Show ContentsGraveline History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Graveline has a long French heritage that first began in southern region of Languedoc. The name is derived from when the family lived in Languedoc but the name could have also been derived from the Old French word "grave," which meant "gravel."

Early Origins of the Graveline family

The surname Graveline was first found in Languedoc, where the family has held a family seat since very early times.

Early History of the Graveline family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Graveline research. Another 215 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1096, 1150, 1248, 1651, 1669, 1708 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Graveline History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Graveline 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 Graveline, including Grave, Grève, de Grèves, Grauve, Greive, Le Grave, de Grave, Graves and many more.

Early Notables of the Graveline family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Hugues, a Lord of Villegly and of Félines; and Jacques Gravier (1651-1708), a French Jesuit missionary in the New World from Moulins, Allier...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Graveline Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Graveline migration to Canada +

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. 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. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 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 Graveline 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 Graveline were

Graveline Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Urbain Graveline, who landed in Montreal in 1653

Contemporary Notables of the name Graveline (post 1700) +

  • Duane Edgar Graveline M.D. (1931-2016), American physician and author, NASA Astronaut 1
  • Dave Graveline, American radio talk show host
  • Eric Graveline (b. 1966), Canadian windsurfer who competed in the Windglider event at the 1984 Summer Olympics


  1. NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Duane Graveline. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/graveline-de.html


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