Show ContentsSenechal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The French family name Senechal dates back to the Middle Ages. It was a Norman name given to a seneschal, a steward or official in the household of a sovereign or great noble, to whom the administration of justice and domestic arrangements were entrusted.

Early Origins of the Senechal family

The surname Senechal was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this distinguished family held a family seat at Crèvecoeur in the arrondissement of Lisieux where Hamon Le Sénéchal held a strong castle that still remains in the valley of Auge. He was directly descended from Hamon-Aux-Dents, Lord of Thorigny who was killed in the battle of Val-ès-Dunes in 1045. Hamon, his nephew of the family of Crèvecoeur, was present at the battle of Hastings in 1066.

Early History of the Senechal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Senechal research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1624 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Senechal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Senechal Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Senechal is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Sénéchal, Le Sénéchal, Sénéschal, Le Sénéschal, Sénécal, Sénégal, Sénécot, Sénécaut, Sénécaux, Seneschal and many more.

Early Notables of the Senechal family

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

Senechal Ranking

In Quebec, Canada, the name Senechal is the 770th most popular surname. [1] However, in France, the name Senechal is ranked the 733rd most popular surname with an estimated 6,655 people with that name. [2]


United States Senechal migration to the United States +

Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell 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 Senechal were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Senechal were

Senechal Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Claude Senechal, his wife and daughter, who settled in Louisiana in 1719
  • Claude Senechal, aged 35, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 [3]
Senechal Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Hedwig Senechal, aged 7, who landed in America from Ploven, in 1893
  • Willy Senechal, aged 4, who landed in America from Ploven, in 1893
  • Virginie Senechal, aged 44, who immigrated to America, in 1895
  • Eunte Senechal, aged 33, who landed in America, in 1895
Senechal Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Victer Senechal, aged 39, who landed in America from Paris, in 1903
  • Berthe Senechal, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States from Lille, France, in 1908
  • Anna Senechal, aged 30, who landed in America from Niagra Falls, in 1915
  • Robert R. Senechal, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from Niagara Falls, in 1915
  • Louis Senechal, aged 37, who settled in America from Paris, France, in 1919
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Senechal migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Senechal Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Francois Senechal, who settled in Quebec in 1680
  • François Sénéchal (1680) and Julien Sénéchal (1754) arrived in Quebec from Normandy
  • François Senechal, son of Barthélemi and Marie, who married Marie Vaudry, daughter of Jacques and Jeanne, in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec on 9th January 1680 [4]
  • Mathew Sénéchal (1691) and Jacques Sènèchal arrived in Quebec in 1745 from Brittany
  • Mathieu Senechal, son of Guillaume and Marguerite, who married Denise Fiset, in Quebec on 5th February 1691 [4]
Senechal Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Jean-Baptiste Senechal, son of Jean-Baptiste and Louise, who married Marie-Anne Berdin, daughter of Denis and Marie-Anne, in Quebec on 24th April 1741 [4]
  • Jacques Senechal, son of Pierre and Marguerite, who married Marie-Josephte Pelletier, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Angélique-Marguerite, in Saint-Roch, Quebec on 1st March 1745 [4]
  • Pierre Senechal, who settled in Quebec in 1753
  • Julien Senechal, son of Michel and Michelle, who married Marie-Charlotte Posé, daughter of François and Anne, in Saint-Thomas, Quebec on 21st January 1754 [4]
  • Julien Senechal, who settled in Ontario in 1754

Contemporary Notables of the name Senechal (post 1700) +

  • Fred Senechal, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Dakota, 1924 [5]
  • Auguste Senechal, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Nashua 9th Ward; Elected 1938 [5]
  • Le Sénéchal de Kerkado (1786-1805), French composer
  • Michel Sénéchal (b. 1927), French tenor
  • Joseph Henry Wilfred Sénéchal MM, BCL (1918-2000), Canadian lawyer, recipient of the Military Medal from New Brunswick


The Senechal Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Macula Sine Macula
Motto Translation: A mark without flaw


  1. "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
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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