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Lévesque History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Lévesque History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

The name Lévesque belongs to the early history of France, in the much fought over region of Normandy. It is a product of the family's residency in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Lévesque family

The surname Lévesque was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy. One of the first records of the family was Ralph and John Leveske, who were listed there from 1180-98 according to the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. 1

The root name, Eveske, means "bishop." Interestingly, while few of the family migrated to England after the Norman Conquest, Henry Eveske was listed as living there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273.

Robert Levesque, born in 1645, son of Pierre Levesque and Marie Gaumont, was a carpenter that arrived in New France (Quebec) from Normandy. He married Jeanne Le Chevalier in Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 22 April 1679 and together they had six children, three of which were sons that carried on the name Levesque. Robert was buried in Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec on 3 September 1699. 2

Early History of the Lévesque family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lévesque research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1634, 1675, 1792, 1807, 1809 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Lévesque History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lévesque 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, Lévesque some of which are Levesque, Lévesque, Levecke, Levek, Leveque, Lévèque, Lavesque, Levèque, Levesques, Levecque, Levecques, Lavecque, Levècque, Lévèque, Levéque and many more.

Early Notables of the Lévesque family

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lévesque Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lévesque World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lévesque is the 2,494^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Lévesque is ranked the 35^th most popular surname with an estimated 44,512 people with that name. 4 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lévesque is the 14^th popular surname. 5 France ranks Lévesque as 1,815^th with 3,385 people. 6

Lévesque migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Lévesque has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Lévesque were

Lévesque Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Marie Levesque, who settled in Virginia in 1700

Lévesque Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Paul Levesque, aged 14, settled in New Orleans in 1820
Alexandre Levesque, aged 17, settled in New Orleans in 1820

Lévesque Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles Levesque, aged 25, who settled in America, in 1919
Joseph Levesque, aged 32, who landed in America from Paris, France, in 1919
Louise Levesque, aged 29, who landed in America from Bordeaux, France, in 1919
Odette Levesque, aged 16, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, France, in 1919
Jane Levesque, aged 59, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, France, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lévesque migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lévesque Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Jacques Lévesque, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 20th April 1644 7
Mr. Jacques Lévesque Jr., French labourer travelling to Canada to work for Jacques Pepin arriving on 23rd March 1656 7
Mr. Jacques Lévesque, French labourer travelling to Canada to work for Jacques Pepin arriving on 23rd March 1656 7
Pierre Levesque, son of Gilles and Mathurine, who married Marie Croizette, daughter of Pierre and Marie, in Quebec on 10th August 1677 8
Robert Levesque, son of Pierre and Marie, who married Jeanne Chevalier, daughter of Jacques and Marguerite, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 22nd April 1679 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lévesque Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

François-Robert Levesque, son of Robert and Jeanne, who married Marie-Charlotte Auber, daughter of Félix and Claire, in Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec on 7th November 1701 8
Edmond Levesque, son of Pierre and Marie, who married Marie-Anne Morand, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Madeleine, in Batiscan, Quebec on 14th November 1712 8
François-Robert Levesque, son of François-Robert and Marie-Charlotte, who married Marie-Angélique Bérubé, daughter of Mathurin and Marie-Angélique, in Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec on 4th May 1734 8
Dominique Levesque, son of François-Robert and Marie-Charlotte, who married Marie-Dorothée Bérubé, daughter of Pierre and Geneviève, in Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec on 19th July 1745 8
Jacques Levesque, son of Michel and Marie, who married Marie-Madeleine Gosselin, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Françoise, in Quebec on 30th September 1748 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lévesque Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Antoine Levesque, aged 18, who settled in Quebec, Canada, in 1915
Alphonse Levesque, aged 45, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1920

Contemporary Notables of the name Lévesque (post 1700) +

Joanna Noëlle Levesque (b. 1990), known professionally as JoJo, an American singer, songwriter and actress
Marylise Lévesque (b. 1983), Canadian bronze medalist judoka at the 2007 Pan American Games
Roger Levesque (b. 1981), American retired soccer player
Pascal Levesque, American Manufacturing Company Executive, Burlington, Massachusetts
Louis Maris Levesque, Count de Laferrière, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Louis Marie Levesque de Laferrière, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 10
Georges-Henri Lévesque, French Roman Catholic Clergyman, Educator and Administrator, President Emeritus and Adviser, L'Université Nationale du Rwanda in Africa
Raymond Lévesque (1928-2021), Canadian singer-songwriter and poet from Quebec
Léonard Lévesque (1935-2017), Canadian politician who represented Kamouraska-Témiscouata in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1976 to 1985
René Levesque (1922-1987), Canadian founder and Leader of the Parti Québécois, 23rd Premier of Quebec (1976-1985)
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 9) Louis Levesque. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 25) Louis Levesque. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html