Show ContentsGauthier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

  • Origins Available:
  • France
Gauthier Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Gauthier

What does the name Gauthier mean?

The name Gauthier is from the Languedoc region of southern France, it came from the Old French personal name, Gauldheri, which means army ruler. This name was adopted by a person who held a commanding position in a medieval French army.

Early Origins of the Gauthier family

The surname Gauthier was first found in Languedoc, where this illustrious family held a family seat with lands and manor. The Gauthier of Savignac family was granted the title of the Lords of Doumairène and in the late 11th century, they contributed to the foundation of Villefranche.

Descending from the original line of Rouergue, the members of this illustrious family branched to Quercy in 1454 where Jean Gauthier was granted the right to be the Co-Lord of Savignac and Cabanes. As a result of the Gauthiers' involvement in their community, this eminent family received their letters patent confirming their noble status on June 2, 1669.

Many branches of the family formed with different spellings due to the cultural and linguistic variations throughout France over the centuries. The Gaultier of Girenton family were the Lords of Châteauneuf of Rouge, Lirac, Le Poët, Costebrune, Lauriol and the Marquis of Châteauneuf in 1723.

Continuing to branch under names of spellings, the Gautier family provided the Lords of Grambois, Mille and Rustrel, a Councillor of Marseille in 1568 and a Secretary to the King in 1624. As well, this branch provided the Lords of Aiguines, Canjuers, Clumans, barons of Senez and three Knights of Malta from 1643 to 1717.

Jean Gauthier, born in 1645, son of Mathurin and Catherine, was a French edge-tool maker that travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in the province of Quebec he married Angélique Lefebvre, daughter of Louis and Suzanne, on 21st January 1675. 1

Early History of the Gauthier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gauthier research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1642, 1700, 1714, 1723, 1746, 1772, 1778 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Gauthier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gauthier Spelling Variations

The many different spellings of French surnames can be partially explained by the use of local dialects and by the influence of other languages during the early development of the French language. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Gauthier is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Gauthier, Gauthié, Gauthyer, Gauthyé, Gauthiait, Gauthiai, Gauthiaie, Gauthiay, Gauthiez, Gothier, Gothié, Gothyé, Gothyer, Gothiait, Gothiai, Gothiaie, Gothiay, Gothiez, Gauthyait, Gauthyai, Gauthyaie, Gauthyay, Gauthyez, Gautier, Gauithier, Gautiez, Gautiait, Gautiaie, Gautiaies, Gautiais, Gautiai, Gautyer, Gautyez, Gautyait, Gautyaie, Gautyaies, Gautyaie, Gautyais, Gautherii and many more.

Early Notables of the Gauthier family

  • Henri Gauthier was the Count of Savignac and the Lord of Meuvaine in the 1700's

Gauthier World Ranking

Canada, the name Gauthier is the 20th most popular surname with an estimated 61,033 people with that name. 2 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Gauthier is ranked the 6th most popular surname. 3 And in the United States, the name Gauthier is the 2,108th popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 4 France ranks Gauthier as 45th with 42,516 people. 5

Gauthier migration to Canada +

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 the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians 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. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. 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 Gauthier were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Gauthier were

Gauthier Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Nicolas Gauthier, a native of France, married Jeanne Moreau in 1680 and they had a son, Joseph-Nicolas
Gauthier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • B Gauthier, who arrived in Canada in 1751
  • Pierre Gauthier, aged 36, who landed in St Pierre and Miquelon in 1767
Gauthier Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • C.H. Gauthier, aged 62, who immigrated to Kingston, Ontario, in 1906
  • Felix Albert Gauthier, aged 41, who immigrated to Chicoutimi, Canada, in 1912
  • Albert Gauthier, aged 33, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1916
  • Cyrias Gauthier, aged 44, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1922


Gauthier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Bernard Gauthier, who landed in South Carolina in 1755 6
Gauthier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Gauthier, aged 32, settled in New York in 1821
Gauthier Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Emil E Gauthier, aged 20, who settled in America from Paris, in 1906
  • Gauthier, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, France, in 1907
  • Blanche Gauthier, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, France, in 1908
  • E. Gauthier, aged 49, who landed in America from Loujan Court, Doule, in 1908
  • Charles Gauthier, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, France, in 1912
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gauthier (post 1700) +

  • Leonald Francis Gauthier (1933-2015), birth name of Hal Willis, Canadian country singer from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, best known for his single "The Lumberjack," an international hit that sold over 1.5 million copies, inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010
  • Chris Gauthier (1976-2024), English-born, Canadian actor best known for his TV roles in Once Upon a Time, Watchmen, Eureka and Smallville
  • Michel Gauthier (1950-2020), Canadian politician, Leader of the Opposition (1996-1997)
  • André D. Gauthier OMM CD (1935-2017), Canadian monument sculptor and designer; five of his works are in the permanent art collection of the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa
  • Paule Gauthier PC, OC, OQ, QC (1943-2016), Canadian lawyer, arbitrator, and public servant
  • Jean-Robert Gauthier CM, O.Ont (1929-2009), Canadian politician
  • Daniel Gauthier (b. 1970), Canadian NHL ice hockey centre
  • Cathy Gauthier (b. 1961), three-time Canadian curling champion and broadcaster
  • Denis Gauthier Jr (b. 1976), Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman
  • ... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Carlos Gauthier, Argentine 2nd Class passenger from Montréal, Quebec, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 7

The Gauthier Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: A chacun sa vue

Suggested Readings for the name Gauthier +

  • Genealogies by Amesse A. Gauthier and George H. Gauthier.
  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  6. 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)
  7. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/

Houseofnames.com on Facebook