Contents [hide]

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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

Lavigne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

Etymology of Lavigne

What does the name Lavigne mean?

The history of the Lavigne family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northwestern France, to the regions known as Brittany and Normandy. The name Lavigne is derived from the Old French word "vigne," meaning "vine," and as such it is likely that the first bearers of this name owned or worked on a vineyard. 1

Early Origins of the Lavigne family

The surname Lavigne was first found in Brittany where they held a family seat in the seigneury of Haute Morays.

They later branched to Houle in that same province. They were closely allied to this latter House of Houlle de Kermassonet. Branching to the region of Tournai they intermarried with the family of Hennebert. Branches were later found in Maine, Le Mans, Bourbonnais, Guyenne, and Artois. In the south of France they held a family seat in the region of Languedoc at Puylaroque.

Joseph Lavigne, son of Pierre and Jeanne (née Gazaille), settled in Contrecoeur, Quebec and married Marie-Anne Gareau on 12th November 1727. 2

Early History of the Lavigne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lavigne research. More information is included under the topic Early Lavigne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lavigne Spelling Variations

The many different spellings of French surnames can be partially explained by the use of local dialects and by the influence of other languages during the early development of the French language. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Lavigne is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Lavigne, Levine, Levin, Levigne, Levigny, Laveine, Lavignes, Lavene, Des Vignes, deVigne, Devignes, Devigne, De lavigne and many more.

Early Notables of the Lavigne family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

the Lavigne family of Hautemorays

Lavigne World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lavigne is the 3,162^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Lavigne is ranked the 344^th most popular surname with an estimated 13,284 people with that name. 4 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lavigne is the 201^st popular surname. 5 France ranks Lavigne as 564^th with 8,281 people. 6

Lavigne migration to the United States +

Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until the colony fell to the English 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 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. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. 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 Lavigne were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Lavigne were

Lavigne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Etienne Lavigne, who landed in Rhode Island in 1686 7

Lavigne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Lavigne, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1813 7
Jean Baptiste and Joseph Lavigne, who arrived in New Orleans in 1820
Alphonse Lavigne, who arrived in Mississippi in 1899 7

Lavigne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lavigne Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Urbain LaVigne, who arrived in Montreal in 1648
Jean-Baptiste Lavigne, son of Jacques and Marie, who married Françoise Viau, daughter of Jacques and Marie, in Quebec on 9th June 1699 8

Lavigne Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Guillaume Lavigne, who arrived in Quebec from Guyenne 1708
Guillaume Lavigne, son of Pierre and Marie, who married Marie-Jeanne Parenteau, daughter of Pierre and Madeleine, in Beauport, Quebec on 26th February 1708 8
Louis-Joseph Lavigne, son of Guillaume and Marie-Jeanne, who married Catherine Girard, daughter of Jean and Marie-Madeleine, in Lorette, Quebec on 29th October 1736 8
Guillaume-Joseph Lavigne, son of Guillaume and Marie-Jeanne, who married Marie-Josephte Isoir, daughter of Antoine and Marie-Thérèse, in Quebec on 10th September 1736 8
Joseph Lavigne, who arrived in Quebec from Guyenne in 1739
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lavigne (post 1700) +

Avril Ramona Lavigne (b. 1984), Canadian Juno Award-winning singer, songwriter, model, and occasional actress; she has sold more than 40 million albums and over 50 million singles worldwide
Gertrude Elizabeth LaVigne (1920-1998), née Hopkins, American technician in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
Marc Trevor Tessier Lavigne (b. 1960), Canadian-American neuroscientist
Steve Lavigne (b. 1962), American comic book illustrator
George Henry "Kid" Lavigne (1869-1928), American boxer
Thomas Lavigne, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 13th District, 2004 9
Romeo J. Lavigne, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1960 9
Philip Scott Lavigne, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates 32nd District, 2010 9
Joseph Lavigne, American politician, Representative from New York 28th District, 1904 9
Francis E. Lavigne, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1952, 1956 9
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Lavigne 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: Manco-capac

Sources +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. 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