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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Martineau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Martineau

What does the name Martineau mean?

Of all the French names to come from Normandy, Martineau is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Martineau family

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

By 1204 a branch of the family was firmly established in Fittleton where Elyas de Martigni in Normandy gave five marks to pay tax on his lands in England. A second family of this name originated from the region of Faucigny, in the province of Savoie, then moved to Bourgogne, where they established in the region of Charollais.

Among its members were: Guillaume, a "gruyer" (supervisor of lands and forests) of Charollais in 1358; another Guillaume, a Knight, who was listed in an arms display in 1419; Jean, a Knight of the Order and Lord of la Villeneuve and Rocheprise, who died in 1576; and Jean and Claude, sons of Jean, who were Horsemen in 1593.

This certain family were admitted to the Estates in 1562. The last family originated from the region of Poitou. A member included in this family was: Jean, a Knight of Saint-Lazare, and spouse of Anne de Boigne, and who was a nephew of a Counselor of the Parliament of Bordeaux.

Louis Martineau, born in 1632, son of Jean and Mathurine (née Bonne), travelled to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Madeleine Marcot, born in 1634, daughter of Mathurin and Marie (née Regnaud), at Château-Richer on 9th April 1663. They remained together in Quebec until Louis passed away at Saint-François-de-l'île-d'Orléans on 21st May 1709. 1

Early History of the Martineau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Martineau research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1139 and 1576 are included under the topic Early Martineau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Martineau Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Martigny, Martignie, Martignies, Marrtigny, Marrtignie, Marrtignies, Martigney, Martinerie, Martinière, Martinier, Martini, Martygny, Martygnie, Martygnies, Marttigny, Marttignie, Marttignies, de Martigny, du Martigny and many more.

Early Notables of the Martineau family

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

Martineau World Ranking

In the United States, the name Martineau is the 6,800^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Martineau is ranked the 479^th most popular surname with an estimated 10,086 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Martineau is the 182^nd popular surname. 4 France ranks Martineau as 308^th with 13,090 people. 5

Martineau migration to Canada +

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 Martineau 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 Martineau were

Martineau Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Louis Martineau, (b. 1629), aged 27, French labourer travelling to Canada to work for François Peron, arriving on 11th April 1656 6
Mr. Jean Martineau, French settler travelling to Canada to work for Jérôme Le Royer, arriving on 8th June 1659 6
Jehan Martineau, who landed in Montreal in 1659
Jean Martineau, son of Jean and Colette, who married Claire Morin, in Quebec on 26th July 1662 7
Louis Martineau, son of Jeanne and Mathurine, who married Madeleine Marcot, daughter of Mathurin and Marie, in Château-Richer, Quebec on 9th April 1663 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Martineau Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Martineau, son of Jacques and Antoinette, who married Marguerite Hot, daughter of Pierre and Marie, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 12th February 1711 7
Germain Martineau, son of Pierre and Marie, who married Jeanne Paradis, daughter of Pierre and Jeanne, in Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Quebec on 8th February 1718 7
Simon Martineau, son of Mathurin and Madeleine, who married Geneviève Arcan, daughter of Simon and Marie-Madeleine, in Deschambault-Grondines, Quebec in 25th February 1726 7
Joseph Martineau, son of Mathurin and Madeleine, who married Marie-Anne Boucher, daughter of Denis and Jeanne-Marie, in Saint-Nicolas, Quebec on 4th February 1727 7
Jean-Philippe Martineau, son of Mathurin and Madeleine, who married Madeleine Corriveau, daughter of Étienne and Jeanne, in Saint-Vallier, Quebec on 18th February 1727 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Martineau migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Martineau Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Martineau, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Arab
Henry Martineau, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arab" in 1841

Contemporary Notables of the name Martineau (post 1700) +

Alfred Albert Martineau (1857-1941), Governor-General in the French Colonial Empire
Jean Martineau CC , QC (1895-1985), Canadian lawyer and President of the Canada Council for the Arts
Eugène Martineau (1837-1880), Canadian mayor of Ottawa (1872 to 1873)
François Martineau (1844-1911), Canadian politician
Horace Robert Martineau VC (1874-1916), British recipient of the Victoria Cross
Jérôme Martineau (1750-1809), French-Canadian businessman and politician in Lower Canada
Robert Martineau (1798-1870), Mayor of Birmingham, England (1846 to 1847)
James Martineau (1805-1900), English Unitarian theologian
Harriet Martineau (1802-1876), English writer

The Martineau 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: Sub umbra tuarum
Motto Translation: I will rest under a shadow.

Citations +

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/
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/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.