Show ContentsPoulin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Poulin family

The surname Poulin was first found in Brittany where they were formerly seated in the honor of the seigneurie of Villesalmon.

By the 14th century they also acquired the seigneurie Belair and Riviere in that same county. They acquired estates on the Island of Jersey. They later acquired estates at Dodieres. By the 16th century they had branched to Paris and Lorraine, and Abbe in Flanders.

Claude Poulin, born in 1615, son of Paschal and Marie, arrived in Canada on 11th June 1636. After settling in the province of Quebec he married Jeanne Mercier, born in 1622, at the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Recouvrance on 11th June 1636. They remained together in Quebec until Claude's death at the age of 72 on 17th December 1687. Jeanne passed away three days before Claude on 14th December 1687, at which time she was 65 years old. 1

Early History of the Poulin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poulin research. The years 1692, 1730, 1733 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Poulin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poulin Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Poulain, Poullain, Pouloun, Pullien, Pullein, De Poullain, De Poulien, Polin, Poulin, Poullin and many more.

Early Notables of the Poulin family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

  • François Poulin de Francheville, Seigneur de Saint-Maurice (1692-1733), Montreal merchant who was granted permission by the King of France to mine the iron ore deposits on his seigneury in 1730...

Poulin World Ranking

In the United States, the name Poulin is the 2,573rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Poulin is ranked the 105th most popular surname with an estimated 27,358 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Poulin is the 30th popular surname. 4 France ranks Poulin as 3,230th with 2,000 - 2,500 people. 5


Poulin migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Poulin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Gennevieve Poulin, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718-1724 6

Poulin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Poulin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Maurice Poulin, son of Pierre and Anne, who married Jeanne Jallaut, daughter of Moise and Marie, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 9th September 1654 7
  • Jean Poulin, son of Jacques and Marie, who married Louise Paré, daughter of Robert and Françoise, in Quebec on 14th November 1667 7
  • Michel Poulin, son of Maurice and Jeanne, who married Marie Jutras, daughter of Claude and Élisabeth, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 2nd June 1683 7
  • Ignace Poulin, son of Claude and Jeanne, who married Marguerite Paré, daughter of Robert and Françoise, in Sainte-Anne, Quebec on 23rd August 1683 7
  • Martin Poulin, son of Claude and Jeanne, who married Jeanne Barette, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Sainte-Anne, Quebec on 21st January 1688 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Poulin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Julien Poulin, son of Jean and Louise, who married Jeanne Racine, daughter of Noel and Marguerite, in Sainte-Anne, Quebec on 27th April 1700 7
  • François Poulin, son of Michel and Marie, who married Thérèse De Couagne, daughter of Charles and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 27th November 1718 7
  • Louis-Jean Poulin, son of Jean-Baptiste and Louise, who married Françoise-Gabrielle Foucault, daughter of François and Catherine, in Quebec on 18th december 1724 7
  • André Poulin, son of Martin and Jeanne, who married Marie-Thérèse Caron, daughter of Jean and Rosalie, in Sainte-Anne, Quebec on 5th February 1725 7
  • Claude Poulin, son of Jean-Baptiste and Louise, who married Marie-Anne Lefebvre, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Françoise, in Quebec on 26th July 1727 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Poulin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Gestina Poulin, who settled in Tickle Cove in Newfoundland in 1890 8

Poulin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Poulin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Poulin, Canadian convict born in Quebec, Canada who was convicted in Portugal for 14 years for desertion from the army, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Poulin (post 1700) +

  • Marie-Philip Poulin -Nadeau (b. 1991), French Canadian four-time gold and silver medalist ice hockey forward
  • Alfred A. Poulin Jr. (1938-1996), American poet, translator, and editor
  • Robert E. Poulin Sr., American Republican politician, Republican Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Muskegon County 2nd District, 1942, 1958 10
  • George J. Poulin, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 1996 10
  • Eugene J. Poulin, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for New Hampshire State Senate 18th District, 1938 10
  • Ernest F. Poulin, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Waterville, Maine, 1933-66 (acting, 1933-34) 10
  • George Vincent "Skinner" Poulin (1887-1971), Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens
  • Kevin Bureau- Poulin (b. 1990), Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender
  • Patrick Poulin (b. 1973), Canadian retired NHL hockey player who played from 1991 to 2002
  • Joseph-Napoléon Poulin (1821-1892), French Canadian physician and politician in Lower Canada, elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Rouville in 1851
  • ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  4. "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
  5. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  6. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  7. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  8. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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