Show ContentsLamontagne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Lamontagne

What does the name Lamontagne mean?

The history of the Lamontagne family goes back to the Medieval landscape of southern France, to a region known as Languedoc. It is derived from the family living on or near a hill. The surname could be translated as "dweller on the hill." Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old French word "montaine," which means "hill."

Early Origins of the Lamontagne family

The surname Lamontagne was first found in Languedoc in south-east France where they were distinguished members of the aristocracy, and held a family seat at Montiver.

They were also in Moulines and at Poncins in Forez. This family also changed their name in Holland to Van den Bergh, where they held lands. The Moulines branch moved to Velay and preferred the spelling Montagnat. This latter branch established estates in Lyonnais to the east of Languedoc. By the 16th century the title of the Montaigne had passed to the family of Eyquem in Perigord. Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne, 1533-1592, was a writer, moralist, and councillor of Parliament in Bordeaux, he was born at Castle Montaigne and died there.

François Lamontagne, son of Renaud and Jeanne, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Anne Philippe, daughter of Jacques and Anne, on 24th November 1671. They remained together in the province of Quebec until François passed away at the age of 65 on 10th April 1701. 1

Early History of the Lamontagne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lamontagne research. Another 30 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1533 and 1592 are included under the topic Early Lamontagne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lamontagne Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Montaigne, Montaign, Montagne, Montagnat, Mountain, Lamontaigne, Lamontagne and many more.

Early Notables of the Lamontagne family

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

Lamontagne World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lamontagne is the 4,931st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Lamontagne is ranked the 420th most popular surname with an estimated 11,084 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lamontagne is the 166th popular surname. 4 France ranks Lamontagne as 6,665th with 1,000 - 1,500 people. 5


Lamontagne migration to the United States +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, 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 Lamontagne 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 Lamontagne were

Lamontagne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Johannes Lamontagne, who landed in New York in 1638 6
Lamontagne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Simon Lamontagne, aged 50, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 6
  • Jean Lamontagne, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 6
Lamontagne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mie. Lamontagne, aged 50, who landed in America, in 1893
  • Mrs. H. Lamontagne, aged 36, who landed in America, in 1894
Lamontagne Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Kate LaMontagne, aged 20, who immigrated to America, in 1905
  • Virginie LaMontagne, aged 36, who landed in America from Paris, France, in 1911
  • Rene M. LaMontagne, aged 37, who settled in New York, in 1920
  • William LaMontagne, aged 34, who settled in New York City, in 1921
  • Morgan E. LaMontagne, aged 35, who settled in New York, in 1921

Lamontagne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lamontagne Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Olivier Lamontagne, who arrived in Montreal in 1653
  • Yves Lamontagne, who landed in Canada in 1658
  • Olivier Lamontagne, who landed in Montreal in 1661
Lamontagne Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Charles Lamontagne, son of Étienne and Marie, who married Catherine Racine, daughter of François-Clément, in Quebec on 18th June 1749 7
  • Joseph Lamontagne, son of François and Marie, who married Madeleine-Geneviève Duriveau, daughter of Étienne and Geneviève, in Quebec on 21st July 1749 7
  • Pierre Lamontagne, son of Charles and Catherine, who married Angélique Duverni, daughter of Jacques and Angélique, in Quebec on 7th August 1781 7
  • Jean-Baptiste Lamontagne, son of Charles and Catherine, who married Élisabeth Langlois, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Élisabeth, in Quebec on 4th July 1797 7
Lamontagne Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Sieur De Lamontagne, who landed in Montreal in 1842
Lamontagne Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Ephrem Lamontagne, aged 49, who settled in Ste. Anne, Canada, in 1919
  • Germaine Lamontagne, aged 24, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1919
  • Annette Lamontagne, aged 53, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1923
  • Charles Lamontagne, aged 59, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Lamontagne (post 1700) +

  • Rene Morgan La Montagne Jr. (b. 1882), American polo player, winner of the International Polo Cup in 1914
  • Rene Morgan La Montagne Sr. (1856-1910), American treasurer and director of E. Montagne's Sons
  • Noel Michael LaMontagne (b. 1977), former American football offensive lineman who played for the Cleveland Browns (2000-2002)
  • Richie Lamontagne (b. 1969), nicknamed "The Mountain", a professional American cruiser-weight boxer
  • Ovide Marc Lamontagne (b. 1957), American General Counsel of Americans United for Life, a pro-life public-interest law and policy organization
  • Cynthia LaMontagne (b. 1966), American actress, best known for her recurring role as "Big Rhonda" in the fourth season of That '70s Show
  • Armand LaMontagne (b. 1939), American sculptor
  • Raymond Charles "Ray" LaMontagne (b. 1973), American singer-songwriter
  • André Lamontagne (d. 2014), Canadian politician, MNA for Johnson
  • Maurice Lamontagne PC FRSC (1917-1983), Canadian economist and politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Outremont-St-Jean (1963-1967), Secretary of State of Canada (1964-1965), eponym of the Maurice Lamontagne Institute
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  4. "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
  5. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  6. 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)
  7. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.


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