Surname Tourcatte - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'T'
Tourcatte: What does the surname Tourcatte mean?
The last name Tourcatte is of French origin. Derived from the old French word “tourcaud” which means a stonecutter or stone quarrier, Tourcattes were a stonecutting family, most likely involved in making curbside pavements and curbs to contain gardens and lawns.
The Tourcatte family is believed to have originated from the Valois region of France, with the earliest ancestors believed to have been from Langres, France. They could have been involved in stone cutting and quarrying from as early as the 16th century.
The Tourcatte name likely spread between the various family lines throughout the French colonies in Canada, where the Tourcatte surname is still found predominantly in Quebec today, and among Francophone immigrants from the Caribbean.
The Tourcatte family has made a lasting impact on Canadian and French culture with their unique stone cutting practices. Some Tourcattes have been immortalized in Quebec cultural history, including Nazaire Tourcatte who was a renowned sculptor of the 19th century, and Athanase Tourcatte Groleau, a municipal councilor in Montreal in 1873.
The Tourcatte name is a testament to the hardworking and resilient spirit of the family. They have persevered and are still around today to tell the story of their ancestors who proudly forged their path in the French mountain-side stone cutting industry.
Order DNA origin analysisTourcatte: Where does the name Tourcatte come from?
The last name Tourcatte is most commonly found today in the areas of Quebec and Ontario, Canada. It originated in Normandy, France and was brought to North America by French settlers in the 1600s. It is one of the oldest French surnames in Canada.
Today, it is estimated that there are as many as 1,400 people with the Tourcatte surname in Canada. The highest concentrations of the family bearing this name are found in the greater Montreal area and Ottawa-Gatineau region of Quebec. Many of these families trace their ancestry back to one specificTourcatte ancestor from their home region of Normandy.
Outside of Canada, the surname is still present in its homeland of France, particularly in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Loire Valley regions. Additional populations of Tourcattes can also be found in the United States, mainly concentrated in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. These Tourcatte families are descendants of French-Canadian immigrants who settled there during the 19th century.
The Tourcatte surname continues to be mostly associated with French-Canadian heritage today. There are a number of genealogical and historical organizations dedicated to researching and preserving the legacy of this family name. Over the centuries, members of the Tourcatte family have had a diverse range of occupations, such as farmers, merchants, teachers and government officials, reflecting a proud French-Canadian heritage.
Variations of the surname Tourcatte
The surname Tourcatte is of French origin. It is believed to come from the French verb "tourner" meaning to turn and the Old French word "cat" meaning feline. It is believed that the surname originated from a nickname given to someone who turned or acted like a cat. Tourcatte is also a variant of Tourcotte, which is found primarily in America.
Variants of Tourcatte can include Tourcotte, Tourcot, Tourncotte, Tourquette, Tourquat, Tourquarl, Tourque, and Tourqueau. In some cases the spelling may have been Americanized to "Turncoat" or "Turncot".
There are many surnames of similar origin that people may not recognize as related to Tourcatte, including Touret, Turcotte, Tourgou, Tourgus, and Turco. Another variant of the surname is Troucat, found in the Loire region of France and in Quebec.
Variations in spelling and surname can occur for many reasons. For example, Tourcatte may have been changed to reflect a person's region of origin or native language. On occasion, surnames ending with a "-catte" were changed to "-cott" or were misspelled. As history progresses, even more variants have developed and become accepted.
Famous people with the name Tourcatte
- Loïc Tourcatte: a French professional footballer who currently plays for Guingamp.
- Zarco Tourcatte: an American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins.
- Philippe Tourcatte: a French classical oboist whom the French Ministry for Culture made a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in 2013.
- Steffen Tourcatte: a German professional footballer who plays for Hertha BSC in the German top-flight Bundesliga.
- Tristan Tourcatte: a Canadian curler from New Brunswick who currently plays with the team led by Melissa Adams.
- Jean-Léon Tourcatte: a Canadian actor who is best known for Wonder (2017), Bon Cop Bad Cop (2006) and Mary Shelley (2017).
- Pierre Tourcatte: a Canadian two-time Olympic sport shooter who won the gold medal in the men’s trap event at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
- Thierry Tourcatte: a French professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of French side AJ Auxerre.
- Melissa Tourcatte: a Canadian professional golfer who was the 2018 Player of the Year on the Cactus Tour, a mini-tour based in Arizona.
- Isabelle Tourcatte: a Swiss-born artist living in Toronto, Ontario who is known for her oil-on-canvas paintings.