Therrien History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The Therrien name comes from that Medieval landscape of northwestern France known as Brittany (French: Bretagne). The name Therrien was originally derived from the family having lived in Brittany.

Early Origins of the Therrien family

The surname Therrien was first found in Brittany where this distinguished family held a family seat in the honor of the seigneurie of Ragotiere.

A member of this distinguished family accompanied Richard The Lionheart (Richard I of England) in his first Crusade to the Holy Land. One of the main branches of Stang was represented by a Cavalier in 1448. Etienne Thirion was a Seigneur of Barges in 1577. The family branched to Normandy where they held lands. Meanwhile in Bourgogne the family were elevated to the nobility. They made important alliances with the families of Ramessel, Chauvirey, Doyen, and Blondefontaine. 1

Pierre Terrienne settled in Canada in the 17th century. He married Gabrielle Minaud, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, at Sainte-Famille, Quebec on 17th May 1670. They remained together in Quebec until Pierre's death on 12th September 1706. Gabrielle passed away on 27th November 1707. 2

Early History of the Therrien family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Therrien research. The years 1448 and 1577 are included under the topic Early Therrien History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Therrien Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Therrien is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Terrien, Terrion, Terrian, Thirion, Therien, Therrien, Terrienne, de Terrien and many more.

Early Notables of the Therrien family

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

Therrien World Ranking

In the United States, the name Therrien is the 5,355^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Therrien is ranked the 243^rd most popular surname with an estimated 16,587 people with that name. 4 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Therrien is the 68^th popular surname. 5

Therrien migration to Canada +

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 Therrien 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 Therrien were

Therrien Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Pierre Therrien came from Angoumois on the west coast of France and settled in Quebec in 1656
Jacques Therrien from Normandy settled in Quebec in 1667

Contemporary Notables of the name Therrien (post 1700) +

Valerie Therrien, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alaska, 1996, 2004 6
Andre Therrien (b. 1975), Canadian professional football player
Michel Therrien (b. 1963), Canadian NHL hockey scout and former head coach, nominee for the Jack Adams Award
Jean-François Therrien (b. 1969), Canadian politician from Quebec
Gaston Therrien (b. 1960), retired Canadian professional ice hockey player

Citations +

Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html