A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Boscher family of France.
eagleNobility, strength and a keen mindJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à l'aigle d'or.”
The Boscher arms were recorded in France, c. 1663.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bretagne.
More families held coats of arms in Bretagne than anywhere else in France. The land was divided into many small estates rather than a few large ones, so far more households counted as gentry, and each needed a shield of its own to be told apart.
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.
Reigning in France when the Boscher arms are first recorded.
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 Boscher has deep roots in the Brittany region of France, where records confirm members of the family were living as early as 1663. The name is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname, likely derived from the Old French word "bosche," which refers to a wooded area or a thicket. This suggests that the earliest ancestors to carry the name were people who lived near a forest or worked as woodcutters. During the seventeenth century, the Boscher family was part of the local social fabric in Brittany, a region defined by its unique Celtic heritage and strong ties to the land. As the family grew, they became part of the rural history of the area, contributing to the agricultural and social development of their local parishes. By tracing these early residents, we can see how the name evolved from a simple way to identify a neighbor into a lasting family identity that has persisted for centuries.
A word of Germanic or Old French origin meaning wood or forest.
