Show ContentsValois History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Valois has a long French heritage that first began in the northern region of Normandy. The name is derived from when the family lived at Valois, in Normandy. This place-name is extremely common in France and is derived from the Old French word valois, meaning valley.

Early Origins of the Valois family

The surname Valois was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this distinguished family held a family seat at Murcay, and were members of the aristocracy of that region.

Early History of the Valois family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Valois research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1603 and 1676 are included under the topic Early Valois History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Valois 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 Valois is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Valois, Vallois, Valloy, Valay, Vallay, Valais, Vallais, Vallouy, Valouy, Vallour, Valour, Valliot, Valiot, Vallos, Valos, Valloir, Valoir, Valluy, Valuy, Le Valois, Le Vallois, De Valois and many more.

Early Notables of the Valois family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

  • Henri Valois (1603-1676), also known as Henricus Valesius, French philologist and a student of classical and ecclesiastical historians

Valois Ranking

In Quebec, Canada, the name Valois is the 727th most popular surname. [1] However, in France, the name Valois is ranked the 5,446th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. [2]


United States Valois migration to the United States +

Immigration to New France was slow; therefore, 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. By the same year 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 Valois 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 Valois were

Valois Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Margueritte Valois, aged 50, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1785 [3]
Valois Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Georges Valois, aged 34, who landed in America, in 1892
  • Wilma Valois, aged 22, who settled in America, in 1896
Valois Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • May Etta Valois, aged 45, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, in 1903
  • Arthur E. Valois, aged 57, who landed in America from Paris, in 1904
  • A. E. Valois, aged 60, who landed in America from Paris, in 1906
  • Mrs. A. E. Valois, aged 46, who landed in America from Paris, in 1906
  • Pierre Valois, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, France, in 1907
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Valois migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Valois Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Jacques Valois, who arrived in Quebec in 1684 from Saintonge on the west coast of France near Bordeaux
  • Jacques Valois, son of Élie and Judith, who married Jeanne Couillard, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne, in Champlain, Quebec on 22nd February 1694 [4]
Valois Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Pierre Valois, son of Jacques and Jeanne, who married Clémence Girard, daughter of Léon and Clémence, in Montreal, Quebec on 6th September 1724 [4]
  • Simon-Pierre Valois, son of Jacques and Jeanne, who married Marie-Thérèse Roy, daughter of François and Marie, in Lachine, Quebec on 9th May 1729 [4]
  • Louis Valois, son of Jacques and Jeanne, who married Geneviève Aubuchon, daughter of Joseph and Louise, in La Visitation-de-l'île-Dupas, Quebec on 8th November 1729 [4]
  • Jean Valois, son of Jacques and Marguerite, who married Geneviève Dandonneau, daughter of Jacques and Catherine, in Sorel, Quebec on 10th January 1735 [4]
  • Antoine-Régis Valois, son of Jacques and Marguerite, who married Marie-Thérèse Caillia, daughter of Pierre and Catherine, in Quebec on 11th March 1747 [4]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Valois (post 1700) +

  • John R. Valois, American politician, Mayor of River Rouge, Michigan, 1927-29 [5]
  • Arthur E. Valois, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1904 [5]
  • Agnès Cécile Marie-Madeleine Valois (1914-2018), known as Sister Agnès-Marie, a French Roman Catholic nun and nurse; she was decorated by France and Canada for caring for Allied soldiers after the failed Dieppe Raid
  • Achille-Joseph-Étienne Valois (1785-1862), French designer and sculptor
  • Jean-Louis Valois (b. 1973), French retired professional footballer
  • Victor Valois (1841-1924), Vice-Admiral (Vizeadmiral) in the German Imperial Navy
  • Jonathan Valois (b. 1971), French-Canadian politician in Quebec
  • Philippe Valois (b. 1907), French-Canadian Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons


  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 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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