A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Bitch family of France.
Reg. 6153 · French, A–C
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Colours
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“D'or à un écusson de gu. en abime. Cq. cour. C.: un écusson des armes suspendu à un chapeau pyramidal d'arg., sommé d'une boule d'or, supp. un panache de plumes de coq de sa.; le tout entre deux bars, les têtes en bas.”
AlsaceAlsace, c. 1663
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Map of France showing where the Bitch arms are recorded
The Bitch arms were recorded in Alsace, c. 1663.
Alsace lay between France and the German lands and belonged to both at different times. Its families held small estates and served whichever side ruled, and men who served in arms carried arms of their own.
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 Bitch 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 Alsace.
Origin & History of the Bitch Family in France
The family name Bitch traces its early documented roots to the Alsace region of France, where records confirm members of the family were living by 1663. During the seventeenth century, Alsace was a crossroads of European culture, frequently shifting between French and German influence due to the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War. Families in this area often adopted surnames based on their local geography, their trade, or descriptive nicknames that were common in the regional dialects of the time. Because the name appears in parish registers during this period, it is likely that the family was part of the local agrarian or artisan class that helped rebuild the region after decades of conflict. These early ancestors were part of a resilient community that maintained distinct traditions despite the political instability of the borderlands. Over the following centuries, the family name persisted as a marker of this specific Alsatian heritage, reflecting the complex history of a region defined by its unique blend of languages and customs.
Bitch Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
Biche
Old French term for a female deer or hind.
This name
BitchA topographic or habitational name referring to someone living near a deer habitat.
also spelled
Bytsch
Bich
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Archives départementales du Bas-Rhin, Registres paroissiaux de l'état civil, 1663
Grasser, Jean-Paul, Histoire de l'Alsace, 1988
Livet, Georges, L'Alsace et les Alsaciens, 1982
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