Show ContentsPoitevin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Poitevin family

The surname Poitevin was first found in Poitou, where Poitevin (Poetevin) is a regional language spoken in that area that dates back to at least the 13th century when it appeared in charters and legal documents at that time. People who spoke the languages were known as the Poitevins.

Today, the Marais Poitevin (Poitevin Marsh) is a large area of marshland in western France, and has been historically used for farming; parts of the marsh are today a maze of islets and canals that attracts tourists worldwide and is nicknamed The Green Venice (la Venise Verte.) Podevin who lived in the 10th century, was a page of Duke Wenceslaus I of Bohemia and was the "page" in the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslaus."

Early History of the Poitevin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poitevin research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1060, 1140, 1566, 1567, 1568 and 1822 are included under the topic Early Poitevin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poitevin Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Potvin, Potvan, Poitvin, Poitevin, Pottevin, Pottvin, Poittvin, Poiteuin and many more.

Early Notables of the Poitevin family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Maixent Poitevin, French politician, Mayor of Poitiers, France (1566 to 1568), he served two terms re-elected once in 1567

Poitevin Ranking

In France, the name Poitevin is the 2,476th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 1


United States Poitevin migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Poitevin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Rebeca Poitevin, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 2
  • Louis Vincent Poitevin, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 2

Canada Poitevin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Poitevin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Jean Poitevin, son of Laurent and Marie, who married Madeleine Guillaudeau, daughter of Jean and Madeleine, in Quebec on 19th August 1669 3
  • Louis Poitevin, son of Jean and Madeleine, who married Marie-Jeanne Prinseau, daughter of Louis and Marie-Reine, in Quebec in 1689 3
  • François Poitevin, son of Jean and Madeleine, who married Marie-Françoise Morel, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Jeanne, in Beauport, Quebec on 15th October 1692 3
Poitevin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • François Poitevin, son of François and Marguerite, who married Catherine Lesieur, daughter of Jean and Marie-Charlotte, in Quebec on 26th January 1716 3
  • Jean-Baptiste Poitevin, son of Louis and Marie-Jeanne, who married Françoise Dumont, daughter of François and Jeanne, in La Prairie, Quebec on 30th September 1726 3
  • Jean Poitevin, son of Jean and Françoise, who married Marie-Anne Bougret, daughter of Claude and Marie, in Quebec on19th January 1728 3
  • Jacques-Christophe Poitevin, son of Étienne and Anne, who married Marie Viau, daughter of Michel and Hélène, in Longueuil, Quebec on 8th January 1731 3
  • François Poitevin, son of Jean and Marie, who married Françoise Guérin, daughter of Antoine and Catherine, in Rivières-des-Prairies, Quebec on 7th January 1733 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Poitevin (post 1700) +

  • Jean Étienne Casimir Poitevin de Maureilhan, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 4
  • Guy Poitevin (1927-2008), French footballer and manager, active in the 1950s through the 1960s
  • Alphonse Poitevin (1819-1882), French chemist, photographer and civil engineer, inventor of photolithography and collotype processes


  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  2. 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)
  3. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  4. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Jean Poitevin. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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