Poitevin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Early Origins of the Poitevin family

The surname Poitevin was first found in Yorkshire in the West Riding. where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Headingly. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Headingly, which William de Poitevin acquired through marriage to the daughter of Ilbert de Lacy who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. They were originally from Poitou in Normandy.

Early History of the Poitevin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poitevin research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) 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: Poitevin, Paytfen, Peytwin, Peteyvin, Peytivin, Portwine, Portwin, Potwin, Potwyn, Potwyne, Portwyn, Pettevin, Petvin, Peytvin, Portway, Portwey, Potyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Poitevin family

More information is included under the topic Early Poitevin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poitevin Ranking

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

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 3
Louis Vincent Poitevin, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 3

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 4
Louis Poitevin, son of Jean and Madeleine, who married Marie-Jeanne Prinseau, daughter of Louis and Marie-Reine, in Quebec in 1689 4
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 4

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 4
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 4
Jean Poitevin, son of Jean and Françoise, who married Marie-Anne Bougret, daughter of Claude and Marie, in Quebec on19th January 1728 4
Jacques-Christophe Poitevin, son of Étienne and Anne, who married Marie Viau, daughter of Michel and Hélène, in Longueuil, Quebec on 8th January 1731 4
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 4
... (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 5
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

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
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