Show ContentsCuvier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Cuvier family

The surname Cuvier was first found in Limousin, where the family first originated as one of the distinguished families of the region. In Limousin, members of the family intermarried with other important families of the day, such as the Renon family. Many members of this family were well known for their contributions to the culture and politics of their respective communities.

Guillaume Couture, born in 1617, son of Guillaume and Madeleine (née Malet), travelled from Rouen, France to Canada in 1640. After his arrival he worked as a land clearer and as an interpreter for the Jesuit Fathers in Quebec. He married Anne Aymart, born in 1629, on 16th November 1649. They settled together in Quebec until Anne's death on 18th June 1700, and Guillaume's death in 1702. 1

Early History of the Cuvier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cuvier research. The years 1617, 1640 and 1701 are included under the topic Early Cuvier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cuvier 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 Cuvier is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Couture, Cousture, Coudure, Couturas, Couturat, Coutureau, Couturaud, Couturot, Couturier, Couturié, Couturière, Lecouturier, Lecouturié, Coudurier, Coudurié, Coudurière, Lecoudurier, Lecoudurié, Cousturier, Cousturié, Cousturière, Lecousturier, Lecousturié and many more.

Early Notables of the Cuvier family

Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cuvier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cuvier Ranking

In France, the name Cuvier is the 9,340th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2


United States Cuvier migration to the United States +

Immigration to New France was slow; therefore, 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 Cuvier 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 Cuvier were

Cuvier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jean Jaque Cuvier, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Cuvier (post 1700) +

  • Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier (1769-1832), French anatomist
  • Cuvier Grover (1828-1885), American career officer in the United States Army and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, brother of La Fayette Grover


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)


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