Show ContentsBienvenu History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Bienvenu

What does the name Bienvenu mean?

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

The surname Bienvenu 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 Bienvenu family

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

Bienvenu Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Bienvenu some of which are Desbiens, Dubien, Debien, Bien, Bienne, Bienné, Bienabe, Bienabé, Bienaimé, Bienaymé, Bienvenu, Bienvenue and many more.

Early Notables of the Bienvenu family

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

Bienvenu Ranking

In France, the name Bienvenu is the 2,415th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 1


Bienvenu migration to the United States +

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 Bienvenu surname were

Bienvenu Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Alexis Bienvenu, who married Marie-Anne Campeau in Detroit in 1763

Bienvenu migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bienvenu Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • François Bienvenu, who married Geneviève Laferrière in Quebec in 1701

Contemporary Notables of the name Bienvenu (post 1700) +

  • James Bienvenu, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1944 2
  • Mrs. Emile Bienvenu, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1936; Member of Democratic National Committee from Louisiana, 1939 2
  • Peter Bienvenu DeLisle (1846-1908), American Democratic Party politician, Supervisor of Springwells Township, Michigan; Elected 1901; Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 4th District, 1903-04 3


  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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