Map of France showing where the Avard arms are recorded
The Avard arms were recorded in Dauphine, c. 1663.
Dauphine lay in the mountains of south-eastern France, a country of small estates and scattered valleys. Its gentry were many and mostly modest, and even a small landholding was enough to justify arms.
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 France in this period.
Louis XIV of France
Sovereign of the period
Louis XIV of France
1643–1715
Reigning in France when the Avard arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in France
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.
Granting authority
The Juge d'armes de France acted as the official authority that regulated and verified coats of arms across the country.
How they got arms
Families typically inherited their arms from ancestors, though they could also receive them through royal grants or by proving their noble status.
Where arms were recorded
Coats of arms were officially recorded in the Armorial Général de France, which began its main collection in the year 1696.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Dauphine.
Origin & History of the Avard Family in France
The family name Avard traces its roots to the historical province of Dauphiné in southeastern France. By the year 1663, records confirm that members of the family were well-established residents within this mountainous region near the Alps. The name likely originated as a topographic or locative surname, which was a common practice in medieval France to identify individuals by the specific landscape or village where they lived. During the seventeenth century, families in Dauphiné often lived in close-knit agricultural communities that relied on the fertile valleys and trade routes connecting France to Italy. As the family grew, they became part of the local social fabric, contributing to the rural economy and the unique cultural identity of the Dauphiné region before many descendants eventually migrated to other parts of the world.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Aver
Derived from the Old French word for a beast of burden.
This name
AvardAn occupational surname for a person who kept or drove horses or oxen.
also spelled
Aviarde
Aviart
Aviards
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Boyer, Michel, Dictionnaire des noms de famille en Dauphiné, 1992
Archives départementales de l'Isère, Registres paroissiaux et état civil de l'ancien régime, Series E
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