Show ContentsBelleaux History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The French name Belleaux first arose during the Medieval period in Normandy. It is derived from when the family having lived at Belleau, in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Belleaux family

The surname Belleaux was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy. 1

Belleau Abbey, later Belleau Priory, was a Cistercian monastery in Villeneuve-la-Lionne, Marne, France, which is about 15 kilometers south-west of Montmirail. It was founded in 1242 but over the years has fallen in ruin.

Early History of the Belleaux family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Belleaux research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1528, 1553, 1577, 1679, 1696, 1738, 1829, 1857 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Belleaux History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Belleaux 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 Belleaux, including Belleau, Beleau, Bellot, Belot, de Belleau and others.

Early Notables of the Belleaux family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Remy (or Rémi) Belleau (1528-1577), a French Renaissance poet. François Belleau, born in Bray in 1679, was a famous poisoner. Gabriel de Belleau, of the ancient branch of the Norman family, was a squire, lord of Belleau, and is recorded in 1696, when he registered his coat of arms. Joseph de Belleau was a...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Belleaux Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Belleaux family

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 Belleaux surname were 180 individuals who arrived from France onto Canadian shores between 1600 and 1900. Among them, Marie Belleau married in Chateau-Richer, Quebec in 1670.



  1. Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.


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