La Fontaine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The French region of Savoie is the ancestral homeland of the prestigious surname La Fontaine. The name La Fontaine is derived from the Old French word "fontaine," which means "fountain," and as a name it no doubt originally served as a mark of recognition for someone who lived near such a landmark. As such, La Fontaine is classed as a topographic surname.
Early Origins of the La Fontaine family
The surname La Fontaine was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where this renowned family has held a family seat since ancient times.
Early History of the La Fontaine family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our La Fontaine research. Another 310 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1238, 1339, 1357, 1390, 1418, 1450, 1521, 1551, 1579, 1600, 1621, 1658, 1663, 1685, 1695, 1696, 1702, 1731, 1745, 1752, 1789, 1816 and 1882 are included under the topic Early La Fontaine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
La Fontaine Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Lafontaine, Lafontain, Lafantaine, Fontaine, Fantaine, Fontain, Fontein, Fantein, Fantaine, Fonteyn, Lafonteyn, Lafon and many more.
Early Notables of the La Fontaine family
Notable in the family name at this time was
- Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695), a French poet and man of letters, considered one of the great French classical authors
La Fontaine World Ranking
In the United States, the name La Fontaine is the 7,598th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name La Fontaine is ranked the 492nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,899 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name La Fontaine is the 223rd popular surname. 3 France ranks La Fontaine as 2,648th with 2,500 - 3,000 people. 4
La Fontaine migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
La Fontaine Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Marie Lafontaine, aged 38, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719
- Jean LaFontaine, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 5
- Marie LaFontaine, aged 38, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 5
- Joseph Lafontaine, who settled in Louisiana in 1755
La Fontaine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- F. L. Lafontaine, aged 22, who settled in Mississippi in 1820
- John LaFontaine, aged 28, who settled in Charleston in 1823
La Fontaine migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
La Fontaine Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
- Fiacre LaFontaine, who arrived in Montreal in 1653
- Pierre Lafontaine, who arrived in Montreal in 1659
- Anthoine Lafontaine, who landed in Montreal in 1662
- Germain LaFontaine, who landed in Canada in 1669
- Malcoeur Lafontaine married Marie-Josephte Ripau, daughter of Jacques-Roch and Marie-Anne, in Cap-Santé, Quebec on 6th February 1689 6
La Fontaine Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Denis Lafontaine, son of Julien and Marguerite, who married Marie-Anne Savard, daughter of Jean nad Marguerite, in Quebec on 15th June 1713 6
- Jacques Lafontaine, son of Claude and Jeanne, who married Marie-Anne Sénécal, daughter of Pierre and Marguerite, in La Prairie, Quebec on 29th January 1725 6
- Alexis Lafontaine, son of Jean and Catherine, who married Marguerite Bellecque, daughter of Louis aand Madeleine, in Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan, Quebec on 25th November 1753 6
Contemporary Notables of the name La Fontaine (post 1700) +
- Harry Lafontaine, American Motion Picture Company Executive, Miami Beach, Florida
- Patrick "Pat" LaFontaine (b. 1965), American NHL ice hockey player
- Don LaFontaine (1940-2008), American voice-over actor, nicknamed "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God"
- Russell LaFontaine, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 1996 7
- Louis C. Lafontaine, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Clinton County, 1915 7
- Joseph Lafontaine, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maine 1st District, 1908 7
- Andrea M. LaFontaine, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives 32nd District; Elected 2012 7
- Brigadier-General Henri-Jean Lafontaine (1882-1966), French General Officer Commanding 55th Infantry Division (1940) 8
- Oskar Lafontaine (b. 1943), German politician, Minister of Finance from 1998 to 1999
- Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine (1807-1864), Canadian politician, the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada
- ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
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
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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)
- Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 5) Henri-Jean Lafontaine. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Lafontaine/Henri-Jean/France.html