Show ContentsLa Beau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname La Beau was first used as a surname by the people of ancient French region of Gascogne. It was a name for a person distinguished by great physical beauty. Interestingly, the name La Beau was originally derived from the French words, "la belle," which means, " the beautiful."

Early Origins of the La Beau family

The surname La Beau was first found in Gascony (French: Gascogne), an area of southwest France bordering Spain, that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution, where they held a family seat in the honor of the seigneurie of De Labels, a village in the Basses-Pyrénées in the arrondisement of de Mauléon.

The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae also lists Le Bel in Normandy in 1189. 1 One of the earliest notables of the family was Jean Le Bel (c. 1290-1370), a Flemish chronicle and soldier. He was one of the first chroniclers to write in French instead of Latin. As a soldier, he joined with Jean, Count de Beaumont on his travels to England and Scotland in 1327.

Guillaume Labelle, son of Jean and Marie (née Loye), was a French farmer that travelled from Saint-Elei, Normandy to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Anne Charbonneau in Montreal on 23rd November 1671. They had eleven children together and five of their sons eventually married and carried on the name Labelle in Canada. 2

Early History of the La Beau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our La Beau research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1573, 1650, 1674, 1696, 1703, 1734 and 1768 are included under the topic Early La Beau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

La Beau Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of French surnames; in part, as spelling, and the spelling names was not yet standardized during the early development of the written French language. Later, there was much branching and movement of families, and spellings would change according to region. Variations of the name La Beau include Lebel, LeBel, LaBelle, Belle, Bell, Labelle, Label, LaBell, LaBel, LeBelle, LeBaile, LaBaile, Lebaile and many more.

Early Notables of the La Beau family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Firmin Lebel (d. 1573), French composer and choir director; Alexis-Simon Belle (1674-1734), French painter, member of well known family of painters...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early La Beau Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States La Beau migration to the United States +

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 La Beau 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 La Beau were

La Beau Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Eugene Labeau, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Roussillon" from Le Havre, France 3
  • O. La Beau, who arrived in America in 1923 aboard the ship "Suriname" from New York 3


  1. 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)
  2. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  3. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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