Bienabe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• France

Etymology of Bienabe

The people of Gascogne, an ancient region of France adopted Bienabe as a surname during the Middle Ages. Bienabe was a name for someone who lived in Gascony, where the family was established in a commune in the department of Basses-Pyrénées, near Bayonne.

Early Origins of the Bienabe family

Early History of the Bienabe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bienabe research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1588 is included under the topic Early Bienabe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bienabe Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Bienabe, including Desbiens, Dubien, Debien, Bien, Bienne, Bienné, Bienabe, Bienabé, Bienaimé, Bienaymé, Bienvenu, Bienvenue and many more.

Early Notables of the Bienabe family

More information is included under the topic Early Bienabe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bienabe family

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the 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. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Bienabe has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Bienabe were Étienne Debien, who married Marie Campeau in Montreal in 1691; François Bienvenu, who married Geneviève Laferrière in Quebec in 1701.