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The present generation of the Boudreaux family is only the most recent to bear a name that originated in that ancient area known as Languedoc. Their name comes from having lived in Languedoc, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.
The surname Boudreaux was first found in Languedoc, where the family was anciently established.
The members of the family also settled in other regions of France, where several of them distinguished themselves. Jean-Baptiste Boudrot was born in Tixey, in Côte-d'Or, in 1819, into a family of cultivators. He was ordained in 1843 and became a scholar. Among his writings were "L'hôtel-Dieu de Beaune" (1878) and "Le jugement dernier" (1875).
Jean Boudreau, born in 1643, son of Martin and Marie (née Foucault), travelled from Charente-Inferieure, France to Canada in 1667. He married Marie-Rose Vivien on 13th September 1673. His second marriage was in Charlesbourg on 13th December 1689 to Elizabeth Pivain. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boudreaux research. The years 1819, 1843, 1878 and 1875 are included under the topic Early Boudreaux History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The many different spellings of French surnames can be partially explained by the use of local dialects and by the influence of other languages during the early development of the French language. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Boudreaux is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Boudreau, Boudreaux, Boudrot, Boudros, Boudrault, Boudreault, Boudriaux, Boudret, Boudereau, Boudereaux, Bouderot, Bouderos, Bouderault, Boudereault, Boudreiaux, Bouderet and many more.
Notable amongst the family name at this time was
In the United States, the name Boudreaux is the 1,976th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 2
French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that 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. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Boudreaux surname were