Gervaise History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Gervaise is one of the names carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is based on the Norman personal name Gervase. The surname Gervais indicates that the bearer is a descendant of someone named Gervase. 1

Gervase of Canterbury (Gervasius Dorobornensis) (fl. 1188), was an English "chronicler, was born, apparently of a Kentish family, about 1141. As he had a brother Thomas in his monastery, who is conjectured to be identical with one Thomas of Maidstone, we have a possible clue to his birthplace; but the information is too imperfect to warrant more than an hypothesis. Gervase became a monk of Christ Church, Canterbury, on the first Saturday in Lent, 16 Feb. 1163." 2

Gervase of Chichester (fl. 1170), was an English commentator, one of the band of learned young men who gathered round Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury and Gervase of Tilbury (fl. 1211), was author of the ‘Otia Imperialia,’ was no doubt a native of Tilbury in Essex, though he appears to have been brought up in Rome, and to have spent some years of his early life in Italy. 2

Early Origins of the Gervaise family

The surname Gervaise was first found in Cornwall. The Gervais surname also spelled Jarvis, Gervays and Gervis, was first found in Mobonnaiss and Vallee, in Brettagne, the ancient name for Brittany, and arrived in England with William, Duke of Normandy, in 1066. 3

The first records of the family were listed in their Latin form, as in John filius Gervacii, Cambridgeshire; William filius Gervasii, Huntingdonshire; and Stephen Gervcis, Cambridgeshire. All were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 4

Early History of the Gervaise family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gervaise research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1262, 1268, 1273, 1379, 1393, 1397, 1410, 1587, 1616, 1621, 1625, 1628, 1629, 1640, 1653, 1654, 1666, 1667, 1675, 1693, 1739, 1799 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Gervaise History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gervaise Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Gervaise have been found, including Gervais, Gervays, Gervis, Jarvis, Jervis and others.

Early Notables of the Gervaise family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Gervais, (died 1268), an early English clergyman, Bishop of Carlisle in 1262 and Bishop of Winchester (1262-1268); Richard Gervays (died c.1410), of Canterbury, Kent, an English politician, a Member of...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gervaise Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gervaise Ranking

In France, the name Gervaise is the 5,656^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Gervaise family to Ireland

Some of the Gervaise family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 229 words (16 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gervaise migration to Canada +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Gervaise were among those contributors:

Gervaise Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean Gervaise, who arrived in Montreal in 1653

Contemporary Notables of the name Gervaise (post 1700) +

François Louis Paul Gervaise (1816-1879), French palaeontologist and entomologist

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/