The Bettencourt family is a French noble family of Norman origin. The head of the family in the 14th century,

Jean de Béthencourt Jean de Béthencourt (; 1362–1425) was a French explorer who in 1402 led an expedition to the Canary Islands, landing first on the north side of Lanzarote. From there he conquered for Castile the islands of Fuerteventura (1405) and El H ...

, organized an expedition to conquer the Canary Islands, resulting in his being made

King of the Canary Islands The Kingdom of the Canary Islands () was a vassal state of the Crown of Castile located in North Africa, lasting from 1404 to 1450. First contact by Europeans Apart from earlier contact by Romans, one of the first known Europeans to have encoun ...

Pope Innocent VII Pope Innocent VII (; ; 1339 – 6 November 1406), born Cosimo de' Migliorati, was head of the Catholic Church from 17 October 1404 to his death, in November 1406. He was pope during the period of the Western Schism (1378–1417), and was opposed ...

. Though the royal title would be short-lived, it allowed the family to firmly establish itself afterwards in the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

and

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

islands. The family is one of the most expansive and established families of the

Portuguese nobility Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, as well as the

Spanish nobility The Spanish nobility are people who possess a title of nobility confirmed by the Spanish Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, as well as those individuals appointed to one of Spain's three highest orders of knightho ...

. Through the expansion of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

and

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

, the family and name spread across the world, mainly throughout

Iberian America Ibero-America (, ) or Iberian America is generally considered to be the region in the Americas comprising countries or territories where Spanish or Portuguese are predominant languages (usually former territories of Spain or Portugal). Spain and ...

(

Portuguese America Portuguese America (), sometimes called or Lusophone America in the English language, in contrast to Anglo-America, French America, or Hispanic America, is the Portuguese-speaking community of people and their diaspora, notably those tracing b ...

and

Spanish America Spanish America refers to the Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The term "Spanish America" was specifically used during the territories' Spanish Empire, imperial era between 15th and 19th centur ...

), as well as Portuguese Africa.

Variants of the name

Though the spelling ''Bettencourt'' is the most widely used and standardized spelling of the family, both in Portuguese and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, other spellings of the name have arisen. Some of these spellings include:

Bethancourt Bethancourt is a surname, a variant of Bettencourt. Notable people with the surname include: *Brandon Bethancourt, member of electronic band Alaska in Winter Alaska in Winter was an American electronic music, electronic band (music), band, cons ...

/Betancourt, Bettencourt, Béthencourt, Bentancour, Bentancourt, Betancoor, Betancur, Betancurt, Betancurth, Betancor, Betancurt, Betencur, Betancor, Bentancour, Bethancourt, Bittencourt, Bitencourt and DeBettencourt.

Family history

Bettencourt and Betancourt are originally place-names in Northern France. The place-name element ''-court'' ("courtyard, courtyard of a farm, farm") is typical of the French provinces, where the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

settlements formed an important part of the local population. It is a Gallo-Roman

calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...

from the

Old Low Franconian In linguistics, Old Dutch ( Modern Dutch: ') or Old Low Franconian (Modern Dutch: ') is the set of dialects that evolved from Frankish spoken in the Low Countries during the Early Middle Ages, from around the 6th Page 55: "''Uit de zesde eeuw ...

word ''*hof,'' meaning "courtyard", "courtyard of a farm", "farm" (Dutch, Old English ''hof'', German ''Hof'' "courtyard", "farm"). Bettencourt and Béthencourt correspond with Bettenhoffen, Bettenhof or Bettenhoven found in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, Germany or

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

cf. the Belgian town of Bettincourt called in Dutch Bettenhoven. The first part ''Betten-'' is the Germanic personal name (owner's name) ''Betto''.

Albert Dauzat Albert Dauzat (; 4 July 1877 – 31 October 1955) was a French linguist specializing in toponymy and onomastics Onomastics (or onomatology in older texts) is the study of proper names, including their etymology, history, and use. An ''alethony ...

Charles Rostaing Charles Rostaing (; 9 October 1904 – 24 April 1999) was a French linguist who specialised in toponymy.Obit ...

, ''Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de lieu en France'', Librairie Guénégaud, 1979, Paris, , p. 78b – 79a. The surname Bettencourt/Béthencourt with various spellings extended throughout Spain, Portugal and their colonies, after the Norman-French explorer

, who conquered the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

for Spain and received the title King of the Canary Islands. To this day, Betancourt and other forms of this surname are quite frequent among

Canary Islander Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...

s and people of Canary Islander descent, thanks to the offspring of Béthencourt's nephews who followed him in his conquest, especially Maciot de Bethencourt who acted as King of the Canary Islands after his uncle had returned to France. Examples include former Cuban president

Salvador Cisneros Betancourt Salvador Cisneros y Betancourt (February 10, 1828 – February 28, 1914) was a Cuban revolutionary and statesman, who was the only Cuban to become the president of the Republic of Cuba (1902–1959), Republic of Cuba twice. Early life Salvador C ...

, who also was Marquess of Santa Lucía, former Colombian president

Belisario Betancur Belisario Betancur Cuartas (4 February 1923 – 7 December 2018) was a Colombian politician who served as the List of Presidents of Colombia, 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party. His ...

, former Venezuelan president

Rómulo Betancourt Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello (22 February 1908 – 28 September 1981; ), known as "The Father of Venezuelan Democracy", was a Venezuelan politician who served as the president of Venezuela, from and again from Second presidency of Rómulo ...

, and Hermano Pedro de San José de Betancurt, a

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Other modern notables are Venezuelan baseball player

Rafael Betancourt Rafael Jose Betancourt (born April 29, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies, as well as in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) ...

Azorean The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two Autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaro ...

(Portuguese)-born American musician

Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (born September 20, 1966) is a Portuguese-American guitarist. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. Bettencourt has recorded a solo album and has founded rock bands including ...

, Colombian-French activist/politician

Ingrid Betancourt Ingrid may refer to: * Ingrid (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Ingrid Burley (born 1986), rapper known mononymously as Ingrid * Ingrid (record label), also an artist collective * Tropical Storm Ingrid, various cy ...

and Uruguayan activist Walner Ademir Bentancour Garin, disappeared by the Uruguayan and Argentinian military juntas in 1976.

People with the surname

Bettencourt

André Bettencourt André Bettencourt (; 21 April 1919 – 19 November 2007) was a French politician. He had been a member of La Cagoule, a violent French fascist-leaning and anti-communist group, before and into the Second World War; he then joined the anti-G ...

– French politician, served as

Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

under President

Georges Pompidou Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou ( ; ; 5 July 19112 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 until his death in 1974. He previously served as Prime Minister of France under President Charles de Gaulle from 19 ...

* D.J. Bettencourt – American politician *

António Maria de Bettencourt Rodrigues Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ...

- Portuguese Doctor, Diplomat, Politician and Foreign Minister under President Oscar Carmona * Diogo de Barcelos Machado Bettencourt – Portuguese magistrate and politician * João de Bettencourt de Vasconcelos – Portuguese nobleman and governor *

Liliane Bettencourt Liliane Henriette Charlotte Bettencourt (; née Schueller; 21 October 1922 – 21 September 2017) was a French heiress, socialite and businesswoman. She was a board member and one of the principal shareholders of L'Oréal. At the time of her ...

– French businesswoman, majority shareholder of

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French multinational personal care corporation registered in Paris

, richest woman in history *

– Portuguese-born American musician *

Paul Bettencourt Paul David Bettencourt (born October 20, 1958) is an American politician and businessman based out of Houston, Texas, who serves as a Republican member of the Texas State Senate from District 7. On January 13, 2015, he succeeded state Senator Da ...

– American politician, currently Texas Senator from the 7th district * Tiago Bettencourt – Portuguese singer-songwriter

Betancourt

Agustín de Betancourt Agustín de Betancourt y Molina (; ; 1 February 1758 – 24 July 1824) was a Spanish engineer, who worked in Spain, France and Russia. His work ranged from steam engines and balloons to structural engineering and urban planning. As an educator, ...

(1758–1825) – prominent Spanish

structural engineer Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research List of structural elements, structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of ...

, educator, and

urban planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...

* Alfredo Betancourt (1914–2013) – Salvadoran writer * Carlos Betancourt – American artist * Carmelo Betancourt – Puerto Rican basketball player * Christian Rogelio Benítez Betancourt – Ecuadorian footballer * Gabriel Betancourt – Colombian politician and father of Íngrid Betancourt *

Gaspar Betancourt Cisneros Gaspar Betancourt y Cisneros (April 28, 1803 - December 7, 1866), also known as "El Lugareño" (), was a Cuban revolutionary, writer, and pioneer of Cuban journalism. Early life and education Gaspar Betancourt y Cisneros was born in Puerto Prí ...

– Cuban writer *

Íngrid Betancourt Íngrid Betancourt Pulecio (; born 25 December 1961) is a Colombian-French politician, former senator, and anti-corruption activist. She gained international prominence after being kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) i ...

– French-Colombian politician * Jeanne Betancourt – American author *

John Gregory Betancourt John Gregory Betancourt (born October 25, 1963) is an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and Mystery fiction, mystery novels, as well as short story, short stories. He is also known as the founder and publisher, with his wife Kim Betanco ...

– science fiction writer * Kim Betancourt – American publisher *

Lázaro Aristides Betancourt Lázaro Arístides Betancourt Mella (30 July 1936 – 19 January 2025) was a Cuban hurdler who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics. He was third in the 1963 Pan American Games 110 metres hurdles. In the 1959 Pan American Games The 1959 P ...

– Cuban hurdler *

Michael Betancourt Michael Betancourt (born 1971) is a critical theorist, film theorist, art & film historian, and animator. His principal published works focus on the critique of digital capitalism, motion graphics, visual music, new media art, theory, and formal ...

–

critical theorist Critical theory is a social, historical, and political school of thought and philosophical perspective which centers on analyzing and challenging systemic power relations in society, arguing that knowledge, truth, and social structures are fu ...

, art and film historian, and animator * Mick Betancourt – writer *

Nelson Betancourt Nelson Betancourt ISO (4 June 1887 – 12 October 1947) was a cricketer, a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman. He was born in Trinidad and Tobago and died there. Betancourt's first-class cricket extended from 1905 to 1930 but he played only spora ...

–

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''), the term ''West Indian'' in 1597 described the indigenous inhabitants of the West In ...

cricketer Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

* Philip Betancourt – American

Archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

Porfirio Armando Betancourt Porfirio Armando Betancourt Carranza (10 October 1957 – 28 July 2021) was a Honduran professional Association football, footballer. Youth Born in La Lima, Lima, Honduras, Betancourt grew up in a soccer family. His father, Porfirio Betancour ...

– Honduran footballer *

–

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

– 47th and 54th

President of Venezuela The president of Venezuela (), officially known as the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (), is the executive head of state and head of government of Venezuela. The president leads the National Executive of the Venezuelan go ...

* Sterling Betancourt (born 1930) – Trinidadian musician

Bethancourt

:''See

Béthencourt

:''See

Béthencourt Béthencourt () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 647 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The ...

Bittencourt

:''See Bittencourt''

Other variants

(1923–2018) – Colombian

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician who served as the 26th

President of Colombia The president of Colombia (President of the Republic) is the head of state and head of government of Colombia. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of Colombia, national government and is the commander-in-chief of the Mil ...

* Carmelo Bentancur (1899–?), Uruguayan soldier and fencer * Diego Betancur Álvarez – Ambassador of Colombia to Australia * Jorge Betancur – Nicaraguan footballer *

Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur (or Betancourt) y Gonzáles, OFB (, 21 March 1626– 25 April 1667), also called Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt (''Brother Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur'') or more simply Peter de Betancurt, Hermano ...

, Spanish saint and missionary *

Rubén Bentancourt Rubén Daniel Bentancourt Morales (born 2 March 1993) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Argentine Primera División club Argentinos Juniors. Career Bentancourt made his professional debut as Jong PSV player in ...

– Uruguayan footballer * Rodrigo Bentancur – Uruguayan footballer

References

{{surname French-language surnames Norman-language surnames Portuguese-language surnames Portuguese noble families Spanish-language surnames Surnames of Norman origin Toponymic surnames