Lejeune History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The proud French name of Lejeune comes from a Breton name for a person of youthful appearance or a person who was the youngest member of some group. The name Lejeune is derived from the French word "jeune," which means "young". 1

Early Origins of the Lejeune family

The surname Lejeune was first found in Brittany (French: Bretagne), where the family held a family seat since ancient times.

The members of the different branches of the family also distinguished themselves with contributions of every sort to their respective communities. Bernard Lejeune was a corrective advisor in the treasury of Burgundy, in 1762. Claude Le Jeune (1530-1600) was an illustrious composer, who was a member of the Academy of poetry and music, founded in 1570 by A. de Baïf. He was also the music teacher of the duke of Anjou, the brother of Henry III. Jean Lejeune (1592-1672) was a French preacher and the author of "Sermons" (1688), and Louis François Lejeune (1775-1848) was a French Baron, a general and a painter.

Jean-Baptiste Lejeune, son of Germain and Anne-Marie (née Trahan), married Marguerite Clemenceau in Acadia in 1742. They settled at Anse-au-Matelot, Isle of Saint Jean together until Marguerite's death at the age of 25 on 24th November 1756. Jean-Baptiste passed away at the age of 40 and was buried at Saint-Charles on 11th February 1758. 2

François Lajeunesse, born in 1740, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Anne (née Lamotte), married Catherine Charpentier, born in 1734, daughter of Joseph-Leonard and Marie-Françoise (née Cadieux), at Rivière-des-Prairies, Quebec on 22nd January 1759. They settled together in Quebec and had three daughters. 2

Early History of the Lejeune family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lejeune research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1248, 1819, 1841, 1845 and 1864 are included under the topic Early Lejeune History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lejeune 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 Lejeune is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Lajeunesse, Lajeunne, Lejeune, Jeunesse, Jeune, Jeunet, Jeuneau, Jeuneaux and many more.

Early Notables of the Lejeune family

Notable amongst this name at this time was the Honourable Henri Le Jeune, born in 1819, an artist, a recipient of the Gold Medal of the Royal...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lejeune Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lejeune World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lejeune is the 6,355^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Lejeune is ranked the 1,892^nd most popular surname with an estimated 3,260 people with that name. 4

Lejeune migration to the United States +

In the 1700s, land incentives were finally given out by France to 2,000 migrants. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. 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 the treaty of Utrecht, Acadia were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Lejeune were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Lejeune were

Lejeune Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne LeJeune, who arrived in Maryland in 1763 5
Antoine LeJeune, who landed in Maryland in 1763 5
Blaise LeJeune, who arrived in Maryland in 1763 5
Felicite LeJeune, aged 45, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1785 5
Jean LeJeune, (b. 1756), aged 29, French sailor traveling aboard the ship "Le Saint-Remi" arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on the 10th September 1785 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lejeune migration to Australia +

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

Lejeune Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary E. LeJeune, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Munn" in 1849 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Lejeune (post 1700) +

Michael L Lejeune, American international finance official, California
Édouard Le Jeune (1921-2017), French World War II veteran and politician, awarded the Resistance Medal and the Cross of the resistance volunteer combatant
Louis-François Lejeune, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 7
Michel Lejeune, French research director
Jérôme Jean Louis Marie Lejeune, French geneticist, a recipient of the National Order of Merit and the Kennedy Prize, Paris
Louis Lejeune (1884-1969), French sculptor
Claire Lejeune, Belgian writer

Citations +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
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/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN MUNN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnMunnPassengers.htm
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 8) Louis-FranÃ§ois Lejeune. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html