Show ContentsMarigny History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Marigny comes from the ancient Medieval culture of France, that specifically of a northwestern region known as Breton. It was a name for a devotee of the Virgin Mary. Tracing the origin of the name further, we found the name Marigny was derived from the Hebrew name Miryam, which means wished for child.

Early Origins of the Marigny family

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

The branch Marionel in Lorraine was ennobled in 1598. Thomas Marie, of the branch established in Burgundy, was ennobled in 1661, in return for his services in the position of lieutenant-general in the bailiwick, and of mayor of Auxerre, a position which he had held over a duration of ten years. The branch Marion de la Bretonnière was ennobled in 1704. Of the branch Marion de Procé came two aldermen of Nantes, in 1669 and in 1780, and also two magistrates. Charles-Stanislas Marion was a general, who entered into the nobility in 1810, and François-Louis Marion was a chief commander in Napoleon's empire, who received his title to nobility in 1814. The members of the branch established in Lorraine became barons in 1816. From the branch Marion de Beaulieu stemmed a brigadier and a Baron in 1820.

Also in 1820, the members of the branch Marion des Noyers, in Brittany, became barons. In Guyenne, some members of the family settled in a town in the department of Gironde, in the district of Bazas.

Nicolas Marion, Lord of Fontaine and merchant of Quebec, married Marie Gueric in France in 1665. They travelled together to the New World, along with their son, Guillaume, who was born in 1667. Guillaume married Marie-Madeleine Demers in Quebec in 1698. [1]

Early History of the Marigny family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marigny research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1483, 1620, 1684, 1795, 1821, 1870 and 1881 are included under the topic Early Marigny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marigny Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Marigny some of which are Marion, Marionnaud, Marionneau, Mariot, Mariotte, Mariolle, Marie, Mariel, Marielle, Marionel, Marionelle, Mariet, Mariette, Mariéton and many more.

Early Notables of the Marigny family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Marigny Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Marigny family

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 Marigny 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 Marigny were Pierre Marionneau, who lived in Louisiana in 1722; Joseph Marie, who was a fisherman in New Orleans in 1727; Thérèse Marie, who lived in New Orleans in 1727.


Contemporary Notables of the name Marigny (post 1700) +

  • Jean Fortuné Boüin de Marigny, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [2]


The Marigny 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: Nos murs, nos lois
Motto Translation: Our walls, our laws


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 14) Jean Marigny. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook