The following information was presented to me via email by Bernard Lussier of Quebec. I found it to be so interesting that I requested his permission to display it on my web site.

The following information was presented to me via email by Bernard Lussier of Quebec. I found it to be so interesting that I requested his permission to display it on my web site.

Most of the French-canadians who were present in the early days of Oregon came from a region which is now in Eastern Canada, in the province of Quebec. Their names have been recorded in Oregon by people who could not speak French. Therefore, the orthograph of these names, is sometimes quite different of the french orthograph. Please allow me to try to link the names from Oregon with names currently used in Quebec.

There are about 10,000 french-canadian names and variants, and many more french names in use in France. In the lists below, asterisks will differentiate these names:

** : French-canadian names in common use. They can be found in the phonebook of Montréal, for example.

* : French names which are very rare or not found anymore in Quebec.

Some name connections are obvious, others are more uncertain:

>>> : Obvious connection

>>: Probable

> : A guess

You will notice that we write Labonté, not LaBonté, nor La Bonté. French-canadians very rarely use a capital in the middle of a family name after the article(Le, La, Les..) or preposition (De, Du, Des..). It is faster and simpler to write. It also allows to distinguish a family name from an object. For example, Laporte is not the same as La Porte (The Door).

The termination "er" is pronounced in French like "day" in English.

In French, accents are important. They indicate pronunciation. é is also pronounced like "day" in English.

Family names in alphabetical order:
A. Arquette: >>> Arcouet**; >> Arcouette*
Amable Arcouette: >>> Arcouet**; >> Arcouette*
Alexis Aubichon: >> Aubuchon*
Jean B. Aubichon: >> Aubuchon*
Beauvain: >> Bovet**; Boivin**; Beauvain*; Bovin*
Pierre Belaque: >>> Belec**
Joseph Bernabe: >>> Barnabé**
Francis Bernier: >>> François Bernier**
F.N. Blanchet: >>> Blanchet**; Blanchette**
Louis Boivers: >>> Boisvert**
Antoine Bonanfont: >>> Bonenfant**
A.B. Breiver: > Brévert*; > Bréviaire*
Oliver Briscbois: >>> Olivier Brisebois**
Charles Campo: >>> Campeau**
Adolph Chamberlain: >>> Adolphe Chamberlain**
Andrew Charlefou: >> Charlefou*; >Chalifoux**
Joseph Curnia: >>> Cornier**
Jean B. Dalcourse: >> Dalcourse*; De Lacourse*
B. Decharm: >>>Ducharme**
Baptiste Degear: >>> Deguire**
J. Deloir: >> Deloire*
Pierre deLord: >> Delord*; Delors*; Deloire*
Pierre Depau: >> Depau*
J.B. Deporte: >> Deporte*
Baptiste Dequire: >>> Deguire**
J.F. Despau: >> Despau*
Champine Despon: >> Despon*; Desponts*
David Doupierre: >> Dompierre**; Doupierre*
O. Dubarr: >> Dubarre*
Andre DuBois: >>> André Dubois**; >> Duboy*
Jean DuCharme: >>> Ducharme**
Pierre Dupot: >> Dupot*; Dupeau*
Joseph Eurbare: >> Herbert* > Hébert**
Pierre Gauthier: >>> Gauthier**; Gaulthier*
Joseph Gervais: >>> Gervais**
Etienne Gregoire: >>> Grégoire**
Antoine Felise: >> Felise*
J. Labombard: >>> Labombarde*
L. Labonte: >>> Labonté**
Andre LaChapelle: >>> Andre Lachapelle**
Xavier Laderoot: >>> Ladéroute*
Pierre LeCourse: >>> Lacourse**
Michelle Laferte: >>> Michel Laferté;*, unless it was a woman.
Michael Laframboise: >>> Michel Laframboise**
Andre Longtain: >>> André Longtin** >> Longtain*
Alexis Lapratte: >> Lapratte* > Laprade**
Pierre Laroque: >>> Larocque**
George Lebreton: >>> Lebreton*
Charles Lefantasie: >>> Lafantaisie*
Francis Leviese: >> Lévis*
Jean Lingras: >> Lingras* > Gingras**
Moyse Lor: >>> Moïse Lord**
Etienne Lucier: >>> Lussier**; > Lucier*
Fabien Maloin: >>> Malouin**
Joseph Matte: >>> Matte**
F.X. Matthieu: >>> François-Xavier Mathieu**
Pierre Menard: >>> Ménard**
Thomas Moisan: >>> Moisan**; >> Moisang*
Nicholas Monture: >>> Monture*
A.C. Obeshaw: >> Aubuchon*
Louis Osant: >> Osant*
Luc Pagnon: >> Pagnon*
Pierre Papin: >>> Papin*; >> Pépin**
Pierre Pariseau: >>> Pariseau*; Parizeau**
Joseph Paro: >>> Perreault**
Jean B. Paupin: >> Paupin*
John B. Perault: >>> Perreault**
Charles Plant: >>> Plante**
Quantile: >>> Quantile*
H.H. Raymond: >>> Raymond**
Augustin Remon: >> Raymond**
Thomas Roa: >>> Roy**
Eustaces Reausho: > Eustache Rochon**, Rousseau**
Antoine Rivet: >>> Antoine Rivet**
Charles Rondeau: >>> Rondeau**
Gedereau Sencalle: >>> Sénécal**; >> Sénéchal*
John B. Topan: >> Toupin**
Louis B. Vandalle: >>> Vandal**

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