Lavey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

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

Early Origins of the Lavey family

The surname Lavey 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 Lavey family

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

Lavey Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Lavey, including 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 Lavey 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 Lavey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lavey migration to Australia +

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

Lavey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Lavey, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Cygnet" in 1836 2
Mr. James Lavey, (b. 1827), aged 22, Cornish labourer from Madron, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Osprey" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 22nd March 1849 3
Mrs. Grace Lavey, (b. 1822), aged 27, Cornish settler from Madron, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Osprey" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 22nd March 1849 3
Mr. William Lavey, (b. 1813), aged 36, Cornish farm labourer travelling aboard the ship "Osprey" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 22nd March 1849 3
Mrs. Grace Lavey, (b. 1816), aged 33, Cornish settler from Madron, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Osprey" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 22nd March 1849 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lavey migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Lavey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Saul Henry Lavey, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Owen Glendowner" in 1864

Contemporary Notables of the name Lavey (post 1700) +

Bernard J. Lavey (1890-1968), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Ingham County 1st District, 1940 4
Lavey Floyd, American Republican politician, Member of Kentucky State House of Representatives 83rd District; Elected 1975 5

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Cygnet arrived Holdfast Bay, Adealide Sept. 11, 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836Cygnet.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html