Show ContentsPoisson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Poisson family name dates back to the time Medieval France and that northern region known as Normandy. It comes from an early member of the family who was a fisherman or fishmonger having derived from the Old French word "poisson", meaning "fish". In some cases the name may have been given as a nickname to someone who bore a fancied resemblance to a fish.

Early Origins of the Poisson family

The surname Poisson was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where they held a family seat in the honor of the seigniory of Mesnil.

Early History of the Poisson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poisson research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1754, 1781 and 1840 are included under the topic Early Poisson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poisson 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 Poisson, some of which include Poisson, Poissant, LePoisson, Le Poisson, De Poisson, Poissonot, Poissoneau, Poissonier, Poissonet, Poissonnerie, Poissonneau and many more.

Early Notables of the Poisson family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

  • Denis Poisson, French mathematician

Poisson World Ranking

In the United States, the name Poisson is the 6,842nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1] However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Poisson is ranked the 615th most popular surname. [2] And in France, the name Poisson is the 381st popular surname with an estimated 11,050 people with that name. [3]


United States Poisson migration to the United States +

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 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. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Poisson has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Poisson were

Poisson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mary Poisson, who arrived in Georgia in 1800
  • Jane Poisson, who arrived in Georgia in 1831

Canada Poisson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Poisson Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Jean Poisson, who arrived in Quebec in 1646 from Perche in southern Normandy
  • Martin Poisson, son of Laurent and Anne, who married Marguerite Provost, daughter of Adrien and Marguerite, in Quebec on 27th October 1669 [4]
  • François Poisson, son of Jean and Jacqueline, who married Marguerite Baudry, daughter of Urbain and Madeleine, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 11th November 1687 [4]
Poisson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • François Poisson, son of François and Marguerite, who married Élisabeth Disy, daughter of Ignace-Michel and Marie-Jeanne, in Champlain, Quebec on 7th January 1715 [4]
  • Joseph Poisson, son of François and Marguerite, who married Marie-Catherine Baudoin, daughter of René and Marie-Anne, in Champlain, Quebec on 19th November 1727 [4]
  • Jean Poisson, son of Christophe and Lorraine, who married Angélique Franche, daughter of André and Louise, in Pointe-Claire, Quebec on 21st November 1757 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Poisson (post 1700) +

  • Siméon-Denis Poisson (1781-1840), French mathematician, geometer, and physicist who identified Poisson distribution, Poisson point process, Poisson's ratio, Poisson regression and the Poisson bracket
  • David E. Poisson (b. 1951), American politician of the Democratic Party
  • David Poisson (b. 1982), French alpine skier at the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2013 World Championships; he was killed in a training accident
  • Jean-Frédéric Poisson (b. 1963), French politician, Member of the National Assembly of France
  • Jean Antoine Poisson (1721-1764), Marquis de Pompadour, France
  • Colonel Paul Poisson (1887-1982), Canadian politician, the first mayor of the town of Tecumseh, Ontario
  • Eric Poisson, Canadian physicist specializing in the theory of black holes


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "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
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  4. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.


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