Show ContentsDesmaret History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Desmaret surname is a habitational name derived from any of several places named with the Old French words "mareis" or "maresc", meaning "marsh".

Early Origins of the Desmaret family

The surname Desmaret was first found in Cambray, Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where ancestors of the family belonged to the house of Bousis. According to Arthurian legend, Sir Hector de Maris (or Ector de Maris), was a Knight of the Round Table, younger half-brother of Lancelot and the natural son of King Ban of Benwick and the Lady de Maris.

René Desmarais, son of Jean and Jeanne (née Brassard), travelled from Poitou, France to the New World in the 17th century. He married Jeanne Blondeau at Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 16th November 1671. 1

Early History of the Desmaret family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Desmaret research. Another 297 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1096, 1108, 1113, 1360, 1429, 1463, 1496, 1500, 1518, 1519, 1526, 1544, 1567, 1595, 1604, 1610, 1619, 1647, 1648, 1650, 1656, 1661, 1662, 1676, 1679, 1682, 1686, 1696, 1709, 1714, 1721, 1728 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Desmaret History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Desmaret Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Desmarais, Demarais, Des Marais, Desmarets, Desmarés, Desmareys, Desmaray, Desmaraie, Desmarest, Desmaret, Desmarets, Démarais, Démarets, Démarey, Démareys, Démarés, Démarey, Démaré, Démarés, Démarée, Démarées, Démaraie, Démaray, Maret, Marest, Marais, Mareys, Marets, Marest, Mares, Marays, Marrey, Mareys, Marées, Des Marest, Des Maret, Des Marets, Des Marez, De Marest, Du Marest, Du Marais, Du Marrey, Du Mareys, Du Mares, Du Marays, Du Mareys, Du Marées and many more.

Early Notables of the Desmaret family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

  • Baldwin I, Lord of Marets in the 11th century, as well as Hugues Maret, the first Priest at the Benedictine Abbey of Valbenoite, in 1108. Jean Desmarets (1595-1676), Sieur de (Lord of) Saint-Sorlin wa...
  • Nicolas Desmarets, known as the Marquis de Maillebois (1648-1721) was a French statesman who held a high rank in the financial administration of the country
  • Nicolas Desmaretz, Marquis de Maillebois (1648-1721), Controller-General of Finances during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Pierre-Gabriel Marest (1662-1714), was a French Jesuit missionary in Canad...

Migration of the Desmaret family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Charles Desmarais, 38; who arrived in Canada in 1643; Pierre Desmarais, who was on record in Montreal in 1660; David DesMarest, who settled in New York in 1663 with his wife, Marie Sohier and four children, Madame DesMarest, who arrived in New York in 1700.



  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print


Houseofnames.com on Facebook