Chretiens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• France

Etymology of Chretiens

Normandy is the region of ancient France from which the name Chretiens was derived. It comes from when the family lived in Normandy, in the seigneury of Crestienville.

Early Origins of the Chretiens family

Early History of the Chretiens family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chretiens research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1081, 1135, 1183, 1317, 1330, 1382, 1414, 1730, 1754, 1756, 1811, 1835, 1840 and 1909 are included under the topic Early Chretiens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chretiens Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Chretiens, including Cretien, Chrétien, Chretien, Crestien and others.

Early Notables of the Chretiens family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chretiens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chretiens family

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. 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, 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. 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 Chretiens were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Chretiens were Michel Chrétien, who married Marie Meunier in 1665 in Quebec City; Vincent Chrétien, who married Anne Leclerc in 1668; Michel Chrétien, who married Marguerite Coeur in Charlesbourg in 1692.