Show ContentsLemay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Lemay

What does the name Lemay mean?

The Lemay family name dates back to the time of Medieval France. It comes from an early member of the family from Normandy who was a person born in the month of May. A May birth was considered lucky as the month was a festive time in which the beginning of the growing season was celebrated.

Early Origins of the Lemay family

The surname Lemay was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family anciently resided at Leme, a village in the department of l'Aisne, in the arrondisement of Vervins. By the 12th century the family name also moved south to Aquitaine and Languedoc. A branch was formed in Anjou at Poitiers.

Michel Lemay, born in 1630, son of François and Marie (née Gaschet), travelled from Chenehutte-les-Tuffeaux in Anjou to New France in 1659. He settled in Quebec and married Marie Dutaut, born in 1640, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne, at Trois-Rivières on 15th June 1659. His second marriage was to Michelle Ouinville on 12th April 1677. 1

Early History of the Lemay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lemay research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lemay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lemay Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Lemay, some of which include LeMay, Lemay, Lemais, Lemaise, Lemmais, Lemmaise, Lemaises, Lemet, Lemez, Lemait, Lemaits, Dumay, Dumais, Dumez and many more.

Early Notables of the Lemay family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

  • the Lemay family of Normandy

Lemay World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lemay is the 3,221st most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Lemay is ranked the 220th most popular surname with an estimated 17,989 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lemay is the 85th popular surname. 4 France ranks Lemay as 3,781st with 1,500 - 2,000 people. 5


Lemay 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 Lemay were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Lemay were

Lemay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas LeMay, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
Lemay Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Albert Lemay, aged 23, who landed in America from Paris, France, in 1910
  • Jeannette Lemay, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States from Paris France, in 1911
  • Josephine Lemay, aged 61, who landed in America from Paris France, in 1911
  • Octave Lemay, aged 62, who settled in America from Paris France, in 1911
  • Abondius Lemay, aged 35, who landed in America from St. Nazaire, France, in 1915
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lemay migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lemay Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Michel Lemay, Anjou (Maine et Loire) who married Marie Duteau in Trois-Rivières in 1659
  • Michel Lemay, son of François and Marie, who married Marie Dutost, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne, in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec on 15th June 1659 6
  • Pierre Lemay, son of Léonard and Marguerite, who married Marie L'Homme, daughter of Michel and Marie-Barbe, in Montreal, Quebec on 7th August 1679 6
  • Pierre Lemay de Larose, married Marie Man in Montreal in 1679.
  • Michel Lemay, son of Michel and Marie, who married Catherine Jobin, daughter of Charles and Madeleine, in Champlain, Quebec on 22nd April 1686 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Lemay Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Joseph Lemay, son of Joseph and Marie-Agnès, who married Marie-Madeleine Lecompte, daughter of Samuel and Anne, in Montreal, Quebec on 8th October 1714 6
  • Charles Lemay, son of Joseph and Marie-Angès, who married Marie-Élisabeth Paillart, daughter of Léonard and Louise, in Montreal, Quebec on 30th December 1714 6
  • Simon Lemay, son of Charles and Louise, who married Marie-Anne Richer, daughter of Pierre and Dorothée, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec on 14th August 1719 6
  • Jean-Baptiste Lemay, son of Ignace and Anne, who married Angélique Pérusse, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Quebec on 19th August 1725 6
  • Barthelemi Lemay, son of Joseph and Marie-Agnès, who married Marie Aubert, daughter of Julien and Jeanne, in Saint-Laurent, Quebec on 5th February 1731 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Lemay Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Charles Lemay, aged 61, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1907
  • Victor Lemay, aged 50, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1912
  • Florence E. LeMay, aged 1, who immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1913
  • Florence M. LeMay, aged 28, who immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1913
  • Phyllis M. LeMay, aged 0, who immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lemay migration to Australia +

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

Lemay Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Anne Lemay, aged 35, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Joseph Soames" 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Lemay (post 1700) +

  • Richard Paul "Dick" LeMay (1938-2018), American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played for the San Francisco Giants (1961-1962) and the Chicago Cubs in 1963
  • Joseph Lemay, American politician, Member of Minnesota territorial House of Representatives 2nd District, 1855
  • John D. Lemay, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Central Falls, Rhode Island, 1917-18
  • Eugene H. Lemay, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Nashua, New Hampshire, 1939; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1940
  • Curtis Lemay, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 2008
  • Harding Lemay (b. 1922), American screenwriter and playwright, former head writer of the soap opera Another World (1971 to 1979)
  • Alan LeMay (1899-1964), American Writer and movie Director
  • General Curtis Emerson Lemay (1906-1990), General in the American Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of independent candidate George C. Wallace in 1968 8
  • Maurice "Moe" Lemay (1962-2024), Canadian retired professional NHL ice hockey player from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan who played 317 games
  • Henri Lemay (1939-2021), Canadian politician and professor, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (1983-1984), Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing of Quebec (1984-1985)
  • ... (Another 3 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.
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOSEPH SOMES / SOAMES 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850JosephSomes.htm
  8. Curtis Lemay. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Curtis Lemay. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_LeMay


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