Defé History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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• France

Early Origins of the Defé family

Early History of the Defé family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Defé research. Another 454 words (32 lines of text) covering the years 1145, 1220, 1309, 1360, 1393, 1400, 1500, 1669, 1674, 1700, 1709, 1731, 1757, 1764, 1806 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Defé History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Defé Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Defé is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Fay, Fait, Fais, Faie, Faite, Faies, Fez, Fée, Faye, De Fay, De Fait, De Fais, De Faie, De Faies, De Fez, De Fée, De Fé, Fé, De Faye and many more.

Early Notables of the Defé family

Notable amongst the family was Claude-Florimond De Fay, Captain of the Ponthieu Regiment during the 1700's. Jacques de la Faye was a 17th-18th century French writer whose Defensio Religionis ('Defense of Religion') a 251-page critique of the pantheism of John Toland, was...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Defé Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Defé family

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and 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, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 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 the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Defé were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Defé were C. Fay, aged 31; settled in New York in 1823; Eugène Fay settled in Philadelphia in 1876; Gabriel Fay settled in Philadelphia in 1865; John Fay settled in Philadelphia in 1838.