and Sister Judith Moreau arriving on 21st June 1659 [10]
  • Jean Moreau, son of Jean and Jeanne, who married Anne Couture, daughter of Jacques and Marie, in Château-Richer, Quebec on 12th November 1665 [11]
  • Jean Moreau, son of Pierre and Françoise, who married Anne Guillet, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne, in Quebec on 26th June 1667 [11]
  • Mathurin Moreau, son of Louis and Jeanne, who married Marie Girard, daughter of Jean-Michel and Charlotte, in Quebec on 8th May 1667 [11]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Moreau Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Joseph Moreau, son of Jean and Anne, who married Françoise Frigon, daughter of Françoise and Marie, in Batiscan, Quebec on 8th February 1700 [11]
  • Jean Moreau, son of Jean and Suzanne, who married Agnès Richard, daughter of Guillaume and Agnès, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 1st December 1703 [11]
  • Edme Moreau, son of Jacques and Marguerite, who married Françoise Fortier, daughter of Étienne and Marguerite, in Montreal, Quebec on 29th August 1706 [11]
  • Daniel Moreau, son of Daniel and Suzanne, who married Marie Grou, daughter of Jean and Anne, in Rivières-des-Prairies, Quebec on 19th February 1709 [11]
  • Jean Moreau, son of Jean and Anne, who married Marie-Charlotte Lepelé, daughter of Claude and Marie-Charlotte, in Batiscan, Quebec on 21st February 1718 [11]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Moreau (post 1700) +

  • Janet Teresa Moreau (1927-2021), American two-time gold medallist track and field athlete who competed mainly in the 100 meters
  • Marguerite C. Moreau (b. 1977), American actress, known for her roles in Smallville, Lost, Cupid and The O.C
  • Jeanne Moreau (b. 1928), French actress awarded a César Award for Best Actress, a BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress and a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award
  • Emilienne R. Moreau, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1932 [12]
  • D. William Moreau Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 2000 [12]
  • Arthur E. Moreau, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1928; Candidate for Presidential Elector for New Hampshire, 1940 [12]
  • Lucienne Moreau (1933-2022), French actress, best known for her appearances on Groland and Le Petit Journal on Canal+
  • Jacques Moreau (1933-2017), French politician who served as a Socialist Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1984
  • Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [13]
  • Jean-Claude Moreau, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [14]
  • ... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  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
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  6. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  7. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  8. 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)
  9. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  10. Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
  11. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  12. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  13. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, May 6) Jean Moreau. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  14. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, May 6) Jean-Claude Moreau. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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