Show ContentsLaroche History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the beautiful region of Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), in France, comes the distinguished surname Laroche. Laroche is a topographic surname, a type of hereditary surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Laroche is derived from the French word "roche," meaning "rock," and indicates that the original bearer was distinguished by residence near a prominent rock.

Early Origins of the Laroche family

The surname Laroche was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France, where this ancient family was recognized as one of the original families of the region. Saint Roch or Rocco (c. 1295-1327) was a Catholic saint, a confessor. He is a patron saint of dogs, falsely accused people, and bachelors. He may have been born c. 1348 and died c. 1376.

The house of des Roches de Chassay was cited since 1275. The family des Roches de Chassay had their nobility confirmed in 1663, after heroic service at the siege of Hesdin. The county of Bigorre, in Burgundy, was the cradle of the house de la Roche-Fontenille, distinguished by their alliances and who occupied in the twelfth century a high rank in the nobility of the province. Two of their members took part in the first crusade of Saint-Louis, but their affiliation was not established until Sanche de la Roche, lord of Fontenille, deceased in the year 1318.

Jean Desroches, born in 1621, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Françoise Gode, born in 1636, daughter of Nicolas and Françoise (née Gadois), at Montreal on 18th November 1647. They remained together in Quebec until Jean's death on 23rd August 1684. [1]

Early History of the Laroche family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Laroche research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1470, 1530, 1644, 1658, 1668, 1710, 1724, 1741, 1797 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Laroche History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laroche Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Roche, Delaroche, Deroche, Desroches, Desrochers, Laroche, La Roche and many more.

Early Notables of the Laroche family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Estienne de La Roche (1470-1530), a French mathematician; Anne de La Roche-Guilhem (1644-1710), a French writer; and Hippolyte de la Roche, also know as Paul, (1797-1856), a...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Laroche Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laroche World Ranking

In the United States, the name Laroche is the 4,573rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [2] However, in Canada, the name Laroche is ranked the 414th most popular surname with an estimated 11,243 people with that name. [3] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Laroche is the 148th popular surname. [4] France ranks Laroche as 291st with 13,689 people. [5]


United States Laroche migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Laroche Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Durand LaRoche, who landed in Louisiana in 1718-1724 [6]
  • Jacques LaRoche, aged 43, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 [6]
  • Jacques LaRoche, aged 43, settled in Louisiana in 1719
  • Antoine Laroche, at the age of twenty, who arrived in Louisiana in 1720
  • Antoine LaRoche, aged 20, who arrived in Louisiana in 1720 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Laroche Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Anna Maria LaRoche, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1802 [6]
  • Jost Heinrich LaRoche, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1802 [6]
  • Nicolaus LaRoche, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1802 [6]
  • Denois Laroche, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1807 [6]
  • Arnold LaRoche, who landed in Texas in 1850-1906 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Laroche migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Laroche Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Isaac Laroche, aged 24, who landed in Canada in 1643
  • Jean LaRoche, who landed in Montreal in 1653
  • Michel Laroche, son of Nicolas and Michelle, who married Marie-Anne Bisson, daughter of René-Gervais and Marie-Madeleine, in Quebec on 15th February 1688 [7]
  • Innocent Laroche, son of Innocent and Marguerite, who married Marie Harbour, daughter of Michel and Marie, in Quebec on 9th February 1689 [7]
  • François Laroche, son of Innocent and Marguerite, who married Marie-Françoise Matte, daughter of Nicolas and Madeleine, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 14th February 1695 [7]
Laroche Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Jean Laroche, son of Jean and Madeleine, who married Madeleine-Catherine Dumets, daughter of Eustache and Catherine, in La Prairie, Quebec on 28th May 1714 [7]
  • Pierre Laroche, son of Amable and Marie, who married Élisabeth Perrault, daughter of Pierre and Geneviève, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec on 2nd November 1719 [7]
  • Jean-Baptiste Laroche, son of Innocent and Marie, who married Marie-Anne Augé, daughter of Pierre and Péronelle, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 17th November 1721 [7]
  • Jean-François Laroche, son of Jean and Antoinette, who married Suzanne Turpin, daughter of Alexandre and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 29th October 1723 [7]
  • Augustin Laroche, son of Michel and Marie-Anne, who married Marie-Louise Corbin, daughter of André and Charlotte, in Quebec on 9th April 1724 [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Laroche migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Laroche Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Laroche, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [8]

Contemporary Notables of the name Laroche (post 1700) +

  • J. Paul LaRoche, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1956 [9]
  • David E. Laroche, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Rhode Island State House of Representatives 49th District; Elected 2002 [9]
  • Agnès Laroche (1965-2023), French author and novelist
  • François Laroche, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [10]
  • Claude Emile Laroche, French physician, Knight of the Legion of Honour, Paris
  • Guy André Laroche, French physician, Commander of the Legion of Honour, Paris
  • Guy Laroche (1923-1989), French Couturier, Paris
  • Maria Sophie von La Roche (1730-1807), German novelist
  • Mazo de la Roche (1879-1961), born Mazo Louise Roche, Canadian author, best known for her Jalna series of novels
  • Sir James La Roche (1734-1804), 1st Baronet, was a British slave trader and politician, Sheriff of Bristol (1764-1765), Member of Parliament for Bodmin (1768-1780)
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche (d. 1912), aged 25, French Second Class passenger from Paris, France who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking [11]
  • Mrs. Juliette Marie Louise Laroche, (née Lafargue), aged 22, French Second Class passenger from Paris, France who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 14 [11]
  • Miss Simoné Marie Anne Andrée Laroche, aged 3, French Second Class passenger from Paris, France who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 14 [11]
  • Miss Louise Marguerite Laroche, aged 1, French Second Class passenger from Paris, France who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 14 [11]


  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.
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 30) François Laroche. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  11. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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