Show ContentsForce History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Force family

The surname Force was first found in Dordogne.

Individuals sharing this heritage are cited as early as the seventeenth century, with Pierre De Forceville, born in 1654 in Douai, a philosophy professor who was named rector of Dinant. In 1721 he became Spiritual Director at Cambrai College.

Early History of the Force family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Force research. The years 1800, 1820, 1845, 1848 and 1863 are included under the topic Early Force History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Force Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Force, Forceville, Forcier and others.

Early Notables of the Force family

Notable amongst the name at this time was

  • Gedeon-Adolphe-Casimir De Forceville, born in Moulvis (Somme) in 1800, was a banker in Amiens and became judge at the court of commerce in this city. His interest in sculpture grew, and he showed some...

Force Ranking

In the United States, the name Force is the 7,982nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Force migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Force Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Olne La Force, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 2
Force Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Dr. Force, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
  • Emma Force, aged 20, who arrived in New York in 1862 2

Canada Force migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Force Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Alonzo Force was a grocer in Lacolle, Quebec in 1851

Contemporary Notables of the name Force (post 1700) +

  • John Harold Force (b. 1949), American NHRA drag racer
  • Manning Ferguson Force (1824-1899), American lawyer, judge and soldier
  • William Force Stead (1884-1967), American diplomat and poet
  • Joseph Force Crater (b. 1889), American Democratic Party politician, Secretary to Robert F. Wagner, 1920-26 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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