An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2016
Origins Available: English, French
The Benjamin family can find its origins within the landscape of Medieval France, particularly in that coastal region once known as Normandy. Their name is derived from the given name Binyamin, which means the son of the south, comes from The Bible, which tells that Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob and the father of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The surname Benjamin was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy.
One can encounter great variation in the spelling of French surnames; in part, as spelling, and the spelling names was not yet standardized during the early development of the written French language. Later, there was much branching and movement of families, and spellings would change according to region. Variations of the name Benjamin include Benjamin, Jamin, Jamine, Jaminet, Jamet, Jammet, Jammes, Jamme, Jameton, Jamot and many more.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Benjamin research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1696, 1701, 1711, 1723, 1735, 1773, 1850, and 1885 are included under the topic Early Benjamin History in all our PDF Extended History products.
Another 128 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Benjamin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that 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. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Benjamin surname were
Benjamin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Benjamin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Benjamin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Benjamin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
Benjamin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Benjamin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Benjamin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
The Benjamin Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Benjamin Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 8 March 2016 at 13:12.