Show ContentsMeusnier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Noble surnames, such as Meusnier, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The Meusnier surname may be a local surname, that is, a name derived from the name of a place where they once lived, or held land. The Meusnier family name is thought to have derived from Meunet, a town in the department of Indre, in the district of Issoudun. It has also been suggested that Meusnier may have been an occupational name for a miller, deriving from the word "meunier" or "mounier," in Old French.

Early Origins of the Meusnier family

The surname Meusnier was first found in Berry, a former province until 1790 when it became a region in central France where this ancient family held a family seat since early times.

The members of the family also branched into other regions of France, such as in Normandy, where they settled in Mesnières, a town in the department of Seine-Inférieure, in the district of Neufchâtel. Many members of this prominent family made important contributions to the society. Philipe Meusnier was mentioned in historic documents of the Huguenot descendants.

Claude-Marie Meunier was a colonel, who received his title to nobility in 1808, and Joseph Meunier, a general, entered into the nobility in 1809. Jean-Nicolas Démeunier (1751-1814) was a French politician. He was a deputy for the Estates General (1789), emigrated to the United States in 1792, and returned to France in 1797, where he became a tribune (1800), and then a senator (1802). This illustrious man was also the author of "Essai sur les États-Unis" (1786) and "L'Amérique indépendente" (1790).

Mathurin Meunier, born in 1619, son of René and Marie (née Leroux), travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Françoise Fafard, born in 1624, daughter of Jean and Elizabeth (née Tibou), at Montreal on 3rd November 1647. They remained there together until he passed away on 13th January 1702. 1

Early History of the Meusnier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meusnier research. Another 20 words (1 lines of text) covering the years 1831 and 1905 are included under the topic Early Meusnier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meusnier Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Meunier, Lemeunier, Lesmeunier, Lémeunier, Meunié, Lemeunié, Munier, Lemunier, Meusnier, Lemeusnier, Demeunier, Desmeunier and many more.

Early Notables of the Meusnier family

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


United States Meusnier migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Meusnier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Nicolas Meusnier, who lived, with his wife and his child, in Biloxi, Louisiana, in 1721

Contemporary Notables of the name Meusnier (post 1700) +

  • Jean-Baptiste Marie Meusnier de la Place, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 2


  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 29) Jean-Baptiste Meusnier. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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