Show ContentsTelliere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Of all the French names to come from Normandy, Telliere is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Telliere family

The surname Telliere was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this distinguished family held a family seat at St. Victor and Hauterocque as members of the aristocracy of that region. The name was derived from the word "telier," and denoted a tradesman of a linen weaver. 1

Early History of the Telliere family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Telliere research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1603, 1614, 1641, 1642, 1675, 1677, 1685, 1691, 1695, 1702, 1710, 1718, 1771, 1844 and 1845 are included under the topic Early Telliere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Telliere Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Telliere some of which are Tellier, Telier, Telliere, Teliere, Le Tellier, Le Teliere, Le Telliere, Le Telier, Letellier, Letelier, Letelliere and many more.

Early Notables of the Telliere family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Michel le Tellier (1603-1685), French statesman, Chancellor of France (1677) and Secretary of State for War; François Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois (1641-1691), French politician, Secretary of State for War; Louis Charles César Le Tellier (1695-1771) known as the Duke of Estrées, a French military commander and Marshal of France; Pierre Le Tellier...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Telliere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Telliere family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Telliere has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Telliere were John Tellier who landed in America in 1686; Jean Tellier settled in Louisiana in 1752; Michel Tellier settled in Louisiana in 1719; Antoine Letellier arrived in Quebec in 1726 from Ile-de-France.



  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.


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