Show ContentsDe la croix History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Directly translated, "la croix" means "the cross". It is believed by some sources that the name Lacroix was originally used for a person of importance in the field of religion, such as a priest or bishop. 1 Languedoc is the region of ancient France from which the name De la croix was derived. It comes from when the family lived in Languedoc, where the family has been found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the De la croix family

The surname De la croix was first found in Languedoc, where this eminent family held a family seat from ancient times.

Several members of this illustrious family played a great role in the military and were recognized by their peers for their heroic actions during the wars of their times. In recognition of their contributions towards their communities, several distinctive members of this ancient family were granted lands, titles, and letters of patent confirming their nobility. This family also believed strongly in their faith and as a result, some members entered the clergy.

Beginning in 1320, Jean Lacroix is mentioned as a descendant of Guillaume of la Croix, Governor and Seneschal of Montpellier, President in the Court of Aides (Court of tax disputes) and Receiver of the Barony of Castries. Guillaume's two sons, Louis and Geoffroy, founded a family branch in Champagne from Languedoc. Jacques, grandson of Louis La Croix, was a Knight of the Order of Malta in 1568 and was the father of Gaspard and Jean. Jean, Gentleman of the Chamber to the King, was the grandfather of René Gaspard, Marquis of Castries in 1645, Lieutenant General and Knight of the Order of Malta in 1661.

The noble house of La Croix of Castries obtained six honors from the Court. Jean François Lacroix was a member of the first Commission and had missions with Danton in Belgium. He was blamed by the Commission of Twenty-One for advising Damouriez not to read his letter to the Convention and was arrested and found guilty because no one defended him except Danton.

Early History of the De la croix family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our De la croix research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1717, 1764, 1783, 1817 and 1821 are included under the topic Early De la croix History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

De la croix 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, De la croix some of which are Lacroix, Lacrois, Lacroie, Lacroies, La Croix, Croix, Croixe, Crois, Croise, Cruce, Lacruce, La Cruce, La Croise and many more.

Early Notables of the De la croix family

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

De la croix Ranking

In France, the name De la croix is the 1,071st most popular surname with an estimated 5,026 people with that name. 2

Migration of the De la croix family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec, in 1663 there were only 500, 2,000 migrants arrived during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. 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. 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 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many distinguished contributions have been made by members of this family name De la croix. It has been prominent in the arts, religion, politics and culture in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name De la croix were Mr. or Mrs. Lacroix, aged 28; who settled in Louisiana in 1719; Mr. or Mrs. Lacroix, aged 36; who settled in Mississippi in 1820; Mr. or Mrs. Lacroix, aged 36.


Contemporary Notables of the name De la croix (post 1700) +

  • Michel Delacroix (b. 1933), French painter
  • Jean-François Delacroix (1753-1794), French revolutionary politician, MInister of Justice and President of the National Convention in 1792, Deputy to the National Convention; he was guillotined in 1794
  • Gustave Delacroix de Ravignan (1795-1858), French Jesuit preacher and author
  • Charles-François Delacroix (1741-1805), French diplomat, Ambassador to the Netherlands, father of Eugène Delacroix
  • Caroline Delacroix (1883-1945), also known as Caroline Lacroix, a Romanian-born, French mistress of Leopold II of Belgium
  • Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863), French painter, understood to be the leader of the French Romantic school
  • Charles-Henri Delacroix, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 3
  • Michel Delacroix, Belgian politician, Member of the Belgian National Front
  • Léon Frédéric Gustave Delacroix (1867-1929), Belgian statesman, 22nd Prime Minister of Belgium (1918-1920)


  1. Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 26) Charles-Henri Delacroix. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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