Pillier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• France

Etymology of Pillier

The French name Pillier has a history dating as far back as the Middle Ages. The name is thought to derive from the Old French word "pelon," which referred to the spiky outer shell of a chestnut; and from this, it has been suggested that the name was a nickname for a quick-tempered or unpleasant person. The history of this surname is intrinsically entwined with that of the region of Normandy, where the earliest records of the Pillier family were found.

Early Origins of the Pillier family

Early History of the Pillier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pillier research. The years 1771, 1772, 1792 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Pillier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pillier Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Pillier some of which are Pilon, Pile, Pilet, Pillet, Pilot, Pillot, Pillon, Pilier, Pillier, Dupillier, Pilaire, Pilard, Pillard, Pilleux and many more.

Early Notables of the Pillier family

Notable amongst the family in this period was René-Martin Pillet, born in 1771, who was a general in Tours at the time of the Revolution; Claude-Marie Pillet, born in 1771, was a literary hack in Chambéry. He studied law and became a lawyer, but this trade never became his passion and instead he turned to mathematics...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pillier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pillier family

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 Pillier 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 Pillier were 350 individuals who arrived from France onto Canadian shores between 1600 and 1900. Among them were Antoine Pilon, who was married in Montreal in 1689.