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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Lacroix History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Etymology of Lacroix

What does the name Lacroix mean?

Directly translated, "la croix" means "the cross". It is believed by some sources that the name Lacroix was originally used for a person of importance in the field of religion, such as a priest or bishop. 1 Languedoc is the region of ancient France from which the name Lacroix was derived. It comes from when the family lived in Languedoc, where the family has been found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Lacroix family

The surname Lacroix was first found in Languedoc, where this eminent family held a family seat from ancient times.

Several members of this illustrious family played a great role in the military and were recognized by their peers for their heroic actions during the wars of their times. In recognition of their contributions towards their communities, several distinctive members of this ancient family were granted lands, titles, and letters of patent confirming their nobility. This family also believed strongly in their faith and as a result, some members entered the clergy.

Beginning in 1320, Jean Lacroix is mentioned as a descendant of Guillaume of la Croix, Governor and Seneschal of Montpellier, President in the Court of Aides (Court of tax disputes) and Receiver of the Barony of Castries. Guillaume's two sons, Louis and Geoffroy, founded a family branch in Champagne from Languedoc. Jacques, grandson of Louis La Croix, was a Knight of the Order of Malta in 1568 and was the father of Gaspard and Jean. Jean, Gentleman of the Chamber to the King, was the grandfather of René Gaspard, Marquis of Castries in 1645, Lieutenant General and Knight of the Order of Malta in 1661.

The noble house of La Croix of Castries obtained six honors from the Court. Jean François Lacroix was a member of the first Commission and had missions with Danton in Belgium. He was blamed by the Commission of Twenty-One for advising Damouriez not to read his letter to the Convention and was arrested and found guilty because no one defended him except Danton.

Early History of the Lacroix family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lacroix research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1717, 1764, 1783, 1817 and 1821 are included under the topic Early Lacroix History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lacroix Spelling Variations

Changes of spelling have occurred in most surnames. The earliest explanation is that during the early development of the French language, names were not yet fixed in spelling. Usually a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. This depended on accent, and local accents frequently changed the spelling of a name. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there are some spelling variations of the name Lacroix, including Lacroix, Lacrois, Lacroie, Lacroies, La Croix, Croix, Croixe, Crois, Croise, Cruce, Lacruce, La Cruce, La Croise and many more.

Early Notables of the Lacroix family

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

Lacroix World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lacroix is the 3,185^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Lacroix is ranked the 221^st most popular surname with an estimated 17,920 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lacroix is the 106^th popular surname. 4 France ranks Lacroix as 98^th with 29,376 people. 5

Lacroix 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 Lacroix 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 Lacroix were

Lacroix Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mr. or Mrs. Lacroix, aged 28, who settled in Louisiana in 1719
Antoine Lacroix, aged 28, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 6
Alexander LaCroix, who arrived in South Carolina in 1735 6
Frederick LaCroix, who landed in New England in 1775 6

Lacroix Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. or Mrs. Lacroix, aged 36, who settled in Mississippi in 1820
Mr. or Mrs. Lacroix, aged 36, who settled in New Orleans in 1820
Louis LaCroix, aged 31, who settled in Boston in 1821
Alfonso Lacroix, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1851 6

Lacroix Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Armand Lacroix, aged 32, who landed in America from Paris, in 1903
Gertrude Lacroix, aged 25, who immigrated to America from Bordeaux, in 1903
Berthe Lacroix, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States from Beseair, France, in 1908
Andree Lacroix, aged 32, who settled in America from Paris, France, in 1908
Alice Lacroix, aged 28, who landed in America from Dalle, France, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lacroix migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lacroix Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Agatha Lacroix, who arrived in Canada in 1632-1760
Michel LaCroix, who landed in Quebec in 1651
Mathurin LaCroix, who arrived in Montreal in 1653
Nicolas LaCroix, who arrived in Montreal in 1654
Mathurine Lacroix, aged 22, who landed in Quebec in 1658
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lacroix Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Louis Lacroix, son of François and Anne, who married Marguerite Caron, daughter of Jean and Margeurite, in Quebec on 17th June 1702 7
André Lacroix, son of David-Joseph and Barthélemie, who married Madeleine Marchand, daughter of François and Madeleine, in Beaumont, Quebec on 5th May 1706 7
Augustin Lacroix, son of François and Anne, who married Jeanne Paré, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Sainte-Anne, Quebec on 30th January 1708 7
Louis Lacroix, son of David-Joseph and Barthélemie, who married Suzanne Labrecque, daughter of Mathurin and Marthe, in Beaumont, Quebec on 14th January 1714 7
Gabriel Lacroix, son of David-Joseph and Barthélemie, who married Marie-Anne-Agnès Cloutier, daughter of Jean and Louise, in Château-Richer, Quebec on 19th July 1716 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lacroix Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Emma Lacroix, aged 35, who immigrated to Hull, Canada, in 1912
Charles Adelon Lacroix, aged 26, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1913
Charles Odilon Lacroix, aged 37, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1915
Elzear Lacroix, aged 18, who immigrated to Levis, Quebec, Canada, in 1916
Cyrille Lacroix, aged 45, who immigrated to Quebec, Canada, in 1919
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lacroix (post 1700) +

Francis Asbury Lacroix, American Clergyman, Maplewood, New Jersey
John C. LaCroix, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1960 8
Edmund J. LaCroix Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Griswold; Elected 1946 8
Donald B. LaCroix, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut 1st District, 1956, 1962, 1966, 1968; Republican Candidate for Connecticut State Senate 1st District, 1960 8
Arthur Joseph Lacroix, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for New Hampshire Governor's Council 3rd District, 1938 8
Arthur J. Lacroix, American Democratic Party politician, Elected New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 5th Ward 1938 8
Albert W. Lacroix, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for New Hampshire Governor's Council 3rd District, 1938; Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Manchester 8th Ward, 1948 8
Christian Marie Marc Lacroix (b. 1951), French fashion designer and founder of Lacroix which combines luxury and insouciance
Xavier Lacroix (1947-2021), French philosopher and theologian, professor of philosophy and moral theology at the Catholic University of Lyon
Paul Lacroix (1806-1884), French author and journalist, born in Paris, the son of a novelist
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. 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/
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. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html