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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Pelletier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France-Alt
France

Etymology of Pelletier

What does the name Pelletier mean?

The French family name Pelletier dates back to the Middle Ages. It was a Norman name given to a furrier. Looking back even further, we found the name was originally derived from the Old French word "pellet", meaning "animal skin", and was used to indicate a person in the trade of removing and selling the skins of animals.

Early Origins of the Pelletier family

The surname Pelletier was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where they held a family seat in the honors of Martinville, Molande, Ravinieres and Houssaye.

After the revolution this aristocratic family were made Barons of the Empire in the early 19th century. They also appeared in l'île-de-France, and Lyonnais and Toulouse to the south of France. Notable was Pierre Pelletier, French chemist, 1788-1842, who discovered, together with Caventou, the sulphate of quinine, and Jean Charles Paltier, French Physician 1785-1845.

Guillaume Pelletier, born in 1598 in Orne, France, came to Canada with his wife, Michelle (née Mabille). They married in France on 12th February 1619 and had two sons before travelling to the New World together. Guillaume worked in Quebec as a carpenter and had six more children with Michelle. Jean, their oldest son, was born on 12th June 1627. He married Anne Langlois in Quebec on 15th November 1649. Jean died in Rivière-Ouelle and was buried there on 25th February 1698. 1

Early History of the Pelletier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pelletier research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pelletier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pelletier Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from 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 Pelletier is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Peletier, Pelletier, Pelletiers, Pelletiere, Pelletierre, le Pelletiere, Peltier, Peltiers, Peltiere, Peltierre, Le Peltier, Pellettier, Pellettiere, Peltear, Pelteare and many more.

Early Notables of the Pelletier family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Pelletier of Martinville

Pelletier World Ranking

In the United States, the name Pelletier is the 1,459^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Pelletier is ranked the 28^th most popular surname with an estimated 48,323 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Pelletier is the 12^nd popular surname. 4 France ranks Pelletier as 190^th with 17,451 people. 5

Pelletier migration to the United States +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. 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 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Pelletier has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Pelletier were

Pelletier Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Abraham Pelletier, who arrived in Maine in 1624

Pelletier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Toussaint Pelletier, aged 18, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1785 6

Pelletier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Winceslas Pelletier, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1857
Mark Pelletier, who landed in Mississippi in 1876 6
Harmenegilde Pelletier, who arrived in Iroquois County, Illinois in 1886 6
John Pelletier, who arrived in Ohio in 1886 6

Pelletier Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alice Pelletier, aged 20, who immigrated to America from Paris, in 1901
Charles Pelletier, aged 34, who immigrated to America from Paris, in 1901
G. Pelletier, aged 51, who settled in America from Paris, France, in 1907
Anna Pelletier, aged 36, who settled in America from Paris, France, in 1909
Antonio Pelletier, aged 33, who landed in America from Paris, France, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pelletier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pelletier Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Guillaume Pelletier, son of Éloi and Françoise, who married Michelle Mabille, in Quebec on 12th February 1619 7
Antoine (1641) and Guilliaume Pelletier (1641) arrived in Quebec from Perche on the southern border of Normandie
Guillaume Pelletier, who landed in Canada in 1641
Jean Pelletier, who landed in Canada in 1641
Antoine Pelletier, son of Éloi and Françoise, who married Françoise Morin, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Quebec on 17th August 1647 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pelletier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

François Pelletier, son of Pierre and Louise, who married Dorothée Tremblay, daughter of Pierre and Ozanne, in L'Ange-Gardien, Quebec on 30th April 1703 7
Charles Pelletier, son of Jean and Marie-Anne, who married Marie-Anne Boucher, daughter of Charles and Marie-Anne, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec on 8th January 1726 7
Charles Pelletier, son of Charles and Marie-Thérèse, who married Louise Chouinard, daughter of Jacques and Louise, in Islet, Quebec on 25th November 1726 7
Augustin Pelletier, son of Guillaume and Marie-Louise, who married Madeleine Thiboutot, daughter of Adrien and Élisabeth, in Saint-Roch, Quebec on 21st November 1740 7
Antoine Pelletier, son of Noel and Madeleine, who married Marie-Jeanne Tessier, daughter of Pierre and Angélique, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec on 2nd July 1742 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pelletier Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Alphonse Pelletier, aged 32, who settled in Montreal, Canda, in 1908
Adele Pelletier, who settled in Canada, Quebec, in 1908
Alexandre Pelletier, aged 44, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1915
Berthe Pelletier, aged 25, who immigrated to Montreal, Canada, in 1917
Camille Pelletier, aged 0, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1917

Contemporary Notables of the name Pelletier (post 1700) +

Jean-Louis Pelletier (1936-2022), French criminal lawyer from Hyères, France
Louis Pelletier, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
Jean-Baptiste Pelletier, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Louis François Elie Pelletier, Count de Montmarie, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
Aimé Sulpice Victor Pelletier, Baron de Montmarie, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 10
Nicolas Jacques Pelletier (d. 1792), French highwayman, the first person to be executed by the guillotine
Pierre-Joseph Pelletier (1788-1842), French chemist, co-discoverer of quinine and strychnine
Madeleine Pelletier (1874-1939), French physician, psychiatrist, first-wave feminist, and socialist activist
Benoît Pelletier CM OQ (1960-2024), Canadian lawyer, academic, and politician, Minister of Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs (Quebec) (2003-2008)
Georges Pelletier (1939-2022), Canadian physician, researcher, and academic, professor at Université Laval and specialized in endocrinology from Quebec City, Quebec
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Pelletier 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: Adversis moveri nefas
Motto Translation: Turning away from wickedness.

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/
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.
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Louis Pelletier. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Jean-Baptiste Pelletier. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) AimÃ© Pelletier. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html