Show ContentsBilhaud History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bilhaud is an old Breton name. It comes from when the family lived in Brittany, where the family had settled in a seigniory which dates back to 1450.

Early Origins of the Bilhaud family

The surname Bilhaud was first found in Brittany, where the family had settled in a seigniory which dates back to 1450.

The members also formed branches in other regions. The branch Bilaudeau was established in the department of Landes, in the district of Dax. The branch Bilaudelle was established in a village in Basses-Pyrénées, in the district of Oloron. Several members of this illustrious family became renowned. Guillaume-Pascal Billot, a doctor, was born in 1768, the son of Jean-Baptiste, a notary in Cucuron (Vaucluse). Frédéric-Florentin Billot, who was born in Auxonne in 1805 and who died in 1868, was a publicist. Albert Billot, a diplomat, was born in 1841. Toussaint-Marie-René Billotte, who was born in Tarbes in 1846 and who died in 1914, was a renowned painter.

Jacques Bilodeau, born in 1636, son of Pierre and Jeanne, settled in Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in the province of Quebec he married Geneviève Longchamp, born in 1632, daughter of Pierre and Marie, on 28th October 1654. They remained together in Quebec until Jacques' death at Saint-François-de-l'île-d'Orléans on 8th February 1712. His wife, Geneviève, passed away six years later in 1718. [1]

Early History of the Bilhaud family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bilhaud research. More information is included under the topic Early Bilhaud History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bilhaud 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, Bilhaud some of which are Billot, Billotte, Billotet, Billotey, Billod, Bilodeau, Bilaudeau, Bilodel, Bilaudel, Bilodelle, Bilaudelle, Billaud, Billaux, Billaut, Billeau, Billeaux, Bilhaut and many more.

Early Notables of the Bilhaud family (pre 1700)

Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bilhaud Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bilhaud family

In the 1700s, land incentives were finally given out by France to 2,000 migrants. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and 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, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 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 the treaty of Utrecht, Acadia were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Bilhaud were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Bilhaud were Jean Bilodeau, who married Élisabeth Lehoux in Ste-Famille in 1682; Jacques Bilodeau, who married Marie-Françoise Paquet in Beaumont in 1721.



  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print


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