Levoyer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Etymology of Levoyer

What does the name Levoyer mean?

The name Levoyer dates back to the days of Medieval France, in the region of Brittany (French: Bretagne). It is derived from their residence in Brittany.

Early Origins of the Levoyer family

The surname Levoyer was first found in Brittany where this distinguished family held a family seat at Gripel and Penhoet, and were members of the aristocracy of that region.

This distinguished family intermarried with the eminent family of d'Argenson and through this marriage they were elevated to the nobility as the Marquis d'Argenson seated at Paulny. Notables of this family were: Marc-René de Voyer, Comte d'Argenson 1623-1700; Pierre de Voyer, Viscomte d'Argenson, Governor of Canada, 1658; Marc-René de Voyer, Marquis d'Argenson, 1652-1721; René-Louis de Voyer, Marquis d'Argenson, 1694-1757; Marc-Pierre de Voyer, Comte d'Argenson, 1696-1764; Antoine-René de Voyer, Marquis de Paulmy d'Argenson, 1722-1787; Marc-René-Marie de Voyer, Marquis de Paulmy d'Argenson, 1771-1842. This family flourished on their estates until the French Revolution in 1789 when many aristocratic families lost their lands. 1

Pierre Voyer, born in 1630, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in the province of Quebec he married Catherine Crampon, born in 1642, at Château-Richer on 1st December 1662. They remained together in Quebec until Pierre's death on 14th November 1695. Catherine passed away on 6th July 1699. 2

Early History of the Levoyer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Levoyer research. Another 20 words (1 lines of text) covering the years 1596 and 1651 are included under the topic Early Levoyer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levoyer Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Voyer, Voier, Voyere, Voyez, Voyet, Voir, Voire, La Voyer, Lavoyer, Le Voyer and many more.

Early Notables of the Levoyer family

More information is included under the topic Early Levoyer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levoyer Ranking

France, the name Levoyer is the 8,760^th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Levoyer family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec, in 1663 there were only 500, 2,000 migrants arrived during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. 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. Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 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 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many distinguished contributions have been made by members of this family name Levoyer. It has been prominent in the arts, religion, politics and culture in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Levoyer were Pierre Voyer arrived in Quebec in 1662 from Maine; Jacques Voyer arrived in Quebec in 1683 from Poitou; Mr. Voyer settled in Virginia.

The Levoyer Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vis et prudentia vincit
Motto Translation: Strength and prudence conquers.

Sources +

Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/