[1] The name Philidor was conferred upon Jean's elder brother, Michel Danican (c. 1610-1659), by Louis XIII, when his oboe playing reminded the monarch of the Italian virtuoso oboe player, Filidori of Siena;[2] however, Michel never formally adopted the surname.
[3] Jean is the first individual to be found documented as "Danican dit Filidor" (or "Danican called Philidor"), and evidence implies that he assumed the name at the time of his brother's death, in 1659.
[7] Jean Danican and his brother Michel were among the first ever professional oboe players.
Along with other prominent musical families at court, like the Chédevilles and the Hotteterres, they were responsible for the oboe's transformation from its Medieval form, the shawm, to the three-joint structure that remains in use today.
His grandson, François-André, son of Philidor the elder, was a renowned musician and chess player.