| ![Show Contents]() Deblay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
France
Etymology of DeblayWhat does the name Deblay mean? The surname is one of the oldest family names to come from that French region known as Languedoc. It is derived from the personal name Blaise. As such, it means "son of Blaise." Early Origins of the Deblay familyThe surname Deblay was first found in Languedoc. This ancient family is recorded in 1459 when Robert de Blay was the Municipal Magistrate of Toulouse. His noble descendant, Philippe, was the Gentleman of the Chamber and personal bodyguard to the Duke of Orléans (Louis XII). Throughout the centuries, this family prospered and branched to several provinces where members of this celebrated family became prominent citizens holding titles and estates. Recorded in 1600, Raymond Blay settled at Perpignan where his son became consul in 1675 and was mentioned in the register of the Church of la Réal. Due to their prominent position in society, this family formed many alliances with other leading families of the times and in this way, the family acquired many titles and lands. Among the more important alliances were the marriages between Antoine Blay and Candide de Vilar, June 18, 1707, and Jean Blay and Mathilde de Gaïx in 1844. The family acquired the castle of Gaïx from this marriage. Their son, Gabriel, received permission to continue the Gaïx name, but the House of Richard Ble acquired the barony of Gaïx in 1719. Pierre Blais, born in 1639, son of Mathurin and Françoise, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Anne Perrot, born in 1643, daughter of Jean and Jeanne (née Valta), at Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans on 12th October 1669. He married again on 5th June 1689 to Elisabeth Royer, daughter of Jean and Marie (née Targer). They remained together in Quebec until Pierre passed away at Saint-Jean-de-l'île-d'Orléans in 1669. 1 Early History of the Deblay familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deblay research. The years 1459, 1600, 1675, 1707, 1844 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Deblay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Deblay Spelling VariationsMost 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 Deblay, including Blais, Blaies, Blay, Blaise, de Blais, de Blaies, de Blaise, Blaize, Blaison, Blaisot and many more. Early Notables of the Deblay familyMore information is included under the topic Early Deblay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Deblay familyImmigration 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 Deblay 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 Deblay were L.B. Blais, who settled in San Francisco in 1856; Pierre and François Blais, who settled in the parish of St. François in 1720; Eugene Blais, who settled in the parish of Sainte Petronille in 1874.
- Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
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