Show ContentsValour History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Valour 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 Valour family

The surname Valour 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 Valour family

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

Valour 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 Valour, including 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 Valour family

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

Valour Ranking

In France, the name Valour is the 6,964th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Valour family

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 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. 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 Valour were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Valour were Francois Valois who settled in Quebec in 1762 from Orlé anais; Jacques Valois arrived in Quebec in 1684 from Saintonge on the west coast of France near Bordeaux, but this is thought to be the port of embarkation, rather than his home province..



  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/


Houseofnames.com on Facebook