Petitclerc History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Petitclerc family. Originally, the French people were known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted in France is extremely interesting. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Often they adopted names that were derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The name Petitclerc is a nickname type of surname for a person of small stature, having derived from the Old French word "petit," meaning, "small" or "little". 1

Early Origins of the Petitclerc family

The surname Petitclerc was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France where this distinguished family held a family seat at Bressey, where Antoine Petit was a knight of arms in the year 1353. They were also seated at Lavaux. They were strongly associated with the region of Champagne on the northern border of Bourgogne in eastern France. The first record in Bourgogne is at the seigneurie of Villiers-Sur-Suize where they held a family seat several centuries before the 15th century. In the 15th century Guyot Petit was Lord of the manor of Chaumont and a Lieutenant in the government of Nogent. This main stem of the family eventually emerged as the Barons Mathault.

It should be mentioned at this point that due to the Norman Conquest, some of the family emigrated to England, but not all.The source Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists "Ralph, William, Bernard, Herbert Parvus or le Petit, Normandy 1180-95" 1 which means that the name concurrently developed in England and Normandy at the same time.

Early History of the Petitclerc family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Petitclerc research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1360, 1411, 1550, 1598, 1617, 1665, 1674, 1677, 1685, 1687, 1688, 1720 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Petitclerc History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Petitclerc Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pettit, Petit, Petite, Petites, Pettitt, Petitt, Pessit, Du Pettit, Du Petitt, Du Petit, Le Petitt, Le Pettit and many more.

Early Notables of the Petitclerc family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Jean Petit (Jehan Petit, John Parvus) (c. 1360-1411), a French theologian and professor in the University of Paris, is known for his public defense of a political killing as tyrannicide; Pierre Petit (1598-1677), French mathematician; and Pierre Petit (1617-1687)...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Petitclerc Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Petitclerc migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Petitclerc Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Pierre Petitclerc, son of Jean and Marie, who married Françoise Paris, daughter of Edme and Lirette, in Quebec on 11th September 1673 2

Petitclerc Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jean-Baptiste Petitclerc, son of Pierre and Françoise, who married Marie-Françoise Provost, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Marie, in Quebec on 11th February 1709 2
Charles Petitclerc, son of Pierre and Françoise, who married Marie-Catherine Provost, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Marie, in Quebec on 18th February 1715 2
François Petitclerc, son of Pierre and Françoise, who married Marie-Rose Viau, daughter of Michel and Hélène, in Longueuil, Quebec on 12th August 1720 2
Jean-Baptiste Petitclerc, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Françoise, who married Félicité Bisson, daughter of Antoine and Élisabeth, in Sainte-Foy, Quebec on 17th May 1733 2
Louis Petitclerc, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Françoise, who married Geneviève Belleau, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Catherine, in Sainte-Foy, Quebec on4th March 1737 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Petitclerc (post 1700) +

Chantal Petitclerc CC CQ MSM (b. 1969), Canadian fourteen-time gold medalist wheelchair racer and a Senator from Saint-Marc-des-Carrières, Quebec
Denne Bart Petitclerc (1929-2006), American Writers Guild of America nominated writer, known for Islands in the Stream (1977), The Vivero Letter (1999) and Then Came Bronson
Denne Bart Petitclerc (1929-2006), American journalist, war correspondent, author, television producer, and screenwriter from Montesano, Washington
Chantal Petitclerc, Canadian actress, known for Bye-Bye (1968), Final Draw for Canada 2015 (2014) and Commonwealth Games (1954)
Germain Petitclerc, French Canadian producer and location manager
Jean Petitclerc (b. 1960), French Canadian actor, known for Adramélech (1985), Boost (2016) and 19-2 (2011)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.