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Fontaine History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Fontaine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Etymology of Fontaine

What does the name Fontaine mean?

The French region of Savoie is the ancestral homeland of the prestigious surname Fontaine. The name Fontaine is derived from the Old French word "fontaine," which means "fountain," and as a name it no doubt originally served as a mark of recognition for someone who lived near such a landmark. As such, Fontaine is classed as a topographic surname.

Early Origins of the Fontaine family

The surname Fontaine was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where this renowned family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Early History of the Fontaine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fontaine research. Another 310 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1238, 1339, 1357, 1390, 1418, 1450, 1521, 1551, 1579, 1600, 1621, 1658, 1663, 1685, 1695, 1696, 1702, 1731, 1745, 1752, 1789, 1816 and 1882 are included under the topic Early Fontaine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fontaine Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lafontaine, Lafontain, Lafantaine, Fontaine, Fantaine, Fontain, Fontein, Fantein, Fantaine, Fonteyn, Lafonteyn, Lafon and many more.

Early Notables of the Fontaine family

Notable in the family name at this time was

Pierre Fontaine (c. 1390-1450), a French composer and singer, who served in the chapel of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy
François Lafontaine , Lord of Mézeyrac during the 1600's
Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695), a French poet and man of letters, considered one of the great French classical authors
Jean Desfontaines (c. 1658-1752), a French Baroque composer
The Abbé Pierre François Guyot-Desfontaines (1685-1745), a French journalist, translator and popular historian

Fontaine World Ranking

In the United States, the name Fontaine is the 2,470^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Fontaine is ranked the 241^st most popular surname with an estimated 16,757 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Fontaine is the 103^rd popular surname. 3 France ranks Fontaine as 48^th with 41,763 people. 4

Fontaine migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fontaine Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nicholas Fontaine, who settled in Maryland in 1671

Fontaine Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Fontaine, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 5
Madeleine Fontaine, who landed in Louisiana in 1718 5
Madelaine Fontaine, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 5
Claire Fontaine, aged 35, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 5
Claude Fontaine, aged 37, who landed in Louisiana in 1720 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fontaine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Fontaine, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 5
Mrs. Fontaine, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 5
P J Fontaine, aged 30, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1837 5
St. Anna Fontaine, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1838 5
Antonio Fontaine, aged 28, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1849 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fontaine migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fontaine Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Louis Fontaine, who arrived in Montreal in 1653
Louis Fontaine, son of Louis and Marie, who married Marie-Madeleine Brassard, daughter of Antoine and Françoise, in Quebec on 29th October 1656 6
Louis Fontaine, who arrived in Montreal in 1666
Mr. Étienne Fontaine, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 31st March 1677 7
Estienne Fontaine, who settled in Quebec in 1683
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fontaine Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Fontaine, son of Jacques and Claude, who married Marguerite Jentès, daughter of Etienne and Catherine, in Varennes, Quebec on 25th May 1700 6
Etienne Fontaine, who settled in Quebec with his wife, Marie, in 1706
Etienne Fontaine, son of Etienne and Marie, who married Madeleine Fournier, daughter of Simon and Catherine, in Quebec on 8th September 1715 6
Gabriel Fontaine, son of Pierre and Marguerite, who married Marie-Anne Godu, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne, in Varennes, Quebec on 10th November 1721 6
Pierre Fontaine, who settled in Quebec in 1722
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fontaine Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Etienne Fontaine, who settled in Quebec in 1800

Contemporary Notables of the name Fontaine (post 1700) +

Joan Fontaine (1917-2013), born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, American actress and the only actress to ever win an Academy Award (she has 3 awards for Best Actress) for a performance in a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Douglass Latimer Fontaine, American Motel Executive, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Charles Fontaine, American Dentist, specializing in Orthodontics, Mobile, Alabama
Just Louis Fontaine (1933-2023), French professional footballer, as a forward, he scored the most goals in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with thirteen in six matches in 1958
Jean Fontaine (1936-2021), French writer, theologian, and missionary who died from COVID-19
Nicole Fontaine (1942-2018), French politician, Member of the European Parliament for the Île-de-France, 20th President of the European Parliament (1999-2002)
François-Xavier Octavie Fontaine, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
Brigitte Fontaine (b. 1939), French singer, novelist, writer, actress, playwright, and poet
André Fontaine (b. 1921), French historian and journalist
Pierre François Léonard Fontaine (1762-1853), French architect and interior designer
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
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/
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 4) FranÃ§ois-Xavier Fontaine. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html