Show ContentsBienaime History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The people of Gascogne, an ancient region of France adopted Bienaime as a surname during the Middle Ages. Bienaime 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 Bienaime family

The surname Bienaime was first found in Gascony (French: Gascogne), an area of southwest France bordering Spain, that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution, where the family was anciently established in a commune in the department of Basses-Pyrénées, near Bayonne.

Early History of the Bienaime family

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

Bienaime Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Bienaime is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Desbiens, Dubien, Debien, Bien, Bienne, Bienné, Bienabe, Bienabé, Bienaimé, Bienaymé, Bienvenu, Bienvenue and many more.

Early Notables of the Bienaime family

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

Bienaime Ranking

In France, the name Bienaime is the 5,124th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Bienaime family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec, in 1663 there were only 500, 2,000 migrants arrived 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 migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. 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. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many distinguished contributions have been made by members of this family name Bienaime. It has been prominent in the arts, religion, politics and culture in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Bienaime were Étienne Debien, who married Marie Campeau in Montreal in 1691; François Bienvenu, who married Geneviève Laferrière in Quebec in 1701.


Contemporary Notables of the name Bienaime (post 1700) +

  • Joseph Bienaimé (1795-1877), French chemist


  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/


Houseofnames.com on Facebook