Show ContentsToulouse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Toulouse family goes back to the Medieval landscape of southern France, to a region known as Languedoc. It is derived from the family living in the city of Toulouse, one of the major urban centers in the south of France.

Early Origins of the Toulouse family

The surname Toulouse was first found in Languedoc where they held a family seat as members of the aristocracy in that region. The main line of the Toulouse family emerged as the Comtes de Lautrec.

The first of this line was Raymond I, Count of Toulouse (died 865) who was the Count of Limoges, Rouergue, Quercy, Toulouse and Albi. On his death, his brother Fredelo, (Fredelo, Fridolo, or Frigidolo) who died in 852 assumed the title and some regard him as the first Count of Toulouse (844-852.) This line survived until Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse (1197-1249.) Shortly after his death, the county was annexed by France.

"The Counts of Toulouse descended from Fulcoald, Count of Rodez 837, whose son Fridolind became Count of Toulouse 849 (L'Art de Vdrif. les Dates), and was ancestor of that Sovereign house, whose services in the Crusades, and whose ruin in the Albigensian wars, occupy so important a place in history. A branch of this illustrious house settled in England at the Conquest, and Hugh de Toulouse obtained grants from Richard FitzGilbert in Surrey." 1

Early History of the Toulouse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Toulouse research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1864 and 1901 are included under the topic Early Toulouse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Toulouse Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from 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 Toulouse is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Toulouse, Toulous, Tolouse and others.

Early Notables of the Toulouse family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

Toulouse Ranking

In France, the name Toulouse is the 2,112nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,993 people with that name. 2


Toulouse migration to Canada +

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 Toulouse 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 Toulouse were

Toulouse Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Rene Toulouse, who arrived in Quebec from Languedoc in 1758

Contemporary Notables of the name Toulouse (post 1700) +

  • Stephen "Stepto" Toulouse (1972-2017), American Director of Xbox Live Policy and Enforcement at Microsoft
  • Gérard Marie Robert Toulouse (1939-2023), French theoretical physicist, born in Vattetot-sur-Mer, Seine-Maritime
  • Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse -Lautrec-Monfa (b. 1864), also known as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator
  • Vaughn Toulouse (1959-1991), born Vaughn Cotillard, Jersey singer from St. Helier, founding member of Guns for Hire and its successor band Department S


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/


Houseofnames.com on Facebook