Favors History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Etymology of Favors

What does the name Favors mean?

The surname Favors is derived from the Old French word "fevre," which meant "a blacksmith," therefore it was originally an occupational name for a smith or a metal worker. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, those derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, were the most common form of a hereditary surname in France, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Favors family

The surname Favors was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where this noble family held a family seat since ancient times.

Throughout the centuries, families of this surname or one of its spelling variations could be found in many regions of France, including Vaud, Genève, Bresse, Lyonnais, Savoie, Dauphiné, Guillaume, and Echallens. Pierre of the Favre family of Lyon was a Consul in Lyon in 1382 and of his descendants, five were Magistrates of Lyon during the 16th century.

In Savoie, Gaspard was the secretary to the Duke in 1470 and one of the Senators of Savoie, as well as the President of the Senate. Guillaume, of Echallens from the county of Vaud, became a burgess, or businessman, in 1508 and his son, François, was one of the founders of the "Independence of Geneva" in 1534. Distinctive among his descendants were State Consuls of Geneva, Officers of State, General Treasurers, and the Lords of Dardagny, Russin, Malval, Confignon, and Châteauvieux, amongst others.

Pierre Lefebvre, born in 1642, son of Olivier and Michelle (née Renou), settled in Quebec in the 17th century. He married Marie-Madeleine Trudel, daughter of Jean and Marguerite (née Thomas), in 1674. The remained together until Pierre passed away at Charlesbourg on 21st November 1727. Pierre's brother, Robert Lefebvre, born in 1633, married Denise Gautier in Quebec on 7th February 1667. They remained together until Denise's death on 7th February 1695. Robert passed away on 3rd February 1703. 1

Early History of the Favors family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Favors research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1525, 1552, 1569, 1574, 1576, 1578, 1585, 1600, 1615, 1624, 1626, 1650, 1652, 1667, 1672, 1700, 1706 and 1716 are included under the topic Early Favors History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Favors Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lefebvre, Lefebvres, Lefevres, Favre, Favres, Fevre, Febvre, Febvres, Favers, Lefabre, Lefabvres, Fabvres, Lefever and many more.

Early Notables of the Favors family

Antoine Favre (d. 1626), Professor at the University of Valence; Jean Le Fèvre (1652-1706), a French astronomer and physicist; Tanneguy Lefebvre (1615-1672), French classical scholar; Etienne Favre was a Counsel at the Appeals Tribunal of Bresse where he had his noble status confirmed in 1667; and Jacques Le Fèvre (died 1716), a...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Favors Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Favors Ranking

the United States, the name Favors is the 5,672^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Favors family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Anne Lefebvre, aged 28, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719; Clair Lefebre, aged 28, who came to New Orleans in 1821; Antoine Lefebre, aged 27, who settled in New Orleans in 1823.

Contemporary Notables of the name Favors (post 1700) +

JoAnne Favors (b. 1942), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 2008 3
Malachi Favors (1927-2004), American jazz bassist who played with the Art Ensemble of Chicago
Greg Favors (b. 1974), former American football linebacker
Derrick Favors (b. 1991), American basketball player for the Windy City Bulls
Albert Favors Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Wayne County 4th District, 1961 4
Floyd Favors (b. 1963), retired boxer from the United States

Sources +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html