Contents [hide]

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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Prévost History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Early Origins of the Prévost family

The surname Prévost was first found in Rutland where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. This notable family, Prevost de la Croix, held a family seat in Poinou. They held the fiefs of Sonnotte, Prejailly, Villette, Bodes, le Pesse, and Bouteliere.

Early History of the Prévost family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prévost research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1410 is included under the topic Early Prévost History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prévost Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Prevost, Provost, le Prevost, le Provost, Provest, Prevest and many more.

Early Notables of the Prévost family

More information is included under the topic Early Prévost Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prévost World Ranking

In the United States, the name Prévost is the 6,525^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Prévost is ranked the 591^st most popular surname with an estimated 8,509 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Prévost is the 247^th popular surname. 4 France ranks Prévost as 132^nd with 22,734 people. 5

Prévost migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Prévost Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Prevost, who settled in Carolina in 1679
A. Prevost, a Huguenot who arrived in Carolina from England in 1679

Prévost Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Marie Prevost, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 6
Adam Prevost, who settled in Virginia in 1700
Adam Prevost, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1700 6
Adrien Prevost, aged 24, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 6
Antoine Prevost, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Prévost Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis Lewis Mallet Prevost, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1802
François Lewis Mallet Prevost also settled in Philadelphia, in 1802
Nicolas Prevost, who landed in Louisiana in 1805-1809 6
Charles Prevost, aged 40, settled in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1823
Louis Prevost, who arrived in New York, NY in 1845 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Prévost migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Prévost Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Martin Prevost, who settled in Quebec in 1639
Marguerite Gaillard Prevost, who landed in Quebec in 1664
François Prevost, son of Marin and Catherine, who married Marguerite Gaillard, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Catherine, in Quebec on 26th July 1664 7
François Prevost, who settled in Quebec in 1665
Martin Prevost, son of Pierre and Charlotte, who married Marie D'Abancour, daughter of Adrien and Simone, in Quebec on 8th November 1665 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Prévost Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jean Prevost, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Élisabeth, who married Marguerite Dumets, daughter of Étienne and Jeanne-Françoise, in Boucherville, Quebec on 2nd December 1714 7
Eustache Prevost, son of Eustache and Élisabeth, who married Marie-Catherine Brazeau, daughter of Charles and Geneviève, in Montreal, Quebec on 1st December 1715 7
Ange Prevost, son of Louis and Marguerite, who married Marie Brisson, daughter of René and Anne, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 1st February 1719 7
Jean Prevost, who landed in Quebec in 1725
Françoise Prevost, who settled in Quebec in 1735
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Prévost migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Prévost Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Prevost, who settled in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Prévost (post 1700) +

Major General Augustine Prévost (1723-1786), Swiss-born, British soldier who served in the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence
Sir George Prevost (1804-1893), English Baronet, tractarian, only son of Sir George Prevost (1767–1816)
Edwin Prévost (b. 1942), English drummer and percussionist
Louis Augustin Prévost (1796-1858), French linguist, born at Troyes in Champagne; he emigrated to England in 1823 and was at first a tutor but afterwards was keeper of the prints in the British Museum
Sir George Prevost (1767-1816), British soldier, Governor in Chief of Canada (1811-1815), eldest son of Major-general Augustine Prevost (d. 1786), who served under Wolfe
Yves Prévost (1908-1997), Canadian politician and lawyer in Quebec, Canada
Pierre Dominique Prévost, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Gédéon-Mélasippe Prévost (1817-1887), French Canadian notary and politician
Françoise Prévost (1930-1997), French actress, journalist and author
Eugène Prévost (1898-1965), French Canadian carpenter who developed wooden bus shells which later led to the production of coach buses and motor homes
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Prévost Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Servatum cineri
Motto Translation: Faith kept with the dead

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"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/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Pierre Prévost. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html