Pillon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The French name Pillon has a history dating as far back as the Middle Ages. The name is thought to derive from the Old French word "pelon," which referred to the spiky outer shell of a chestnut; and from this, it has been suggested that the name was a nickname for a quick-tempered or unpleasant person. The history of this surname is intrinsically entwined with that of the region of Normandy, where the earliest records of the Pillon family were found.

Early Origins of the Pillon family

The surname Pillon was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy. The name can also be traced to Brittany, where individuals of the Pillet family were lords of Hérconnais, such as Pierre, who was given noble status in 1435, and was father of Jean, secretary of the duke. Germain Pilon, who was born in 1515 and died in Paris, was a sculptor.

Jean-Baptiste Pilon, born around 1653, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie (née Roussell), arrived in New France in the 17th century. After settling in Canada he married Elizabeth Bertaut, daughter of Jacques and Gillette (née Bonne), at Repentigny, Quebec on 29th February 1688. They had nine children together, five daughters and four sons. 1

Early History of the Pillon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pillon research. The years 1771, 1772, 1792 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Pillon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pillon Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Pillon, some of which include Pilon, Pile, Pilet, Pillet, Pilot, Pillot, Pillon, Pilier, Pillier, Dupillier, Pilaire, Pilard, Pillard, Pilleux and many more.

Early Notables of the Pillon family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Anne-Adrien-Firmin Pillon was a literary hack in Paris at this time
Alexandre-Jean-Baptiste Pillon, son of the former, was a Hellenistic scholar in Amiens around 1792

Pillon Ranking

In France, the name Pillon is the 1,570^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,796 people with that name. 2

Pillon migration to the United States +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. 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 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Pillon has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Pillon were

Pillon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

P Pillon, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Pillon (post 1700) +

Gregory M. Pillon, American Republican politician, Republican Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962 4
Edmond Jacques Marcel Pillon (1891-1921), French World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories
François Pillon (1830-1914), French philosopher
Giuseppe Pillon (b. 1956), Italian football manager
Jacqueline Patricia Pillon (b. 1977), Canadian actress

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html