Gallant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of notable family names, including that of the distinguished Gallant family. Originally, the people in this region went by one (personal) name. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. These names then began to become "fixed" or hereditary between the generations. One of the types of names adopted as surnames were those derived from nicknames. Nicknames, or "eke-names," were an added name that generally reflected some physical characteristics or other attribute of the person that used the name. The Gallant surname derives from the Old French word "galer," which meant "to enjoy oneself;" and as such was a nickname for a cheerful or high-spirited person.
Early Origins of the Gallant family
The surname Gallant was first found in Picardy (French: Picardie) in northern France, where they held a family seat.
Early History of the Gallant family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gallant research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1646, 1715 and 1811 are included under the topic Early Gallant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gallant Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Gallant, Gallante, Gallont, Galant, Gallantes, Galante, Galantes, Gallonte, Gallontes, Galonte, Galontes, Callant, Callantes, Callante, Callont, Calant, Calante, Calantes, Callonte, Callontes, Calonte, Calontes, Galland, Galand, Galen, Gallen, Galande, Gallande, Galandes, Gallandes, Galland and many more.
Early Notables of the Gallant family
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gallant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gallant World Ranking
In the United States, the name Gallant is the 2,840th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Gallant is ranked the 147th most popular surname with an estimated 22,862 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Gallant is the 327th popular surname. 3 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Gallant as 499th with 95 people. 4
Gallant migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Gallant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Abraham Gallant, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" with Brooke family 5
- James Gallant, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" with Brooke family 5
- Glode Gallant, who landed in Virginia in 1649 5
- Daniell Gallant, who settled in Virginia in 1663-1679
Gallant Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- James Gallant, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1773
Gallant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- William Gallant, who landed in America in 1802 5
Gallant migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Gallant Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- John Gallant, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Contemporary Notables of the name Gallant (post 1700) +
- Matt Gallant (b. 1964), American Emmy Award-winning television host
- Lennie Gallant CM, Canadian Juno Award nominated singer-songwriter from Rustico, Prince Edward Island
- Mavis Leslie Gallant CC (1922-2014), née Young, Canadian writer awarded the Matt Cohen Prize in 2000, the Rea Award for the Short Story in 2002 and the O. Henry Prize Story of 2003
- Brian Gallant (b. 1982), Canadian politician, leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Association
- Shawn Gallant (b. 1976), Canadian CFL football defensive back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Paul-Émile Gallant (1944-2011), Canadian entrepreneur who invented the Puzz-3D three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles
- Patsy Gallant (b. 1948), Canadian pop singer and musical theater actress from Campbellton, New Brunswick
- Cheryl Gallant MP (b. 1960), Conservative Canadian politician
- Shannon Gallant (b. 1986), Australian rugby league player
- Brett Philip Gallant (b. 1990), Canadian bronze medalist curler from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
- ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Gallant family +
- Mrs. Bertha Gallant (1897-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 6
- Miss Rhoda Gallant (1917-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 6
- Mr. William Gallant (b. 1917), Canadian Ordinary Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Stephenville, Newfoundland, Canada, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 7
- Mr. Joseph Gallant (b. 1919), Canadian Ordinary Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Stephenville, Newfoundland, Canada, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 7
Citations +
- "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 order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
- H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm