Pilon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The French name Pilon has a history dating as far back as the Middle Ages. The name is thought to derive from the Old French word "pelon," which referred to the spiky outer shell of a chestnut; and from this, it has been suggested that the name was a nickname for a quick-tempered or unpleasant person. The history of this surname is intrinsically entwined with that of the region of Normandy, where the earliest records of the Pilon family were found.

Early Origins of the Pilon family

The surname Pilon was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy. The name can also be traced to Brittany, where individuals of the Pillet family were lords of Hérconnais, such as Pierre, who was given noble status in 1435, and was father of Jean, secretary of the duke. Germain Pilon, who was born in 1515 and died in Paris, was a sculptor.

Jean-Baptiste Pilon, born around 1653, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie (née Roussell), arrived in New France in the 17th century. After settling in Canada he married Elizabeth Bertaut, daughter of Jacques and Gillette (née Bonne), at Repentigny, Quebec on 29th February 1688. They had nine children together, five daughters and four sons. 1

Early History of the Pilon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pilon research. The years 1771, 1772, 1792 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Pilon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pilon Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Pilon, including Pilon, Pile, Pilet, Pillet, Pilot, Pillot, Pillon, Pilier, Pillier, Dupillier, Pilaire, Pilard, Pillard, Pilleux and many more.

Early Notables of the Pilon family

Notable amongst the family in this period was René-Martin Pillet, born in 1771, who was a general in Tours at the time of the Revolution; Claude-Marie Pillet, born in 1771, was a literary hack in Chambéry. He studied law and became a lawyer, but this trade never became his passion and instead he turned to mathematics...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pilon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pilon World Ranking

In the United States, the name Pilon is the 11,980^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Pilon is ranked the 298^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,767 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Pilon is the 172^nd popular surname. 4 France ranks Pilon as 2,739^th with 2,000 - 2,500 people. 5

Pilon migration to Canada +

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive 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 immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that 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. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Pilon surname were

Pilon Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean-Baptiste Pilon, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie, who married Élisabeth Bertaut, daughter of Jacques and Gilette, in Repentigny, Quebec on 1st March 1688 6
Antoine Pilon, son of Thomas and Madeleine, who married Marie-Anne Brunet, daughter of Michel and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 20th January 1689 6
Antoine Pilon, who was married in Montreal in 1689

Pilon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jeanne Pilon, whose marriage is on record in Lachine, Quebec in 1706
Jean Pilon, son of Antoine and Marie-Anne, who married Marie-Anne Gervais, daughter of Mathieu and Michelle, in Bout-de-l'île, Quebec on 18th November 1714 6
Elisabeth Pilon, who was married in Pointe-Claire, Quebec in 1715
Pierre Pilon, son of Antoine and Marie-Anne, who married Anne Daoust, daughter of Guillaume and Marie-Madeleine, in Pointe-Claire, Quebec on 7th January 1715 6
Mathieu Pilon, son of Antoine and Marie-Anne, who married Marie-Josephte Daoust, daughter of Guillaume and Marie-Madeleine, in Bout-de-l'île, Quebec on 28th February 1724 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Pilon (post 1700) +

Roger Pilon (b. 1942), American libertarian legal theorist
Ray Pilon (b. 1945), American politician, Member of the Florida House of Representatives (2012-2016)
Mary Pilon (b. 1986), American journalist, a regular contributor to the New Yorker and Bloomberg Businessweek
Garrett Pilon (b. 1998), American NHL ice hockey centre from Mineola, New York
Jeff Pilon (b. 1976), Canadian CFL and NFL football offensive tackle
Jean-Guy Pilon (1930-2021), Canadian poet, born in Saint-Polycarpe, Quebec
Hormisdas Pilon (1857-1937), Canadian politician, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Vaudreuil (1901-1931)
Frederick Pilon (1750-1788), Irish actor and dramatist born in Cork
François Pilon (b. 1958), Canadian politician, Member of Parliament for Laval-Les Îles (2011-2015)
Fletcher Pilon (b. 2001), Australian acoustic singer and songwriter
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"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
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.