Noble surnames, such as Arcand, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Arcand, which is a
local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of
Savoie. In France,
hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread.
Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate while names of larger areas usually indicated a former dweller or a very powerful, titled landholder. The Arcand family originally lived in the province of Savoie.
Early Origins of the Arcand family
The surname Arcand was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps.
Early History of the Arcand family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arcand research.
Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1600 is included under the topic Early Arcand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Arcand Spelling Variations
Early Notables of the Arcand family (pre 1700)
Notable in the family name at this time was many members in Canada. Between 1600 and 1900 French Canadians contributed much, such as Ulric Arcand, a doctor in Beaurivage; Ludger Arcand was a police detective in Montreal; Damase Arcand acquired the position of secretary-treasurer for his town of St. Alban; Denis...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Arcand Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Arcand family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Arcand Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- François Arcand lived in Quebec 1725
Contemporary Notables of the name Arcand (post 1700)
- Théodore Jean Arcand LL.D. (b. 1934), Canadian former diplomat, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Jordan (1978-), to Lebanon (1978-1982), to Syria (1978-1982) and to Holy See (1989-)
- Jean-Olivier Arcand (1793-1875), Canadian land surveyor and politician who represented Hampshire in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1822 to 1824
- Nathaniel Arcand (b. 1971), Canadian Gemini Award nominated actor, known for Heartland (2007), Pathfinder (2007) and Elektra (2005)
- Robert Arcand, Canadian administrator, former President of the Foundation of Entrepreneurship of Quebec
- Pierre Arcand (b. 1951), Canadian businessman and politician, MNA for Mont-Royal (2007-), brother of Paul Arcand
- Gabriel Arcand (b. 1949), Canadian actor, known for The Auction (2013), Post Mortem (1999) and Les Plouffe (1981), brother of Denys Arcand
- Georges-Henri Denys Arcand CC GOQ (b. 1941), Canadian Academy Award nominated film director who has won numerous award including eight Genie awards, for his film "Le Déclin de L'Empire Americain" (The Decline of the American Empire)
- Paul Arcand (b. 1960), Canadian journalist, radio host and film producer