List of Acadians

This is a list of notable Acadians, and people of Acadia origins.

Present-day Acadian communities (in yellow).

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Acadian or must have references showing they are Acadian and are notable.

Actors

Matthew Steven LeBlanc - actor - known for TV show Friends. Both of his father's parents are of Acadian ancestry. Descendant of Daniel Leblanc.
Robert Maillet – actor, professional wrestler from Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick
Patricia McKenzie – actress born in Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine (Painchaud family)

Law and politics

Aubin-Edmond Arsenault – former Premier of Prince Edward Island (1917–1919)
Joseph-Octave Arsenault – first Acadian Prince Edward Island member of the Canadian Senate
Télésphore Arsenault – Canadian politician, business manager and farmer
Marcel Arsenault – Philanthropist Billionaire, donated all his wealth to charity
Michel Bastarache – Supreme Court of Canada (1997–2008)
Edmond Blanchard – chief justice of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada, former politician
Gérald Clavette – New Brunswick politician
Chris d'Entremont – Nova Scotia MLA, Minister of Health and Acadian Affairs
Ray Frenette – former Premier of New Brunswick (1997-1998)
Brian Gallant – former Premier of New Brunswick (2014-2018)
Neil LeBlanc – Consul General to Boston, Massachusetts, and former Nova Scotia MLA, Minister of Finance
Roméo LeBlanc – politician and journalist, former Governor-General of Canada (1995-1999)
Dominic LeBlanc — Canadian MP and cabinet minister (son of Roméo LeBlanc)
Viola Léger – former senator and actress
Pascal Poirier – first Acadian member of the Canadian Senate (served from 1885 to 1933)
Louis Robichaud – former Premier of New Brunswick (1960-1970)
Camille Thériault – former Premier of New Brunswick (1998-1999)
Robert Thibault – Canadian Liberal MP
Peter J. Veniot – former Premier of New Brunswick (1923-1925)

Military veterans

Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste
Alexandre Bourg^[1]
Joseph Broussard (Beausoleil)^[2]
Louis Amand Bujold (Armand Bigeau)^[3]
Jacques Coste^[4]
Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour
Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Joseph d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Paul Doucet (alias Paul Laurent) – pilot for French Navy during King George's War^[5]
François Dupont Duvivier
Joseph-Nicolas Gautier and his wife
Joseph Godin dit Bellefontaine, Sieur de Beauséjour – Commander of the Acadian Militia of the St-John River valley (St. John River Campaign)
William Johnson (Guillaume Jeanson) – Battle of Bloody Creek (1757)
Bernard Marres 'Marc' dit La Sonde – fought the British at Canso, Nova Scotia (1718)
Abel LeBlanc – Petit de Grat, NS, West Nova Scotia Regiment, wounded while in combat in Italy.
Joseph LeBlanc, dit Le Maigre^[6]
Napoleon LeBlanc – Petit de Grat, NS, Royal Canadian Regiment WWII, captured by the Imperial Army of Japan, prisoner of war for over three years
Rene LeBlanc – from Minas, worked for Villebon during King William's War^[7]
Pierre Melanson – from Minas, worked for Villebon during King William's War, appointed "captain of the coast"^[8]^[9]
Charles Pelerain (Tuck) – pilot for French Navy during King George's War^[5]
Charles Raymond
Prudent Robichaud – leader of the mutiny on the Pembroke
Pierre II Surette
Simon Thibodeau – American Revolution^[10]
Joseph Trahan^[11]^[12] – Battle of the Plains of Abraham
Joseph Winniett – supported the British; grandchild of Pierre Maisonnat dit Baptiste

Musicians

Maxim Cormier – guitarist, composer (Cape Breton)
Angèle Arsenault – singer-songwriter, media host
Marcel Aymar – singer
Annie Blanchard
Édith Butler – singer-songwriter
Zachary Richard - singer-songwriter
Cayouche – country singer and songwriter
Julie Doiron – singer-songwriter
Patsy Gallant – singer and actress
Boozoo Chavis - singer-songwriter
Wilfred Le Bouthillier – singer
Lisa LeBlanc – singer-songwriter
Anna Malenfant – contralto and composer
Natasha St-Pier - singer
Radio Radio – hip hop group; Jacques Doucet, Alexandre Bilodeau, Gabriel Malenfant
Fayo – singer- songwriter
Waylon Thibodaux – fiddler and singer-songwriter (Louisiana)
Ernest Tollar – saxophonist, flutist, composer
Yvette Tollar – jazz singer, composer
Roch Voisine – singer-songwriter
Beau Jocque - singer-songwriter
Helen Arsenault – Bergeron – Trad Music Performer – keyboard, guitar, dance
P'tit Belliveau – singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer
Clarence White - guitarist

Sports

Louis Cyr – weightlifter, "Strongest Man in the World"
Eric Cyr – MLB player
Paul Cyr – NHL player
Jean Béliveau – Hockey Hall of Fame, Montreal Canadiens
Luc Bourdon – NHL player
Leo Burke (Leonce Cormier) – wrestler
Jean-Louis Cormier (Rudy Kay) – wrestler
Rheal Cormier – Major League Baseball pitcher
Yvon Cormier (The Beast) – wrestler
René Duprée – wrestler
Yvon Durelle – boxer
Suzanne Gaudet – curler
Ron Guidry – Major League baseball pitcher
Bobby Hebert- NFL Quarterback New Orleans Saints
Camille Henry – NHL player, winner of the Lady Byng Trophy and the Calder Memorial Trophy
Bobby Kay (Romeo Cormier) – wrestler
Jacques LeBlanc – boxer
Robert Maillet – wrestler
Roland Melanson – NHL goalie
Chad Ogea – Major League Baseball pitcher
Henri Richard – Hockey Hall of Fame, Montreal Canadiens
Maurice Richard – Hockey Hall of Fame, Montreal Canadiens
Miguel Sullivan – goalie, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
Ryan Theriot – Major League Baseball infielder

Visual artists

Jennifer Bélanger – artist
Rémi Belliveau – artist
Jean-Denis Boudreau – artist
Marjolaine Bourgeois – artist
Angèle Cormier – artist
Mario Doucette – painter
André Jacques LeBlanc – artist
Mathieu Léger – artist
Annie France Noël – artist
Anne-Marie Sirois – artist

Writers

Gilbert Buote – educator, publisher and author^[13]
Herménégilde Chiasson – writer, ex-lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick
Joey Comeau – writer, comic creator
France Daigle – writer and playwright
Andrea Doucet – sociologist and writer
Clive Doucet – writer
Valentin Landry – journalist and educator^[14]
Émilie Leblanc – Acadian activist and educator^[15]
Gabriel LeBlanc – writer of Acadian history, culture and folklore
Gérald Leblanc – poet
Antonine Maillet – writer and playwright; Prix Goncourt 1979
Alden Nowlan – poet, novelist, and playwright
Col. John Boileau – writer, journalist and book reviewer
Marie-Colombe Robichaud – writer and playwright^[16]

Media

Phil Comeau – film and television director; 92 film awards, Order of Canada, Order of New Brunswick
Lyse Doucet – news correspondent and presenter, BBC World

Pre-deportation

David Basset, trader and privateer
Michel Boudrot (Boudreau, Boudreaux) – Judge and Lieutenant General, Lieutenant-général et juge en chef de Port-Royal, Governor General, laboureur, lieutenant general civil et criminel e Port Royal, Lieutenant général en Acadie, Lt. General of Port Royal
Joseph Broussard (Beausoleil)
Noel Doiron – leader of the Acadians; died in the single greatest tragedy of the Expulsion, the sinking of the Duke William
Joseph-Nicolas Gautier – merchant trader and Acadian militia leader
Daniel LeBlanc – immigrant and progenitor of the LeBlanc family, the largest Acadian family at the time of the deportation
Pierre LeBlanc – early settler of Pointe-de-l'Église, Nova Scotia
René LeBlanc – notary, the only Acadian named in Longfellow's Poem "Évangeline – A Tale of Acadie"
Philippe Mius d'Entremont – Lieutenant-major under Charles de LaTour, founder of Pubnico, and later King's Attorney in Acadia
Joseph d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin – military officer and Abenaki chief
Pierre II Surette – Acadian resistance leader and co-founder of Ste. Anne du Ruisseau, Nova Scotia
Jeanne Dugas – wife of Pierre Bois, one of the co-founders of Chéticamp, Nova Scotia

References

^ d'Entremont, C.J. (1974). "Bourg, Belle-Humeur, Alexandre". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. III (1741–1770) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
^ Brodhead, John Romeyn (1858). "List of Veterans named by Governor of Boston". Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Vol. 10. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co. p. 155.
^ Brodhead, John Romeyn (1858). Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Vol. 10. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co. p. 168.
^ Brodhead, John Romeyn (1858). Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Vol. 10. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co. pp. 171, 173.
^ ^a ^b Barnes, p. 112, note 17
^ Pothier, Bernard (1974). "Leblanc, Le Maigre, Joseph". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. III (1741–1770) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
^ p. 46
^ p. 46 – note Villebon has Melanson's first initial as "M" when it was "P"
^ Conquest of Acadia, p. 58
^ Roy, Jacqueline (1983). "Thibodeau, Simon". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. V (1801–1820) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
^ Northern Armageddon: The Battle of the Plains of Abraham By D. Peter MacLeod
^ "The French retreat". Canada: A People's History. Season 1. Episode 4. 5 November 2000. CBC Television.
^ Arsenault, Georges (1994). "Buote, Gilbert". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XIII (1901–1910) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
^ Ross, Sally (1998). "Landry, Valentin". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XIV (1911–1920) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
^ "Open letter – Marichette". McCord Museum.
^ "Festival des cultures francophones" (PDF). Dalhousie University.

[1] 'Entremont, C.J. (1974). "Bourg, Belle-Humeur, Alexandre". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. III (1741–1770) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.

[2] Brodhead, John Romeyn (1858). "List of Veterans named by Governor of Boston". Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Vol. 10. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co. p. 155.

[3] Brodhead, John Romeyn (1858). Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Vol. 10. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co. p. 168.

[4] Brodhead, John Romeyn (1858). Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Vol. 10. Albany: Weed, Parsons and Co. pp. 171, 173.

[Barnes,_p._112,_note_17-5] Barnes, p. 112, note 17

[6] Pothier, Bernard (1974). "Leblanc, Le Maigre, Joseph". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. III (1741–1770) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.

[7] . 46

[8] . 46 – note Villebon has Melanson's first initial as "M" when it was "P"

[9] Conquest of Acadia, p. 58

[10] Roy, Jacqueline (1983). "Thibodeau, Simon". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. V (1801–1820) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.

[11] Northern Armageddon: The Battle of the Plains of Abraham By D. Peter MacLeod

[12] "The French retreat". Canada: A People's History. Season 1. Episode 4. 5 November 2000. CBC Television.

[13] Arsenault, Georges (1994). "Buote, Gilbert". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XIII (1901–1910) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.

[14] Ross, Sally (1998). "Landry, Valentin". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XIV (1911–1920) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.

[15] "Open letter – Marichette". McCord Museum.

[16] "Festival des cultures francophones" (PDF). Dalhousie University.

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