Doreau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• France

Etymology of Doreau

The Medieval society of France produced the name of Doreau. It was a Breton name given to a person with blond hair. Other references show the name was originally derived from the Old French word d'ore, which meant of gold.

Early Origins of the Doreau family

Early History of the Doreau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Doreau research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1718, 1800, 1832, 1855, 1861, 1863, 1866 and 1883 are included under the topic Early Doreau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doreau Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Doreau is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Doré, Dorée, Dore, Doret, Dorot, Dorat, Daurat, Doray, Dorey, Doreau, Dorin, Daurin, Daurinet, Dorer and many more.

Early Notables of the Doreau family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Doreau Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Doreau Ranking

In France, the name Doreau is the 4,746^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Doreau family

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec, in 1663 there were only 500, 2,000 migrants arrived during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. 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. Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 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 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many distinguished contributions have been made by members of this family name Doreau. It has been prominent in the arts, religion, politics and culture in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Doreau were Louis Dore, who arrived in Quebec, Canada in 1670; Thomas Dore who arrived in America in 1728; Jacob Dorer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1744; Antoine Dore, who settled in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1770.