A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Alferos family of Portugal.
chequyConstancy, and the counting-boardJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Echiq. d'or et de gu.”
The Alferos arms were recorded in Portugal, c. 1706.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Lisboa.
Lisbon was the seat of the Portuguese crown and the port its wealth came through. Families made rich by trade and by service to the king took arms, and the crown's heralds recorded them there.
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.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Portugal in this period.
Reigning in Portugal when the Alferos arms are first recorded.
In Portugal, a coat of arms was a family possession that passed from a father to his children. Every legitimate descendant had the right to use the family shield without needing to change it. Younger branches of the family kept the original design, though they sometimes added small symbols to distinguish their specific line from the main branch.
The family name Alferos carries a deep connection to the historical landscape of Portugal, with documented roots tracing back to the city of Lisboa in the early eighteenth century. During this era, the name was associated with families living in a vibrant capital city that served as the heart of the Portuguese Empire. The structure of the name suggests a link to the term *alferes*, which was a traditional military rank equivalent to a standard-bearer or an ensign in the Portuguese army. It is likely that early ancestors held positions of responsibility or service within the local administration or the military forces stationed in the capital. By 1706, the family was established within the social fabric of Lisboa, participating in the daily life and evolving culture of a city that was then a major center for global trade and maritime exploration.
Derived from the Germanic elements for elf and army or counsel.
