Courtemanche

Origins and History

Courtemanche is a compound French surname formed from court (short) and manche (sleeve) — meaning literally "short sleeve." This type of descriptive nickname surname, which refers to an item of clothing or a manner of dress, is found throughout medieval French naming practice. A person who habitually wore short sleeves — perhaps because of the nature of their trade, or simply as an identifying personal quirk — might accumulate the nickname courte manche and pass it to their descendants as a family name.

The name is Norman in origin, from the region of Normandy in northwestern France. Normandy was the primary source of French settlers for the colonisation of New France in the seventeenth century, and Norman surnames are disproportionately represented among the foundational families of Quebec and Acadia. The Courtemanche family arrived in New France in the colonial period and became established in Quebec and the Acadian Maritime provinces.

The most historically significant bearer of the name is Augustin Le Gardeur de Courtemanche (1663–1717), a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader who established the first permanent French settlement on the coast of Labrador and conducted extensive explorations of the region. His career illustrates the adventurous character of the French colonial enterprise in North America, and his name — carried into the wilderness of Labrador — represents the furthest reach of the Acadian-Norman tradition.

Spelling Variants

• Court-Manche
• Courtmanche
• Courte Manche