Jersey Family Names

Meaning:  French for Smith, ie blacksmith

This is a very common name all over France – like Smith in England. There are various spellings of the name including Le Fevre, Le Febvre and Le Feyvre.

In Jersey the name is mentioned in official documents from the 13^th century. In the 20^th century the name was concentrated in the western parishes of St Ouen, St Peter and St Brelade.

Interesting Le Feuvre’s:

Philip Le Feuvre (1892 – 1955) – Senator and instigator of the island’s Social Security scheme. Philip Le Feuvre House in St Helier is named after him.

Iris Le Feuvre (1928 – ) – the first female parish constable to be elected in Jersey in 1978.

Meaning:  abbreviation of the name Nicholas

There is evidence of it being used as a surname in Jersey in the Rolls of the Assizes from 1309 and there have been various spellings of it including, Nicoll, Nichole and Nicole.

The 1851 and 1861 censuses record many branches of this family living in the parishes of Trinity and St Lawrence

Interesting Nicolle’s:

Edwin Toumlin Nicolle(1868-1929)- Viscount , author and Honorary Secretary of the Societe Jersiaise.

Thomas Nicolle – 1846, convicted of murder and sentenced to death, but received a conditional pardon from Queen Victoria and was instead transported to Australia.

Meaning:  the shoemaker

It is believed to be a very old name from Normandy in France, with the earliest records of the name in Jersey dating from the Rolls of the Assizes in 1309. Earlier versions of the name include Le Suour, Le Suor and Le Sour.

Census records show family branches living predominantly in the parishes of St Helier and Trinity in the mid-19^th century.

Interesting Le Sueur’s:

Pierre le Sueur (1811 – 1853) – Advocate and Constable of St Helier, responsible for many improvements to the town during his time in office. When he died an obelisk was erected in Broad Street, St Helier.

Frances Le Sueur (1919 – 1995) – botanist, ornithologist and conservationist, after whom the Frances Le Sueur Centre in St Ouen was named.

Meaning: literal translation of this surname is white foot, suggested to have originated from a man too dainty to get his feet dirty.

The name is first recorded in the Extentes de L’Ile de Jersey in 1528, where it is written as Blampy and Blampey.

The 1851 and 1861 censuses show a large concentration of people with this surname living in the parish of Trinity.

Interesting Blampied’s:

Edmund Blampied (1886 -1966) – renowned artist, etcher, and magazine and book illustrator, who was born in the parish of St Martin.

Philip Blampied, sailor, born 1862, sentenced to transportation in 1882 and 1893 following several convictions for thef

Meaning:  from the boy’s name Noel, which was given to boys born during the Christmas period.

It was first used in Jersey as surname in the Assizes of 1309 where it was written as Noeul. Other variations of the name include Noé, Le Noel, Noell and Nouet.

Censuses from the mid-19^th century show a large number of people with the name living in the eastern parishes of Jersey, notably St Martin.

Interesting Noel’s

Noel and Porter Limited, General Draper, King Street – Clement Noel and William Porter went into partnership as drapers in 1871 and opened the large shop on the site which up until recent times was British Homes Stores.

Daff Noel – born 1931, local author, who wrote the story of Julia Westaway, unsung benefactor of the island, called ‘The Poor Shall Inherit’.

Meaning:  a maker of leather bottles or a butler

It was first recorded as a surname in Jersey in the 13^th and 14^th centuries, with various spellings such as Le Botillier, Boutelier and Boutillier. Branches of this family appear to have resided mainly in the parishes of Trinity, Grouville, and St Ouen.

Interesting Le Boutillier’s:

Jean Le Boutillier (1797 – 1872) – merchant and Canadian politician. Born in Jersey in 1797 John went the Gaspé peninsula in 1812 to work for Charles Robin and Company. He later opened his own company with a fleet of twenty ships and in 1833 became a Member of Parliament for the Gaspé region.

Hedley John Le Boutillier (1897 – 1977) The Archive holds the personal papers of this World War 1 soldier from St Ouen, who served in the Dorset and Devonshire Regiments.

Meaning:  a man who had to pay masurage, a kind of quit rent.

The name appears in the form of le Masurier or La Mesurier in Jersey records from 1607.

The censuses of 1851 and 1861 show people with this surname residing in all parishes of the island.

Interesting Le Masurier’s:

Sir Robert Hugh Le Masurier (1913 – 1996) – Advocate and Bailiff of Jersey between 1962 and 1975.

The company Le Masurier was founded in 1835 by C Le Masurier as a wine merchants business. It was incorporated in 1911 and later sold off the wine and spirits part of the company to concentrate more on property and is now one of Jersey’s oldest and largest property business’s.

Meaning:  the teacher or master

This surname is first recorded in Jersey in the Extentes of 1331 with the spelling Le Maestre, but the most widespread spelling is in recent times is Le Maistre.

A large branch of this family is recorded in the mid-19^th century in the parish of St Ouen, but other branches settled in other parishes including Grouville. Les Prés Manor at Grouville has been in the hands of the Grouville Le Maistre family since 1841.

Interesting Le Maistre’s:

Frank Le Maistre (1910 – 2002) – Jerriais writer, linguist and family historian. Descended from the St Ouen branch of the family Frank was passionate about the native Jersey language which he spoke and wrote all of life. He wrote the Dictionnaire Jersiais-Francais, a comprehensive dictionary of Jerriais which was published in 1966.

Ernest John Le Maistre, born 1888 – Ernest and his wife Mabel were deported from Jersey to an internment camp in Germany in September 1942 because Ernest had been born in London.

Meaning:  from Galicia in Spain

The first recording of a derivative of this surname dates from the 12^th century where it was spelt Legalitien. Various spellings can be seen until 1240 after which Gallichan became the adopted version. It is possible the name came from Spanish traders who settled in Jersey.

Censuses record this name in almost every parish of the island, with more branches settling in the north eastern parishes of Trinity and St Martin.

Interesting Gallichan’s:

E J Gallichan & Co Ltd. – Jersey’s oldest jewellers located at 16, Royal Square, St Helier. The business was opened in 1845 by Jean Gallichan.

Charles Gallichan – Woodside Farms in Trinity. Charles is the 5^th generation of the Gallichan family to run the family farm since his great-great-grandfather in 1887. The business grows and exports Jersey Royals, vegetables and flowers to supply the local and international market.

Meaning:  the man from the marsh or a pet name for a seafarer.

This family name is probably of Norman, certainly of French, origin and is recorded in the Extente of 1274 as Mareti. Other versions of the name include Maret, Maret and Marette.

The 1851 and 1861 censuses record both the Marett and Marrett names; however the Marett version outnumbers the latter significantly. The families appear to have settled in all parishes of the island.

Interesting Marett’s

Philip Janvrin Marett (1879 -1939) – Bacteriologist.  During World War 1 Philip was appointed the Sanitary Officer for the whole of France and was awarded the Croix de Guerre. In 1922 he became Medical officer of Health for Jersey, specialising in the treatment of tuberculosis.

Sir Robert Pipon Marett (1820 -1884) – Bailiff, poet, Constable of St Helier, Solicitor-General, Attorney-General and a Founder and President of the Societe Jersiaise. He was knighted in 1880.

Meaning: a nickname for a small fish, Chabot (gullfish), bullhead or miller’s thumb.

The name is first recorded in Jersey in the Extente of 1274 and later census records show it is very prevalent in the parishes of Trinity and St Martin. The eldest branch of the family in Trinity, in the person of George Cabot, emigrated to America in 1680 and many descendants of this family live in and around Boston.

Interesting Cabot’s

John Cabot (1680 – 1742) – Merchant of Salem and founder of the Cabot family of America. He was born in St Helier in 1680 and emigrated to America in 1700. He became one of the wealthiest men in the colony and his descendants became one of the leading mercantile families of America.

Sir Daniel Alfred Edmond Cabot (1888 – 1974) – Veterinary Surgeon, who from 1938 – 1948 was chief veterinary officer of the Animal Health Division, involved with disease outbreaks such as foot and mouth in the UK. He was knighted for his services in 1943. He was also chairman of the Jersey New Waterworks company and was involved in projects including the building of Val de la Mare Reservoir and the desalination plant.

 Meaning:  from the town of Carteret, on the Normandy coast

There is evidence of branches of this ancient Norman family holding lands in Jersey from the 12^th century and the name has been spelt in various ways including Carteray, Chartrai, de Kertret and de Cartheret.  St Ouen’s Manor was built by the family and remains under the ownership of the de Carteret family to this day. The census records of the mid-19^th century show the family residing in the more western parishes of the island including St Ouen and St Peter.

Interesting de Carteret’s:

Sir George Carteret (1610–1680) – Baronet, Bailiff and Lieutenant Governor of Jersey and Treasurer of the Navy. He was given large tracts of land in the American colonies by Charles II as a reward for his loyalty which he called New Jersey. A statue

Philip de Carteret (1733-1796)- Naval officer and Circumnavigator, who sailed around the world twice and discovered Pitcairn Island.

Meaning:  the right fist

This surname has many variation of spelling since it was first recorded in Jersey in the 13^th century as Poindetre. Other spellings include Poingdextre , Poindexter and Poindestre. There are branches of this family all over the world and even a Poindexter Descendants Association.

Interesting Poingdestre’s

Charles Henry Poingdestre (1829-1905) – artist and President of the British Academy in Rome.

John Noel Poingdestre, Royal Navy, killed in action on board HMS Southwold, 24/03/1942, during World War 2.

Meaning: meaning little Hue or Hugh, popularised by the legend of Little St. Hugh of Lincoln

The first Huelin recorded in Jersey was in 1292 and the Assizes Roll of 1309 also lists a Huelin. Early variations of the name include Hullyn, Huglin and Huglyn.  The mid-19^th century census records show many people with this surname living in the parish of St Peter. There are many Huelin’s who left Jersey settle in countries such as the U S A and Australia.

Interesting Huelin’s

Clare Gwyneth Huelin, née Locker (1907 – 1992) – wife of Lieutenant Colonel William Helier Huelin and Red Cross ambulance driver (1939 – 1945), Deputy of St Brelade, first woman to be elected Senator in Jersey in 1966 and President of Public health. The Gwyneth Huelin wing of the hospital was named after her.

Huelin Jersey Ltd – founded by William Huelin in approximately 1851, who delivered coal and wood by handcart from a yard in Anley Street. The business expanded rapidly into shipping and building material supplies and was handed down to his son John W Huelin and later grandson John Huelin, when it became known as J W Huelin Limited. Parts of the business still operate today under Huelin (Agencies) Ltd.

Meaning:  named after the towns in France called La Haye du Puits, Normandy and La Haye Pesnel, near Granville, which are name after ‘haie’, meaning hedge.

It is one of the oldest Jersey surnames, first recorded in the 12^th century as de Haya. Other variants of the name include La Haye, delahaye and de la Haie. Census records show that this family originally settled predominantly in the parishes of Trinity and St Helier. A number of de la Haye’s emigrated to new colonies such as Australia.

Interesting de la Haye’s:

Hugh de la Haye (1835 – 1906) – first producer of the world famous Jersey Royal potato. John was a farmer at Bushy Farm, Mont Cochon, St Helier and in about 1880 he developed a very early, large cropping, kidney-shaped potoato from two large potatoes he had been given. He named his new crop the Royal Jersey Flukes and from these sprang the Jersey Royals which has brought generations of Jersey farmers financial reward and notoriety.

Corporal Josue Blampied de la Haye, of the Hampshire Regiment, who was killed in action during the First World War on the 6^th August 1915, aged 18. Josue, who was from the parish of St Martin, has his name recorded on the Helles Memorial at the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.

Meaning:  French version of the surnames Wigbeorht or Wigbehrt, meaning brilliant in battle

This old Jersey surname has long been associated with the western parish St Ouen and the majority of names in the 1851 and 1861 censuses are listed as living in this parish.The first written record of the name is the 1292 Roll of the Assizes, where Pierre Vibert is a listed as a juror for the parish of St Brelade. Variants of the surname include Vybert, Wibert and Wiberd.

Interesting Vibert’s:

Ralph Vibert OBE (1911-2008) – Solicitor General of Jersey and Senator. Ralph was elected Deputy of St Brelade in 1957 and Senator in 1959. Whilst Senator he was President of many committees including the Constitution and Common Market Committee and helped to negotiate Jersey’s constitutional position outside of the EU. He was awarded an OBE in 1977 for services to Jersey politics.

Denis Vibert, merchant navy trainee, born 1919, who escaped in his 8ft rowing boat from Jersey to England in 1941, during the German Occupation.  Denis rowed for more than two days until he was picked up by an English naval vessel. He was able to assist the war effort by divulging information about the occupation of the island and then joined the RAF as a bomber pilot.

Meaning:  a man from Perche in the South of Normandy

This surname is recorded on the Assize Roll of 1309 and older variations of the name include Pechard, Perchart and Le Perchand.  Mid-19^th century census records show people with this surname living in various parishes, but particularly the parish of St Martin. Many of the Perchard’s were and still are involved with cattle and farming.

Interesting Perchard’s:

Anne Perchard, née Billot OBE ( 1932 – 2013) – cattle farmer at La Ferme, first woman director of the Jersey Milk Marketing Board, Vice President of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society and President of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau. Anne was awarded an OBE in 2001 for her service to agriculture and the Jersey breed worldwide.

Stephen John Perchard, born 1921, farmer – imprisoned in 1944 for 2 weeks by the Field Command and Troop Court for failing to surrender anti-German leaflets.

Meaning:  from the Norman form of the Frankish Maethelgaer.

Mauger is one of the oldest surnames in the island appearing in the Extentes in 1274. Spelling variations of this name include Maugier, Mager and Maugyer and it has at times been anglicised as Major.  The name can be found in nearly all of the parishes in the census records of the 19^th century.

Interesting Mauger’s:

Joshua Mauger (1725 – 1778) – sea captain, businessman and politician. Joshua was born in St John and moved to Nova Scotia, where he became the largest ship-owner in Halifax and a major landowner. Following this success he returned to England and in 1768 became the first Jerseyman to be elected to the House of Commons, where he represented the Poole constituency from 1768 to 1780.

Adolphus Cyril Mauger (1909 – 1972) – set up a small joinery shop in the back yard of his residence, Sunwin, St Peter, employing 5-6 joiners.  It commenced trading as Mauger and Treussard in 1947, remaining at Sunwin until the 1970s.  The company was reformed and became A C Mauger & Son Ltd in 1962.  By 1982 it employed 130 men and is still operating today.

Meaning: brown-haired

Le Brun is a relatively common name in Normandy and is first recorded in Jersey in 1299, spelt Broune. Other variations of the name include Brun, de broun, Le Brune and Le Brunet.  The census records for the island show branches of the family living in most of the parishes.

Interesting Le Brun’s:

Joseph Le Brun – hanged at Newgate Street prison, St Helier on the 12^th August 1875 for the murder of his sister Nancy. This was the last public hanging in the British Isles.

Basil Le Brun, born 1923 – escaped from occupied Jersey to France in 1944 in a small wooden boat, along with Roger Rouille

Meaning:  a man from the North, or any Frenchman

This surname was first recorded as Normant and Normanus in the 12^th century and other early variations include Le Norman, Normand and Le Normand. The census records for the island show people with this surname living in most of the parishes.

Interesting Norman’s:

Normans – the local company Normans has been a major part of Jersey’s commercial life for 175 years.  The company was started before 1840 by John Norman whose cooperage at 18, Commercial Buidlings made watertight casks and kegs for Newfoundland ships. It has since developed as a successful family concern to become the Island’s premier builders’ and agricultural merchants.

Len Norman, born 1947 – Jersey politician and current Constable of the parish of St Clement, who was elected to the States in 1983 as a Deputy.

Meaning: a small spike, or a pike man

This was first recorded as the surname Le Picot in 1270. Earlier versions of the name include Le Piket, Picott, Piket and Piquot.  Mid-19^th century censuses show people with this surname living in various parishes but predominantly in St Helier, with significant numbers in Trinity and St John.

Interesting Picot’s

Alexander Ewart Picot (1886 – 1948) – started a firm of accountants which became a family business when his sons, Donald and Leslie took over he died in 1948. It operated from premises in Hill St for 98 years and the company is still operating today over 100 after it was established.  The name has changed from Alex Picot & Co to Alex Picot Trust.

Philippe Picot (1804 – 1876) – St Helier undertaker, operating between 1842 and 1876 from 14, Old Street. His funeral ledgers are held at the Jersey Archive.

Meaning:  a surname taken from a hamlet called Gruchy in the Cotentin, France.

This is one of the oldest Jersey surnames, recorded as de Groceio in 1089. There have been many other variations of the name including, de Grochee, Grouchy, and Grouchie.  It is common to find branches which have dropped the ‘de’ from the name and are called just Gruchy, however it seems likely that they were all from the one family originally. The census records show that the name was very prevalent in the parish of Trinity.

Interesting de Gruchy’s:

Matthieu de Gruchy (1761 – 1797) –  sailor and Roman Catholic Priest, he was arrested for preaching to the Catholics in France and was executed by firing squad in Nantes in 1797, aged 36.

De Gruchy’s department store, King Street –  founded in 1810 by Abraham and Marie de Gruchy in a small shop in St Peter. A town branch of the shop was opened in Broad Street in about 1825 and the following year it moved to the present site in King Street, where it has recently undergone expansion and refurbishment.

Meaning:   from Jersey Norman French, Lé Tchêne, meaning one who lived near an oak

This surname was written as Le Kenne in the early 14^th century and had other variants including Chêne and Chaine.  Census records of 1851 and 1861 show the name was most prevalent in the parishes of St John, St Helier and Trinity.

Interesting Le Quesne’s:

Edward Le Quesne (1882 – 1957) – Deputy and Senator, who was President of the Labour Committee during the Occupation, providing employment for islanders to ensure they were not employed by the German Forces. He was imprisoned in 1944 for keeping a wireless set and later published a diary on his Occupation experiences.

Edward Geoffrey Le Quesne MBE (1942 – 2014) Head of Science, Victoria College, Chairman of Christian Aid and Oxfam.  Ed was awarded an MBE in 2014 for service to the community in Jersey.

Meaning:  derived from the island ties with the Bishop of Coutances. Coutances is a town on the Cotentin peninsular of Normandy, France.

The Coutanche name is not recorded in Jersey until the 16^th century, in the Extente of 1528, where it is written as Coustances. It has also been recorded as Coutances and Constance.

Interesting Coutanche’s

Alexander Moncrieff Coutanche (1892 – 1973) Solicitor-General, Attorney-General, Bailiff of Jersey 1935 – 1961. Alexander was Bailiff of Jersey and Civil Governor during the very difficult time of the occupation of the Island. In recognition of his leadership and service he was created Knight Batchelor and a Knight of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem. Upon his retirement in 1962 he was made a life peer, taking the title of Lord Coutanche of St Brelade in the island of Jersey and the City of Westminster. The Lord Coutanche Library at the Societe Jersiaise was named after him.

Andy Coutanche – Jersey Artist who is renowned as the Jersey Sandman for making huge artworks in the sand on local beaches.

Meaning:  of Lucy or Lucia, the feminine form of the Latin Lucius

The name first appears as a surname in the Extente of 1528 as Luce. In the earlier census records many people with this surname lived in the parishes of St Ouen, St Lawrence and St Helier.

Interesting Luce’s

Luce’s Eau de Cologne –Mr George Luce began the manufacture of Luce’s Eau de Cologne from his home in Jersey in1837.  He introduced a production and sales system which was to give his product a worldwide reputation. Luce’s Eau de Cologne went on to be endorsed by a variety of different celebrities including Lillie Langtry and on the occasion of the King and Queen’s visit to the Island in 1921 they were presented with one thousand bottles of Eau de Cologne in order to commemorate the visit.

Edward Luce, Corporal,  part of the Jersey Overseas Contingent  serving in the Royal Irish Rifles, killed in action in 1916 at the Battle of the Somme. His name is recorded on the Thiepval Memorial in France.

Meaning:   thought to come from a French word meaning a rich man

The name Le Riche was first recorded in Jersey in the Extente of 1528 and the early census records show people with this surname living in most parishes of the island.

Interesting Le Riche’s :

Le Riches Stores Limited – a local chain of supermarkets that began when Marie and Samuel Le Riche opened a grocery store in Colomberie, St Helier in the mid 1800’s. The company soon developed and opened further shops in Jersey and Guernsey and by the 1960’s it was the largest retailer on the island.  In 2002 the Le Riches group merged with the Ann Street brewery, becoming the largest company in the Channel Islands, first under the name CI Traders, and later Sandpiper CI, which it continues with today.

Silver Harry Le Riche, born 1913 – St Helier harbour pilot between 1940 and 1945, during the German Occupation.

Meaning: probably a form of Walter, a Germanic term for armed men.

This surname was first recorded in the island in 1274, when it was spelt Vauter. Other early variations of the name include Vautiez, Votier and Vautre. Early census records show that there were many people with this surname living in the parish of St Ouen.

Interesting Vautier’s :

George Vautier, shipbuilder, Esplanade and Havre des Pas, 1861 – 1873. George built a number of vessels such as the Alabama, Champion, William Fruing and Harvest Maid.