Clan Rising

Gagnon

A founding name of New France, from Perche.

Origin
French
Register
French family

The seat of Gagnon

Seat vacant

Chief

No one leads the Gagnon community yet. When the movement opens, you can stand for its leadership, or help elect whoever does.

Current mission

No shared goal set yet. Once Gagnon has leadership, it sets the public focus: a restoration, a gathering, a real-world project that helps its own.

The Gagnon clan is being rebuilt. Join the waiting list for the movement today, and you help decide who leads it and what it does.

Help rebuild the Gagnon clan →

What does the Gagnon name mean?

Probably from Old French gagnon, a watchdog or mastiff (and a nickname for a quarrelsome man), or akin to gagner, to farm. A modest French name that became a pillar of French Canada.

The history of Gagnon

Gagnon's weight was made in New France. Three brothers — Mathurin, Jean and Pierre Gagnon — came from the Perche region and settled at Château-Richer below Quebec City in the 1640s, among the true founding families of the colony. From them the name multiplied across the St Lawrence valley to stand today among the very commonest surnames of Quebec.

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Pick any year from 500 to 1945 and any place on earth — the Gagnon country, or a shore no Gagnon ever reached. The chronicler sets the scene; the deeds are yours.

Frequently asked

What does the surname Gagnon mean?

Probably from Old French gagnon, a watchdog or mastiff (and a nickname for a quarrelsome man), or akin to gagner, to farm. A modest French name that became a pillar of French Canada. Gagnon's weight was made in New France.

Is Gagnon a French surname?

Yes, Gagnon is a French surname. Its editorial home in this atlas is French, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated.

How old is the Gagnon surname?

Gagnon's weight was made in New France. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Gagnon name took its modern form within that long settlement.

What is the Gagnon family known for?

A founding name of New France, from Perche. Gagnon's weight was made in New France.

Where is the Gagnon surname found today?

French is the primary historical home of the Gagnon surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same French origin recorded on this page.

What does the Clan Rising page for the Gagnon family cover?

The Clan Rising page for the Gagnon family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of French so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.

Who is the head of the Gagnon family today?

The seat for the head of the Gagnon family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.