Show ContentsThirion History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Thirion name comes from that Medieval landscape of northwestern France known as Brittany (French: Bretagne). The name Thirion was originally derived from the family having lived in Brittany.

Early Origins of the Thirion family

The surname Thirion was first found in Brittany where this distinguished family held a family seat in the honor of the seigneurie of Ragotiere.

A member of this distinguished family accompanied Richard The Lionheart (Richard I of England) in his first Crusade to the Holy Land. One of the main branches of Stang was represented by a Cavalier in 1448. Etienne Thirion was a Seigneur of Barges in 1577. The family branched to Normandy where they held lands. Meanwhile in Bourgogne the family were elevated to the nobility. They made important alliances with the families of Ramessel, Chauvirey, Doyen, and Blondefontaine. [1]

Pierre Terrienne settled in Canada in the 17th century. He married Gabrielle Minaud, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, at Sainte-Famille, Quebec on 17th May 1670. They remained together in Quebec until Pierre's death on 12th September 1706. Gabrielle passed away on 27th November 1707. [2]

Early History of the Thirion family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thirion research. The years 1448 and 1577 are included under the topic Early Thirion History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thirion Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Terrien, Terrion, Terrian, Thirion, Therien, Therrien, Terrienne, de Terrien and many more.

Early Notables of the Thirion family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

  • Etienne Thirion, Seigneur of Barges

Thirion Ranking

In France, the name Thirion is the 1,016th most popular surname with an estimated 5,235 people with that name. [3]

Migration of the Thirion family

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Thirion has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Thirion were Stephen Terrian and his wife Mary who settled in Georgia in 1734; Pierre Therrien came from Angoumois on the west coast of France and settled in Quebec in 1656.


Contemporary Notables of the name Thirion (post 1700) +

  • François Thirion, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [4]


  1. Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
  2. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  4. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) François Thirion. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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