Show ContentsSaint-jean History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Saint-jean family

The surname Saint-jean was first found in Languedoc, where the family held a family seat since ancient times.

Early History of the Saint-jean family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Saint-jean research. Another 337 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1234, 1341, 1351, 1364, 1400, 1440, 1540, 1551, 1607, 1645, 1667, 1669, 1707, 1723 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Saint-jean History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Saint-jean Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Saint-jean, including Saint Jean, Jean, Geon, Jeans, Jeane, Geans, Gen, Le Jean, Des Jeans, De La Geon, Saint-Jon, Saint-Geans and many more.

Early Notables of the Saint-jean family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • Jean Nicolas Bernard of Saint-Louis was the Batallion Chief and a Knight of Saint-Jean in the 1800's

Migration of the Saint-jean family

Immigration to New France was slow; therefore, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. 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 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Saint-jean has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Saint-jean were Peter Gustavus Saint Jean settled in Philadelphia in 1848; Jean Antoine Jean settled in Louisiana in 1752; Pierre Armin Jean settled in Philadelphia in 1753.


Contemporary Notables of the name Saint-jean (post 1700) +

  • François Joseph de Saint-Jean, Baron de Pointis, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 1


  1. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, September 9) François Saint-Jean. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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