Lafrance History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Lafrance family. Originally, the people of this region went by one (personal) name. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. These names then began to be "fixed" or hereditary. One of the types of names adopted as surnames, were habitational names; those derived from place names. The Lafrance surname was likely first used by someone who held lands belonging to the French king, or perhaps for someone from the Île de France. A habitational name was often used for someone who had moved away from the place after which they were named. This name was sometimes used by soldiers in the feudal period. In French Canada, it was used as secondary "dit" name.

Early Origins of the Lafrance family

The surname Lafrance was first found in Picardy (French: Picardie) in northern France, where this celebrated family held a family seat since ancient times.

One of the noble branches of the family originates from Jehan La France and a distinctive member of this branch was the Attorney of the King at the Bailliage (district government) of Orléans in 1378. The family remained at Montech during the 1400's and Pierre of Montech is recorded as staying at Montauban around 1500. In 1570, Pierre was a Consul and then in 1596 he was promoted to 1st consul. Jean, Attorney for the King in the Chamber of Edicts of Castres in 1640, was the remaining member of the branch of the France Mandoul family and in 1651, he was granted the title of Lord of Mandoul.

By 1721, this noble family had branched to Béarn, Gascogne, Périgord and Comtat. As a result of their prominent position in society, the family formed many alliances with other powerful families of the times and in this way, the family acquired several titles and lands as dowries. The Béarn family of France possessed the seigniory of Benejac and of Incamps. However, this branch took the name of Vignau after an alliance with the Vignau family of Biaznos.

Jacques Lafrance, born in 1678, son of Jacques and Marie, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in the Canadian province of Quebec he married Marie-Louise Alary, born in 1686, daughter of René and Louise, on 21st November 1712. They remained together in Quebec until Jacques passed away on 24th December 1750. Marie-Louise passed away on 18th July 1754. 1

Early History of the Lafrance family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lafrance research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1223, 1291, 1297, 1300, 1354, 1357 and 1363 are included under the topic Early Lafrance History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lafrance Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lafrance, Lafrence, Lafrense, Lafrensse, Lafronce, Lafransse, Lafranse, Lafronse, Lafronsse, France, Francès, Frence, Frenche, Lefrance, Lefranche, Le France, La Franse, French, Frances, Lafrence, Lafrench and many more.

Early Notables of the Lafrance family

More information is included under the topic Early Lafrance Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lafrance World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lafrance is the 6,029^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Lafrance is ranked the 513^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,483 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lafrance is the 255^th popular surname. 4 France ranks Lafrance as 8,124^th with 1,000 - 1,500 people. 5

Lafrance migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lafrance Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacques LaFrance, who arrived in Louisiana in 1733
Peter LaFrance, who arrived in New England in 1753 6

Lafrance migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lafrance Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Pierre LaFrance, a French soldier on record in Quebec in 1665

Lafrance Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Francois Lafrance, who arrived in Montreal in 1712
Mathieu Lafrance, who arrived in Quebec in 1752
François Lafrance, son of François and Anne, who married Marie-Anne Biron, daughter of Étienne and Marie-Anne, in Sainte-Croix, Quebec on 8th August 1756 7
Jean-Baptiste Lafrance, son of Michel and Marguerite, who married Amable Claveau, daughter of Joseph and Marie, in Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Quebec on 30th August 1756 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Lafrance (post 1700) +

Helen LaFrance (1919-2020), American artist born in Graves County, Kentucky
Noémie Lafrance (b. 1973), Canadian-born, American Grammy Award nominated choreographer
George LaFrance (b. 1965), American former Arena Football League offensive specialist
Urgele Lafrance (1875-1942), American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Plainfield, 1909-10 8
Yvon Lafrance (1944-2022), Canadian politician, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec (1989-1994)
Leonard Joseph "Leo" LaFrance (1902-1993), Canadian professional ice hockey forward, nicknamed "The Flying Frenchman"
Adelard Henry "Adie, Del" Lafrance (1912-1995), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player
Paul Lafrance, Canadian television personality on HGTV Canada, known for his work on Decked Out and Deck Wars
Felton LaFrance Spencer (1968-2023), American NBA basketball center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks from Louisville, Kentucky
David LaFrance May (1943-2012), American Major League Baseball outfielder, inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame (1984)

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html