Vignau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The history of the French name Vignau begins among the people of the province of Limousin. Vignau was a name for someone who lived in Limousin.

Early Origins of the Vignau family

The surname Vignau was first found in Limousin where this distinguished family held a family seat at Villefort as members of the aristocracy of that region.

Early History of the Vignau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vignau research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1789 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Vignau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vignau Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Vignau, including Vigneault, Vignault, Vignaux, Vignau, Vignaud, Vigneau and many more.

Early Notables of the Vignau family

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

Vignau Ranking

In France, the name Vignau is the 3,639^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 1

Vignau migration to Canada +

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. 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. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 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 Vignau 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 Vignau were

Vignau Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Paul Vignau, son of Jean and Renée, who married Françoise Bourgeois, daughter of Antoine and Marie, in Sainte-Famille, Quebec on 3rd November 1670 2

Vignau Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Antoine Vignau, son of Paul and Françoise, who married Madeleine Pichet, daughter of Jean and Marie-Madeleine, in Saint-Pierre-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Quebec on 19th February 1703 2
François Vignau, son of Gabriel and Françoise, who married Catherine Laurence, daughter of Noel and Isabelle, in Repentigny, Quebec on 11th January 1705 2
Louis-Jean Vignau, son of Louis and Judith, who married Marie-Renée Perrin, daughter of René and Marie-Jeanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 27th July 1728 2
Jean-Baptiste Vignau, son of François and Catherine, who married Marguerite Laporte, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Anne, in Saint-Sulpice, Quebec on 11th January 1734 2
Nicolas Vignau, son of François and Catherine, who married Angélique Laporte, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Angélique, in Saint-Sulpice, Quebec in 1741 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.