Lafont History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Ireland

Etymology of Lafont

What does the name Lafont mean?

The surname Lafont is derived from a child. The surname Lafont is derived from the French "l'enfant," or perhaps from La Font or La Fin, which are both found in French records.

Early Origins of the Lafont family

The surname Lafont was first found in counties Tipperary and Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman), founded by Vikings as Waesfjord, and located in Southeastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they were granted lands by Strongbow after the invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Lafont family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lafont research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1200 is included under the topic Early Lafont History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lafont Spelling Variations

During the lifetime of an individual person, his name was often spelt by church officials and medieval scribes the way it sounded. An examination of the many different origins of each name has revealed many spelling variations for the name: Laffan, Laffin, La Font, Laffhan and others.

Early Notables of the Lafont family

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

Lafont Ranking

In France, the name Lafont is the 506^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,877 people with that name. 1

Lafont migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Lafont:

Lafont Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alejandro Lafont, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1870 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Lafont (post 1700) +

Cristina Lafont (b. 1963), American philosopher
Pauline Lafont (1963-1988), French actress who died tragically from a fall while hiking at the age of 25
Marcelle Lafont (1905-1982), French chemist, chemical engineer, member of the French Resistance and politician
Bernadette Lafont (1938-2013), French Cesar Award winning actress who appeared in more than 120 films, mother of Pauline Lafont
Jean-Philippe Lafont (b. 1951), French baritone
Eugène Lafont (1837-1908), Belgian Jesuit, Missionary in Bengal, scientist and founder of the first Scientific Society in India
Ernest Lafont (1879-1946), French socialist politician
Emmanuel Marie Philippe Louis Lafont (b. 1945), Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Cayenne in French Guiana since 2004
Dominique Lafont (b. 1961), French businessperson, Managing Director for Africa in the Bolloré Group
Charles Philippe Lafont (1781-1839), French violinist and composer
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Lafont 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: Vincit omnia veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers all things.

Sources +

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)