Show ContentsDione History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Dione

What does the name Dione mean?

The region of ancient France known as Auvergne is where the name Dione was born. Dione was a name for someone who lived in Dienne in Auvergne, a medieval French province on the Massíf Central in the south central part of France. 1

Alternatively, the name could have come from Dionne, in Burgundy. 2

Early Origins of the Dione family

The surname Dione was first found in Auvergne, a historic province in south central France where this renowned family has held a family seat since ancient times.

By the 17th century, this family were well established in Auvergne and several members of the family were distinctive through their contributions to the community in which they lived and were rewarded with lands, titles and letters patent confirming their nobility. In the 19th century, this honoured family was represented by Count Louis-Edouard-Marie-Hippolyte de Dienne, who was the ancient Flag Lieutenant to Admiral Montaignan.

Antoine Dionne, born in 1641, married Catherine Yvory, born in 1644, in 1660. They settled together on a farm in Sainte-Famille, Quebec, where they had their twelve children. Most of their children eventually settled in Kamouraska and have many ancestors in Canada. 3

Early History of the Dione family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dione research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1679 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Dione History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dione Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Dione some of which are Dionne, de Dion, Dion, Dienne, Dione, Diones, de Dionne, de Dienne, Deonne, Dienn, Diennes, Dienes, Dyone, Dyones, Deon, Deons, Deonns, Dyons, Dyon, Dyonne, Dyonnes and many more.

Early Notables of the Dione family

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


Dione migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year 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 Dione 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 Dione were

Dione Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Germain Dione, who arrived in New York in 1798 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Dione (post 1700) +

  • Oneida Dione Granger, American politician, Independent Candidate for Virgin Islands legislature from St. Croix, 2002 5


The Dione 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: Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina
Motto Translation: Lord, my God, assist me now


  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. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook