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Villeneuve History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Villeneuve History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The prestigious surname Villeneuve comes from the region of Provence, in France. The surname Villeneuve is of local origin, and is therefore a type of hereditary surname. Local surnames are derived either from an already existing place-name or from a local feature of the geography. In this case, it is derived from the Old French elements "ville," which meant farm, and "neuve," which meant "new." Therefore the surname translates to "dweller on the new farm."

Early Origins of the Villeneuve family

The surname Villeneuve was first found in Provence, where this noble family has been discovered since ancient times.

The family have, over the centuries, grown and branched to Arifat, Bargemont, Bignon, Cressy, Esclapon, Ponthalle, and Rosunan. The family held many titles including that of the Marquis de Arifat, Bargemont, Marquis of Trans, and the Marquis Kerveno. Several family members have been noted and have contributed immensely to the defense of France as well as the arts.

Pierre Sylvestre de Villeneuve, a sailor, vice-admiral of France, participated in various battles, including the American War (1793). Huon de Villeneuve was a poet during the late twelfth century and early thirteenth century. Gabrielle-Suzanne Villeneuve (1695-1755) was a novelist. Theodore-Ferdinand de Villeneuve (1799-1858) was a dramatic author.

André Villeneuve, born in 1698, son of Pierre and Marie-Madeleine (née Golin), travelled from France to the New World in the 18th century. After arriving in Canada he married Marie-Madeleine Lemarie, daughter of Charles and Marie-Françoise (née Sedillot), on 16th November 1722. They settled at Sainte-Foy, Quebec and remained there together until Marie-Madeleine's death on 24th May 1766. André passed away on 2nd July 1774. 1

Early History of the Villeneuve family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Villeneuve research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1756, 1763, 1794, 1805 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Villeneuve History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Villeneuve Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Villeneuve, Villeneuves, Villeneufve, Villeneufves, Vileneuve, Vileneuves, Vileneufve, Vileneufves, de Villeneuve and many more.

Early Notables of the Villeneuve family

Notable amongst the names at this time was

Pierre Sylvestre de Villeneuve (1763-1806), French Admiral, who was defeated by Nelson at Trafalgar in 1805...
Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve (1756-1794) was a French writer and politician...

Villeneuve World Ranking

In the United States, the name Villeneuve is the 9,880^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Villeneuve is ranked the 183^rd most popular surname with an estimated 19,807 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Villeneuve is the 81^st popular surname. 4 France ranks Villeneuve as 687^th with 6,985 people. 5

Villeneuve migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Villeneuve Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacques de Villeneuve who settled in Louisiana in 1740

Villeneuve Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Victor Villeneuve, who settled in New York, NY in 1820
Louise Villeneuve, aged 24, who immigrated to America, in 1894

Villeneuve Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles Villeneuve, aged 53, who landed in America from Manchester, in 1906
Leopold Villeneuve, aged 34, who landed in America from France, in 1919
Gilbert Villeneuve, aged 27, who landed in America from Marseilles, in 1921
Jean Baptiste Villeneuve, aged 52, who settled in America from Paris, France, in 1921
Fernande Villeneuve, aged 13, who landed in America from Paris, France, in 1921
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Villeneuve migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Villeneuve Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Mathurin Villeneuve, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 31st March 1665 6
Mathurin Villeneuve, son of Mathieu and Jeanne, who married Marguerite Le Marché, daugther of Jean and Catherine, in Quebec on 26th November 1669 7

Villeneuve Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Charles Villeneuve, son of Mathurin and Marguerite, who married Marie-Renée Allard, daughter of François and Jeanne, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 7th May 1703 7
Jacques Villeneuve, son of Mathurin and Marguerite, who married Anne Chalifour, daughter of Pierre and Anne, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 26th November 1708 7
André Villeneuve, son of Pierre and Marie-Madeleine, who married Marie-Madeleine Lemarié, daughter of Charles and Marie-Françoise, in Quebec on 16th November 1722 7
Etienne Villeneuve, son of Etienne and Jeanne, who married Marie-Anne Poitras, daugther of Jean and Marie-Anne, in Saint-Augustin, Quebec on 13th August 1731 7
Charles-Pierre Villeneuve, son of Charles and Marie-Renée, who married Marguerite Bébard, daughter of Bernard and Marguerite, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 4th August 1738 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Villeneuve Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Exilda Villeneuve, aged 46, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1912
J. F. Villeneuve, aged 31, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1912
Leonidas Villeneuve, aged 63, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1912
Arianne Villeneuve, aged 21, who landed in Montreal, Canada, in 1920

Contemporary Notables of the name Villeneuve (post 1700) +

Joseph Villeneuve de Janti (1868-1944), French entomologist who specialised in Diptera
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve (1763-1806), French admiral during the Napoleonic Wars
Julien Vallou de Villeneuve (1795-1866), French painter and photographer
Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve (1756-1794), French writer and politician
Georges Villeneuve (1922-2020), Canadian politician, Liberal party member of the House of Commons of Canada (1953-1958)
Denis Villeneuve (b. 1967), Quebecois film director and writer, known for his work on Blade Runner 2049, Arrival and Incendies, awarded the filmmaker of the decade by Hollywood critics award in 2019
Annie Villeneuve (b. 1983), French-Canadian pop singer-songwriter
Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve OQ (b. 1971), Canadian automobile racing driver and amateur musician, son of Gilles Villeneuve
Noble Villeneuve (b. 1938), Canadian politician
Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve (1950-1982), Canadian Formula One racing driver

The Villeneuve Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Victori et fideli
Motto Translation: Victory and Faithfulness.

Citations +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"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
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.