Proux History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Etymology of Proux

What does the name Proux mean?

The French name Proux was derived from the French name Preux, a nickname meaning "wise," "worthy," or "valiant".

Early Origins of the Proux family

The surname Proux was first found in Brittany, where this eminent family was established in ancient times.

The members of the branch Proust were the lords of Cleuz, of Gironnière and of Portlavigne in Brittany. The members of the family also branched into other regions of France and there they distinguished themselves by means of numerous contributions to the society and to their respective communities. The branch Prousteau was ennobled in 1597.

The branch Proust produced an abbot of Saint Melaine in 1574, a mayor of Nantes in 1693 and two treasurers in 1725 and in 1766. The branch Prousteau of Montlouis was ennobled in 1817 in Paris. The family also rose in prominence by their important alliances to other distinguished families of the day.

Jean Proulx, born in 1647, son of Jean and Louise (née Vallée), travelled from Nantilly, France to the New World in the 17th century and married Jacquette Fournier, daughter of Guillaume and Françoise (née Hebert), on 5th June 1673.

Jean Prou, born in 1641, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Catherine Pinel, daughter of Gilles and Anne, on 2nd November 1676. They remained together in Quebec until Jean's death at Pointe-aux-Trembles on 9th December 1703. 1

Early History of the Proux family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Proux research. The years 1655, 1706, 1754 and 1826 are included under the topic Early Proux History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Proux Spelling Variations

The many different spellings of French surnames can be partially explained by the use of local dialects and by the influence of other languages during the early development of the French language. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Proux is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Proulx, Leproulx, Proux, Leproux, Prou, Leprou, Preux, Lepreux, Proust, Leproust, Prousteau, Leprousteau, Prouet and many more.

Early Notables of the Proux family

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

Proux Ranking

France, the name Proux is the 3,195^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2

Proux migration to the United States +

Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until the colony fell to the English in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Proux were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Proux were

Proux Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Proux, who arrived in America in 1806 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Proux (post 1700) +

Auguste Joachim Proux (b. 1874), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Tunis, 1904-06; U.S. Consular Agent in Tunis, 1906-11 4

Sources +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html