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![Show Contents]() Richeau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 France
The history of the name Richeau goes back the Medieval period to a region known as Brittany (French: Bretagne). Such a French name was given to a person known for his bravery. The name Richard is derived from the Germanic personal name of Richard, which is composed of the elements "ric", meaning "powerful", and "hard", meaning "brave" or "strong". Early Origins of the Richeau familyThe surname Richeau was first found in Brittany where they held a family seat in the honour of Kerjean, a seigneurie which would ultimately become noblesse as Barons of the Empire. By the 15th century many of the family name had branched eastward to Lorraine, where the name seemed to become most prolific. Meanwhile, they also emerged in other locations throughout France including Aboncourt in Lorraine, Dauphine, Bressel in Neufchatel, Pichon in île-de-France, Prade in Lyonnais, Vaux in Roannais, Ruffey in Bourgogne, Pontreau in Berry, in Brittany at Pervenchere, Primaudaye, and in Coetaufao. François Richard was a French industrialist who died in 1839. Marin Richard, son of Jean and Guillemette (née Bertin), is recorded as one of the first members of the Richard family to come to New France in the 17th century. He is viewed as the primary ancestor for the Richard families in Canada. Marin eventually settled at Saint-Charles-des-Grandines and married Marie-Madeleine Grandjean, daughter of Philippe and Claude (née Argentiere), in Quebec on 21st October 1669. 1 Early History of the Richeau familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Richeau research. The years 1621 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Richeau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Richeau Spelling VariationsMost surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Richeau, including Richard, Richeau, de Richard, De Richard, de la Richard, Richaud, Richart and many more. Early Notables of the Richeau familyAnother 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Richeau Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Richeau familyFrance finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. 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 the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Richeau were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Richeau were Marin Richard arrived in Quebec from Normandy in 1669; Jean Richard arrived in Quebec from Anjou in 1700; Francois (1710), Francois (1747), and Michel (1746) arrived in Quebec from Brittany.
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Aimer
Motto Translation: Love
- Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
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