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

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Gaudet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Etymology of Gaudet

What does the name Gaudet mean?

The rich and ancient history of the Gaudet family name dates back to the time when France was immersed in the Dark Ages. This name from the Normandy region of France is derived from the Norman-French given name Gaudi, which means ruler.

Early Origins of the Gaudet family

The surname Gaudet was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this celebrated family has held a family seat since ancient times.

One of the earliest records of the family concerns Margue Gaudette who is recorded in 1340. Descending from the original line of Soulange, the family expanded, branched and prospered. This ancient family was known in Normandy, Picardy and Champagne as the Godart's, in Bourgogne as the Godard's and popular spellings of Lyonnais, Berry and Bourbonnais were Gaudart and Gaudard. Playing an important role in their community, the Gaudard family were the Lords of Solier, of la Greslerie, of Laverdine and of Genetais and served as the local Judges for the burgs in 1474. Proving their capability in politics, one of the Gaudard's served as the Mayor of Bourges in 1557 and in 1697 a member of the family served as the Treasurer of France for Berry.

The family were fervent in pursuit of their faith and as such a member of the family became the Archdeacon of Bourbon in 1698 and he held his doctorate in Theology. Many members of the family served as representatives of the business community in Paris. Claude was a businessman of Paris in 1699 and his son, Louis-François, was an architect and a businessman in that same city. François-Pierre, his son, was a buying agent for the famous East India Company in the 1700's. Maurice, a descendant of François-Pierre, was a Knight of Saint Lazaire, a delegate general holding the Order of the Indes, a member of the Association of the French India Company and a Vice-President of the Red Cross for the French India Company.

Early History of the Gaudet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gaudet research. The years 1647, 1700 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Gaudet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaudet 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 Gaudet is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Gaudet, Gaudette, Gaudait, Gaudais, Gaudey, Godet, Godette, Godait, Godais, Goder, Godee, Goday, Goddet, Goddette, Gauddet and many more.

Early Notables of the Gaudet family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gaudet Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaudet World Ranking

In the United States, the name Gaudet is the 7,212^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Gaudet is ranked the 363^rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,569 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Gaudet is the 292^nd popular surname. 3 France ranks Gaudet as 2,170^th with 2,926 people. 4

Gaudet migration to the United States +

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 Gaudet were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Gaudet were

Gaudet Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Gaudet, who arrived in Connecticut in 1763 5
Louis Gaudet, (b. 1728), aged 57, French carpenter traveling aboard the ship "La Caroline" arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on 22nd December 1785 5
Mr. Joseph Ignace Gaudet, (b. 1747), aged 38, French settler traveling aboard the ship "La Ville d'Archangel" arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on 3rd December 1785 6
Mrs. Marie Gaudet, (nee Hebert), (b. 1731), aged 54, French settler traveling aboard the ship "La Caroline" arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on 3rd December 1785 7
Mr. Francois Louis Gaudet, (b. 1773), aged 12, French settler traveling aboard the ship "La Caroline" arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on 3rd December 1785 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gaudet migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gaudet Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean (Jehan) Gaudet married Marie Daussy in France in 1598 and after arriving in Port Royal, Nova Scotia, in the early 1600's, he married Nicolle Colson in 1628

Gaudet Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Joseph Gaudet, aged 42, who landed in Acadia in 1765
Louis Gaudet, aged 40, who arrived in St Pierre and Miquelon in 1767
Marie Gaudet, aged 47, who arrived in St Pierre and Miquelon in 1767
Paul Gaudet, aged 34, who landed in St Pierre and Miquelon in 1767
Pierre Gaudet, aged 47, who arrived in St Pierre and Miquelon in 1767
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gaudet (post 1700) +

James Jennings Gaudet (b. 1955), American former Major League Baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals
Pete Gaudet, American college basketball coach
Benoit Gaudet (b. 1979), Canadian boxer from Drummondville, Quebec, former Canadian National Lightweight and North American Boxing Association Super Featherweight champion
Ava Gaudet, American television, film, and theatre actress/singer
Eli Gaudet, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1964 8
Eldridge Gaudet, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for New Hampshire, 1948 8
Cora E. Gaudet, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for New Hampshire, 1948 8
Philibert Gaudet, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Placide Gaudet (1850-1930), Canadian historian, educator, genealogist and journalist
Derek Gaudet (b. 1989), Canadian soccer player
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gaudet family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Claude Gaudet (1898-1917), Canadian stationed with Royal Engineers Ives Point, McNabs Island from St Thomas, New Brunswick, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10

HMS Hood

Mr. Samuel Gaudet (b. 1917), Canadian Ordinary Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Stephenville, Newfoundland, Canada, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 11

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)
7 Ships Acadian Expedition of 1785. Retrieved 24th October 2021 from http://www.acadian-cajun.com/7ships.htm
7 Ships Acadian Expedition of 1785. Retrieved 27th October 2021 from http://www.acadian-cajun.com/7ships.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 5) Philibert Gaudet. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm