Boule History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany

The Boule surname is generally thought to derived from the Old French word "boul", denoting a type of birch tree. As a name it was likely first used by someone living near such trees, or perhaps from a place with a name derived from the tree name. It has also been suggested that some instances of the Boule name find their roots in the French word "boule," which means "ball." In this case the name was likely originally a nickname for someone of a rotund shape. La Boulaye is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. Fort De La Boulaye, also known as Mississippi Fort, was a fort built by the French in 1700, to take control over the Mississippi. Native Americans forced the French to vacate the fort by 1707.

Early Origins of the Boule family

The surname Boule was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family first originated, maintaining their status as one of the more distinguished families of the region. Simon Boulet, squire and Lord of Crahan, first registered the family coat of arms in Bayeux in 1696. The family prospered and branched out into other regions in France such as Poitou, Aunis, and Saintonge. 1

Robert Boulet, born in 1630, married Françoise Grenier, born in 1634, in France in 1657. Robert and Françoise, along with their daughter, Jacqueline, travelled from La Rochelle, France to Quebec, Canada in 1662. They remained together in Quebec until Robert's death on 24th March 1707. Françoise passed away two years later on 29th January 1709. 2

Early History of the Boule family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boule research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1642, 1669, 1672, 1678, 1728, 1732, 1761, 1773, 1799, 1840, 1861 and 1942 are included under the topic Early Boule History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boule 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, Boule some of which are Boulet, du Boulet, Boulez, Boullet, Boullée, Bouley, Boulay, Boullay, Bouletot, Boulot, Boullot, Boulais, Bouloy, Bouloi, Boulois, Duboulay, Dubouloy, Boul, Boule, Boulle, Boulles, Bouleau, Boulleau and many more.

Early Notables of the Boule family

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

Boule Ranking

In France, the name Boule is the 2,603^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 3

Boule migration to the United States +

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 Boule 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 Boule were

Boule Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Symon Boule, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 4

Boule migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Boule Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jacques Boule, son of Robert and Françoise, who married Françoise Fournier, daughter of Guillaume-Hébert and Françoise, in Saint-Thomas, Quebec on 21st April 1686 5

Boule Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Joseph Boule, son of Jacques and Françoise, who married Monique Meusnier, daughter of François-Jacob and Angélique, in Sainte-Anne, Quebec on 27th July 1723 5
Augustin Boule, son of Jacques and Françoise, who married Véronique Miville, daughter of Joseph and Geneviève, in Saint-Thomas, Quebec on 4th October 1723 5
Guillaume Boule, son of Jacques and Françoise, who married Madeleine Miville, daughter of Joseph and Geneviève, in Saint-Thomas, Quebec on 11th November 1727 5
François Boule, son of Jacques and Françoise, who married Geneviève Miville, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Claire, in Saint-Thomas, Quebec on 19th November 1730 5
Louis Boule, son of Jacques and Françoise, who married Élisabeth Chiasson, daughter of Michel and Marguerite, in Berthier, Quebec on 20th February 1730 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Boule (post 1700) +

Pierre Marcellin Boule (1861-1942), French paleontologist

Citations +

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.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.