Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De gu. à neuf croiss. d'arg., chaque croiss. surm. d'une larme du même.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Acri family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De gu. à neuf croiss. d'arg., chaque croiss. surm. d'une larme du même.”
The Acri arms were recorded in Ile-de-France, c. 1663.
Ile-de-France is the country around Paris, and proximity to the court mattered. Families who served the crown were rewarded with land near it, and land near the capital carried arms almost as a matter of course.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
In France, a coat of arms was a mark of honor that passed down through the male line to all legitimate descendants. Families often used the same shield without changes to show their shared heritage. If a branch wanted to stand out, they could add a small mark to their shield to show their specific place in the family tree.
The history of the Acri family name is deeply rooted in the cultural landscape of seventeenth-century France. By 1663, records confirm that members of the family were well-established within the Ile-de-France region, which includes the area surrounding Paris. During this period, families often lived in close-knit communities where their surname became a primary way to distinguish their household from others in the growing urban and rural centers. The name likely evolved from local linguistic patterns common to the region, reflecting the social shifts occurring as the French monarchy consolidated power. Because these early ancestors were present in the heart of the kingdom during the reign of Louis XIV, they were part of a society that was rapidly becoming more organized in its record-keeping and administrative structure. This era provided the foundation for the family name to persist through generations as they navigated the changing political and economic life of the French capital.
Latin term meaning sharp, keen, or pointed.
