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. au lion d'or; à la fasce d'arg., br. sur le tout.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Bertolina family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De gu. au lion d'or; à la fasce d'arg., br. sur le tout.”

The Bertolina arms were recorded in Lyonnais, c. 1663.
Lyonnais centred on Lyon, one of the great banking and silk towns of France. Money made in the city bought estates in the countryside around it, and those estates brought arms with them.
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 family name Bertolina carries roots that trace back to the mountainous regions of Northern Italy and the borderlands of France. By the year 1663, records confirm that members of the family were established in the Lyonnais region of France. During this era, the name likely functioned as a patronymic, meaning it was derived from a given name such as Berto or Bertol, with the suffix added to denote a smaller or younger version of the original name. Families in the seventeenth century often moved across the Alps for trade, agricultural work, or to escape regional conflicts, which explains the presence of the name in French provinces. As these families settled into new communities, they integrated into the local social structures of the time, often appearing in parish registers as artisans or landowners who contributed to the growth of their local towns.
A Germanic element meaning bright or famous.
