Show ContentsBoyey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Of all the French names to come from the Languedoc of France, Boyey is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Languedoc, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Boyey family

The surname Boyey was first found in Languedoc, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.

By the 1500's the family was well established in the region of Languedoc where several members of this prestigious family distinguished themselves through their contribution to the community in which they lived. The family, as a noble family of France, confirmed with letters of patent and heraldic cap, contributed largely to the political as well as the cultural scene of the region.

Raymond de Boyer, Lord of Lacoste and of Mailhac, had his name mentioned in 1538. In recognition of his outstanding services on the battlefield, Jehan de Boyer-Mailhac was promoted to the rank of Captain.

Another noble member of the family, François de Boyer-Mailhac, Lord of Lacoste and of Mailhac rose to the rank of Captain the army and received letters of congratulations from Louis XIII regarding his excellent services. François de Boyer-Castanet, Marquis de Tauriac, Lord of Beauvais and de La Roque, was created Baron of Roquemaure and became Lieutenant of the King of the province of Rouergue, by letters of patent of March 27, 1721. In appreciation of his contribution he was made Knight of Saint-Louis. Through the years many members of the different branches were granted titles of nobility and among them was Louis-Joseph-Eugène de Boyer-Castanet, Marquis de Tauriac, Viscount of Monclar, Lord of Castanet, Knight of Saint-Louis and Lieutenant of the King of the province of Rouergue by letters of patent of October 16, 1753.

In the 19th century, following the same tradition as their ancestors, members of this family were actively involved in the current affairs of their region and many of them received grants of lands, titles and letters of patent confirming their nobility and that of their descendants. One of them, Eugène Anne Adolphe de Boyer-Castanet, Marquis de Tauriac, was elected deputy of the Legislative Assembly, member of the "Académie des Jeux Floraux" and created Knight of the Legion of Honour. To this day, the province of Languedoc is proud to have been the ancestral seat of such a family.

Anicet Boyer, born in 1649, son of Guillaume and Marguerite (née Baillot), travelled to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Françoise Martin at Pointe-aux-Trembles on 26th February 1680. He married for the second time on 27th November 1684 to Marie Varin. They settled together in Quebec until his death on 25th April 1724. 1

Early History of the Boyey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boyey research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1618, 1667, 1689, 1692, 1694, 1698, 1702, 1703, 1711, 1713, 1729, 1772, 1792, 1795, 1796, 1798, 1801, 1802, 1806, 1807, 1809, 1832, 1851 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Boyey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boyey Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Boyey, including Boyer, Boyet, Boyay, Boyey, Boyé, Boyais, Boier, Boiaie, Boyaie, Boiay, Boiais, de Boyer, de Boyet, de Boyay, de Boyey, de Boyé, du Boyer, Du Boyer, du Boyet, du Boyay and many more.

Early Notables of the Boyey family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was François de Boyer-Castanet, Marquis de Tauriac, Lord of Beauvais; and Claude Boyer (1618-1698), a French clergyman, playwright, apologist and poet. Abel Boyer (1667-1729), was a miscellaneous writer, born on 24 June 1667, at Castres, in Upper Languedoc, where his father, who suffered for his Protestant beliefs. He left France with an uncle, a noted Huguenot preacher and finished his studies at Franeker in Friesland. Proceeding to England in 1689 he fell into great poverty. As a good classical scholar, Boyer became in 1692 tutor to Allen Bathurst, afterwards first Earl Bathurst, whose father...
Another 160 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boyey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Boyey 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 Boyey were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Boyey were Stephen Boyer settled in Virginia in 1652; Andreas Boyer settled in Philadelphia in 1865; Pierre Boyer settled in Louisiana in 1757.



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


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