Modern Origins

 

The strongest geographical concentration of genealogical acts of Ravignats are to be found in the Hesbaye region of Walloon Belgium. The oldest genealogical record for Ravignats in Belgium is found in the small village of Warêt-l’Évêque dated from 1718. However, during the medieval period Warêt-l’Évêque was part of the fiefdom of the Lords of Fernelmont vassals of the Count of Namur. The records of these Lords mention that by 1705 Ravignats owned two fiefdoms (land) under the Lords of Bierwart that of Josselet Ravignat described as 28 fl. à l’Église du Loup and that of Denis Ravignat identified simply as the “fief of the Ravignats” (reference found in C. Mallien, Histoire de Bierwart-Otreppe, 1929). These fiefdoms are identified as “pre-existing” and were simply being re-confirmed as legitimate in 1705. Therefore, they may have been owned much earlier in history. There is also a mention in 1707 of payment of 9 days of work and one rooster to a Denis Ravignat for services rendered on the lines of battle for the Count of  Namur. These are the earliest records of the name Ravignat found to date.

 

Today Warêt-l’Évêque has been included in the commune of Héron in the modern province of Liège. It is interesting to note that all the villages from where the Ravignats are originally from were all once part of the fiefdoms of the Counts of Namur (e.g., Warêt-l’Évêque, Wasseiges, and Pontillas).

 

Medieval Castle of Fernelmont

 

However, there is also a presence of the name in the Lorraine and in Luxemburg. How do we explain this?

 

This is an interesting question because we know that immigration is not necessarily rare in the history of this region. It is interesting to note that the areas of immigration in the Lorraine (Meurthe and Moselle) and in Luxemburg (Septfontaines Regions) are all tied to Belgium through the rivers Meuse and Alzette. That is that these are river regions as can be seen by the coat of arms of the Meurthe and Moselle department. Therefore, we can imagine an immigration following these rivers from Belgium southward into the Lorraine and into Luxemburg.

 

We must also remember that these three regions: Belgium, Lorraine and Luxemburg were for most of there histories part of the same country: The Holy Roman Germanic Empire.

 

But we also know that the Ravignat name is not of Lorraine origin. This is supported by the opinions of several etymologists and genealogists including M. Charton. Here is what he has to say about the possibility that the name Ravignat is of French Lorraine origin.

 

Good evening Mr. Ravignat, welcome to the Lorraine!

 

In 1718 there were Ravignats at Deneuvre in the Vosges region and in Meurthe and Moselle. But be careful Deneuvre is in Meurthe and Moselle (54) and not in the Vosges (88). What I can say is that I find absolutely no mention amongst 60,000 last names from the Lorraine studied by the genealogists. What is just about certain is that the Ravignats are not originally from the Lorraine.

 

Names ending in “at” are often found in the regions of  the Auvergne, Lyon and l’Ain.

 

François CHARTON

URL : http://perso.club-internet.fr/chartonf

 

Origin in the Savoy Region:

 

In his letter M. Charton suggest that the name may be of Savoy (l’Ain) region. However, another expert from that region Mr. Pascal Vagnat has found absolutely no mention of the name Ravignat in the records or in the local history. Here is what he has to say:

 

Hello,

I did some research, and it seems that the only place one finds the name Ravignat, in any

important way, is in French Belgium. There is apparently no link with the Vignat name, not even in the Savoy and Rhone-Alps region.

You may consult our website Geneanet (http://www.geneanet.com) which should allow you to find the Ravignats that are perhaps your ancestors.

 

Cordially,

 

Pascal Vagnat

 

In conclusion, there are no concrete proofs that the Ravignat name is of any other origin than Walloon Belgian.

 

The Lorraine Branch:

 

As mentioned above there are no Ravignats left in the Lorraine today. But there is a marriage act for Ravignats in the Lorraine dated from 1718 between a François Ravignat in Deneuvre and a Marie Louise Démorbaix. This was in the modern department of Meurthe and Moselle and his father Prudent Ravignat was from Pexonne also in the department of Meurthe and Moselle.

 

Therefore, the two oldest acts are to be found in Belgium and in the Lorraine. Both are from 1718 but that of the Lorraine is a marriage act and that of Belgium is a baptism. How do we explain then that there are not Ravignats in the Lorraine today? To answer that question we must look at the history of the Luxembourg branch. 

 

The Luxemburg Branch:

 

According to my information there seems to be a link between the Lorraine branch of the family and the Luxemburg one. Marie Antoinette Ravignat, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Ravignat comes from Luxemburg to the Lorraine to marry a certain Calon who is the widow of a Démorbaix who is related to the same family as the mother of Marie Antoinette. So it is logical to conclude that Jean Baptiste Ravignat who was born near the end of the 18th century would have come from the Lorraine settle in Luxemburg to marry a Demorbaix and through his wife’s mother’s family found for his daughter a husband who was the widow of his wife’s sister and from the same region of her childhood. Also, if Jean Baptiste settled in Luxemburg it would have also been easier for other Ravignats to settle there.

 

Furthermore, the Ravignats in Luxemburg are concentrated in villages that are all part of the Sepfontaines river region. These include the villages of Greisch, Ospern, Canton de Redange, Mersch, and Redange sur Attert. These are the cantons that are right next to the Lorraine and Belgium. In these regions there are also two rivers, L’Eisch and l’Attert which cross the borders of Luxemburg and Belgium. These regions of the Redange and Septfontaines are also immediately above the Lorraine and the river Alzette crosses the border with France. The oldest village for the Luxemburg branch is that of Mersch, which is  interestingly enough at the meeting point of all three rivers, the: Esch, Attert, and Alzette. An immigration following these rivers seems the likely scenario. Might this pattern of migration explain why there are no Ravignats left in the Lorraine today? In any case, we have an example here of an immigration of at least one Ravignat from the Lorraine region to Luxemburg.

 

Conclusion:

 

The Ravignat name is of Belgian origin because:

 

1. The densest concentration of Ravignats are found in Belgium.

2. The name is linguistically and etymologically Germanic but has been Latinized, and Wallonia names exemplify this mix, because this region was strongly influenced by both Germanic (Franks) and Latin culture and languages.

3. The earliest mention of Ravignats is from 1705 in the fiefdom of Bierwart in the Hesbaye region of Belgium.

4. Of 60, 000 names studied in the Lorraine over several centuries, Ravignat does not appear as being from this region.

5. That wars and various disasters and feudal conflicts led to the under population of the Lorraine and that an immigration from a densely populated region like the Hesbaye in Belgium to one emptied by the ravages of war like the Lorraine is logical.

6. That the regions were the Ravignats come from in the Lorraine and in Luxemburg border each other and are all linked to Belgium by rivers. Migration following these river is very probable. 

7. We have no genealogical acts for Ravignats found in the Savoy region at all nor does the name even appear in the region.