Show ContentsToulouze History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Toulouze

What does the name Toulouze mean?

The history of the Toulouze 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 Toulouze family

The surname Toulouze 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 Toulouze family

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

Toulouze Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Toulouze, including Toulouse, Toulous, Tolouse and others.

Early Notables of the Toulouze family

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

Migration of the Toulouze family

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Toulouze has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Toulouze were Rene Toulouse arrived in Quebec from Languedoc in 1758.



  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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook