Which Eric Giguere Are You?

On the Internet, a person's name is rarely unique. My surname, Giguere, is not particularly common outside the French-speaking world, but it's not that uncommon, either. Here are some answers about me and my name.

Relationship to Jean-Sébastien Giguere

For the longest time, non-francophones could never pronounce my surname (jee-gair is a good approximation). Now, though, after I tell someone my name they'll tell me: "Just like the hockey player!". Who would have expected that the professional hockey player Jean-Sébastien Giguere would make my life simpler?

Often, the next question I get asked is if I'm related to Jean-Sébastien. The answer is a definite "maybe". Most French-Canadian Gigueres descend from a common ancestor, Robert Giguere. Robert was born in 1616 in France and emigrated to New France (the French colony that became what is now the province of Québec) in the early 1600's. So, the chances are good that he and I are related. However, given that my father is one of twelve children and his father was one of eighteen, you can see that I can barely keep track of my first cousins!

Are You The "Enhydra" Eric Giguere?

No. The Eric Giguere who works on the Enhydra project is a different person.

Are you the "Amiga" Eric Giguere?

Maybe. I used to do a lot of Amiga stuff, and a lot of Commodore 64 (and even VIC-20) stuff before that. Oddly enough, though, there is an Eric Giguere in Paris that does Amiga stuff, so it may or may not be me you're thinking of.