Show ContentsLavallee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The proud French name Lavallee was formed in Brittany (French: Bretagne) when the family resided in a valley. The name Lavallee is derived from the French word "vallée," which means "valley."

Early Origins of the Lavallee family

The surname Lavallee was first found in Brittany, where they held a family seat in the honor of the seigneurie of la Burie.

By the 14th century they had also acquired estates in Brittany at des Fossés, St-Jouan, and du Val. They also held Montrayer, on the Island of Martinique. The Pimodan branch of the family were elevated to the nobility as the Marquis de Pimodan. They also acquired possessions near the border of Flanders, Normandy, and in the Franche-Comté to the south. By 1512 they held a seigneurie at Chenillon in Lorraine. Louise LaVallière was a favourite of Louis XIV, with whom she had four legitimate children.

Pierre Lavallee, born in 1645, son of Pierre and Madeleine, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Marie-Thérèse Leblanc, daughter of Leonard and Marie, on 12th January 1665. [1]

Early History of the Lavallee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lavallee research. The years 1385, 1404, 1414, 1620, 1644, 1661, 1664, 1665, 1667, 1673, 1682 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Lavallee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lavallee Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Lavallee is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Lavalle, Lavallée, Lavallee, La Vallee, Levalle, Leval, Lavallière, Lavallier, Levallier, Lavallois, Levallois, Lavallet, Levallet, Lavalet, Levalet, Lavaley, Levaley, Lavalley, Levalley, Lavally, Levally, Lavallière, de Vallée, de Vallee and many more.

Early Notables of the Lavallee family

Notable amongst this name at this time was Guy XIII de Laval, (1385-1414), seigneur of Laval and of Kergorlay, inherited the Laval title through his marriage on 22 January 1404 to Anne de Laval, As daughter and sole heir to Guy XII de Laval, Anne was "dame de Laval", and one of the conditions of the marriage was that any children born to it would...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lavallee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lavallee World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lavallee is the 5,054th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [2] However, in Canada, the name Lavallee is ranked the 348th most popular surname with an estimated 12,999 people with that name. [3] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lavallee is the 151st popular surname. [4] France ranks Lavallee as 4,256th with 1,500 - 2,000 people. [5]


Canada Lavallee migration to Canada +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Lavallee has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Lavallee were

Lavallee Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Francois LaVallee, who arrived in Montreal in 1653
  • Pierre Lavallee, son of Pierre and Madeleine, who married Marie-Thérèse Leblanc, daughter of Léonard and Marie, in Quebec on 12th January 1665 [6]
  • Pierre Lavallée, who arrived in Quebec from Normandy in 1666
  • Louis Lavallee, son of Laurent and Margeurite, who married Madeleine Rioult, daughter of Thomas and Marguerite, in Quebec on 10th September 1673 [6]
  • Louis Lavallée, who arrived in Quebec in 1673 from Flanders
Lavallee Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Jean Lavallee, son of Jean and Marguerite, who married Jeanne-Catherine Hus, daughter of Paul and Jeanne, in Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec on 9th November 1702 [6]
  • Pierre-Vincent Lavallee, son of Pierre and Marie-Thérèse, who married Madeleine Courault, daughter of Cybar and Marie-Françoise, in Beauport, Quebec on 21st July 1704 [6]
  • Charles Lavallee, son of Pierre and Marie-Thérèse, who married Geneviève Marcou, daughter of Pierre and Marthe, in Beauport, Quebec on 12th September 1707 [6]
  • Nicolas Lavallee, son of Pierre and Marie-Françoise, who married Marie-Louise Lefebvre, daughter of Jean nad Marie, in Beauport, Quebec on 22nd November 1712 [6]
  • Charles Lavallee, son of Charles and Geneviève, who married Geneviève Crète, daughter of Pierre and Marie, in Beauport, Quebec on 18th January 1732 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lavallee (post 1700) +

  • Calixa Lavallée (1842-1891), French Canadian-born, American musician and Union Army officer during the American Civil War who composed the music for O Canada, the national anthem of Canada
  • Levi LaVallee (b. 1982), American seven-time gold, two-time silver Winter X Game medalist snowmobile racer
  • Paul Lavallee, American conductor and composer, Radio City Music Hall
  • Roger Lavallee, American musician and producer
  • Jordan LaVallee (b. 1986), American ice hockey player
  • Mark Lavallee, American rock musician
  • Barbara Lavallee, American award-winning illustrator who has received praise for her artistic collaborations with several picture-book authors
  • Alphonse Lavallée (1791-1873), French founder of the École Centrale Paris, a French Grande École
  • Carole Lavallée (1954-2021), Canadian politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Saint-Bruno-Saint-Hubert (2004-2011)
  • Kevin Lavallée (b. 1981), Canadian-born German professional ice hockey defenceman
  • ... (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. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.


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