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Cyrenne and Syrenne

families in Canada


The Name Cyrenne or Syrenne


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[Deshaies I ] [Deshaies II ] [Deshaies III ] [First Cyren ] [Origin of the name ]

Deshaies, Tourigny, Cyr, Cyre, Cyren, Cyrenne, Syren, Syrenne


Before we get to the name Cyren and other ways of writing it, we must wait until 1771 after three generations of Deshaies and two double marriages.

All of the names listed above have their origins in a unique ancestor named Pierre Deshaies St-Cyr listed in the 1666 census. At that time, Pierre was 19 years old and was named as a helper to Marie Boucher, widower of Étienne Pépin, Sieur de Lafond from Trois-Rivières. We do not know the exact origins of Pierre Deshaies St-Cyr but he could be from the Saintonge region, in France, as his in-laws, Pierre Guillet and Jeanne Delaunay de St-Père and their parents were all from that region. In foreign land we often keep friendship with those we knew from the old country?

First generation Pierre Deshaies I The name

Pierre Deshaies/St-Cyr

Pierre Deshaies/St-Cyr married around 1676 to Marguerite Guillet dit Lajeunesse, daughter of Pierre Guillet and Jeanne Delaunay de St-Père. He would father 12 children including Pierre II. Had the term "Junior" been used in the 1600's they would have had problems. Our first three ancestors were all named Pierre. Pierre I, was a pioneer of Bécancour as he was one of the 15 inhabitants named in the second census, in 1681. Both land records of 1685 and 1709 list his land East of St-Michel river close to the "domaine seigneurial". Pierre I dies in Bécancour on 6 June 1732 at the age of 84.

Second generation Pierre Deshaies II The name


Pierre Deshaies/St-Cyr
First marriage

Pierre II, was born in Bécancour in 1694. He first, married on 2 November 1722 to, Josephte Moreau, his cousin. Josephte is the daughter of Joseph Moreau, son of Jean Moreau who married in 1671 Anne Guillet, Marguerite Guillet's sister, the mother of Pierre II. From this marriage, five boys and five girls are borned. In April 1743, Marie-Josephte Moreau dies, leaving nine of her ten children, Pierre François Xavier, her second son, had died in October 1725.


Second generation:

Pierre Deshaies/St-Cyr
Second marriage

On July 17 1744, Pierre II marries Marguerite Lefebvre dit Belisle. On 12 November 1745 is borned, their only child, Pierre III, father of Joseph-Charles, the ancestor of all Cyrenne and Syrenne.

  • Note: On the Web page title "Ancestors of Pierre Deshaies St-Cyr" are listed two birth under the column "My children". Note that we treat multiple marriages as separate record/child. Then, the two entries belong to the same person. Link on the first one and you will see the children of the first marriage where as a link to the second entry will show the children of the second marriage.
Record of the birth of the Pierre III reads:

  • On May 12, 1745, we priest of the company, have baptized a boy born this day of the marriage of Pierre Deshaies dit St- Cyr and Marguerite Exgathe Delisle Lefebvre. He was named Pierre. Godfather was Joseph Cailloux and the godmother Marie Anne Le Blaire both from this parish. Link to the French version exact wording
    The godfather declared not knowing how to write.

    Marcol JJ

Third generation Pierre Deshaies III The name


Pierre Deshaies/St-Cyr
First marriage

Pierre III marries on 16 November 1767 Marie-Elisabeth Thibeau They will have two daughters: Marie Anne, born on September 4 1768, and deceased on April 15 1770 and Marie-Isabelle, born on February 23 1770. Elisabeth Thibeau dies on March 2 1770. Her death is possibly related to the birth of Isabelle born on February 23. Pierre III will not remain a widower very long.


Third generation:


Pierre Deshaie/St-Cyr dit Cyren
Second marriage

On November 12, 1770, less than seven months after the death of Elisabeth, his wife, Pierre III marries Genevève Courville. The register reads:

  • On November 11, 1770, took place the marriage of Pierre Deshaies St-Cyr dit Cyren and Geneviève Courville. The register is signed Pierre St-Cyren Link to the French version for exact wording.

Please note that the name Cyren is seen for the first time. Twelve children are born from this union. All are born in Bécancour, Québec. Baptismal record of Joseph Charles, their first son reads:


Joseph-Charles - First Cyren The name

  • On this day July 30th 1771 was baptized Joseph-Charles born at 5 pm son of Pierre Cyren St-Cyr and Geneviève Courville father and mother from of this parish. Godfather Charles St-Cyr uncle and godmother Catherine Turbal wife of François Lacourse.
    Nicolas Couture, p.m..

    Link to the French version for exact wording
  • Pierre III Deshaies-St-Cyr, his family The name

    A bit of history on the 12 children of Pierre III, to demonstrate that the name Cyren and its derivatives are all linked to Joseph Charles his first son.

    1. Joseph-Charles Cyren First son of Pierre IlI, he will father 13 children, four boys and nine girls. All are baptized under the name Cyren. So far we have nearly 800 descendants of Joseph-Charles. It is believed that all Cyrenne and Syrenne of the world have a unique ancestor in the name of Joseph Charles Cyren born in Bécancour, Québec, Canada on July 30, 1771.
    2. Pierre-St-Amour Cyren Married in 1795 and died in 1840 without known descendants.
    3. Marie Josephte Deshaies St-Cyr Marie Josephte marries Modeste Levasseur born July 20 1795. Descendents are under the name Levasseur.
    4. Geneviève Cyren Geneviève marries Pierre Houde on July 12 1796. descendents are under the name Houde.
    5. Marie-Anne Cyren Twin of François. No other record.
    6. François Deshaies Sirène Born on March 13 1778. No known descendants.
    7. Pierre Deshaies Sirène Aside from his birth certificat the only other document we hold refers to his death at La Baie which took place on May 19, 1784. He was named Pierre Deshaies dit Sirène.
    8. Jean-Baptiste Deshaies Sirene Decendants under the name Deshaies.
    9. Marie-Charles Cyren No record on Marie-Charles.
    10. Marie-Amable Deshaies Marries on February 21 1814, Joseph Gauthier. Decendants under the name Gauthier.
    11. Bénonie Deshaies Sirène Marries on May 31, 1813 Catherine Courchesne. Decendants under the name Deshaies.
    12. Modeste Cyren No record on Modeste Cyren.

    As shown no children of Pierre III will use the name Cyren except Joshep-Charles, his first born. In the last 30 years, I have not found any Cyrenne or Syrenne that I could not trace back to Joseph-Charles.


    The origin of the name Cyren The name

    Where is the name Cyren from. We cannot say for sure but.. Some time ago while on a trip to France, I meet with people form the region of Saintonge. Based on my research that most relative of Pierre I were from the region of Saintonge and that we normally stay around people from our own region it is possible that Pierre I was from that the Saintonge region. In that region, there is a small "Hugueneau" village named St-Cyr. It could be that Pierre I was the Pierre Deshaies St-Cyr from that village. But "Cyren"? Well guess what is the name of the people living in the village called? Yes they are called St-Cyren. Remember Pierre III marriage records, he signed Pierre St-Cyren.

    One thing for sure, the name Cyren is Canadian as no other source exist outside Canada that did not have its origin here.

    Why so many ways of spelling the name such as Cyrenne, Syren, Syrenne or Syrène? All children of Joseph-Charles (first son of Pierre III's second marriage) were baptized under the name Cyren. In the next generation, the "NE" was added to the name. We will probably never know why the addition was made, unless it was better phonetically. Syren with an "S" is an other story. While visiting some relatives in Western Canada, where the "S" spelling is mostly seen, I asked the question. The answer was simple To better identify those Cyrenne with the same initial, such as Omer and Oscar, they agreed that one of them would start spelling its name with an "S" Frequently seen in Western Canada are brothers and sister spelling their name with a mix of "C" and "S" as in Charles Cyrenne As for other versions of the name, lets remember that the original spelling was Cyren. As for the rest, the Cyrenne and Syrenne have lots of imagination.

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