A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Bou family of Spain.
bullValour and generosityJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De gu. au boeuf arrêté d'or.”
The Bou arms were recorded in Catalonia, c. 1722.
Catalonia lived by sea trade, and its merchant houses were as powerful as its landowners. Both sorts of family took arms, and Barcelona kept records of the houses entitled to bear 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.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Spain in this period.
Reigning in Spain when the Bou arms are first recorded.
In Spain, a coat of arms was considered a form of property that belonged to the entire family line. These arms were passed down from a father to all his children equally. Younger branches of the family usually kept the original design without needing to add any special marks to distinguish their specific line.
The surname Bou is deeply rooted in the historical landscape of Catalonia, where records confirm the family’s presence as early as 1722. The name itself is thought to have originated from the Catalan word for ox, which suggests that the earliest ancestors were likely farmers or cattle herders who lived in the rural regions of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. During the eighteenth century, families often adopted names based on their trade or their relationship with the land, and the Bou name became a common identifier for those working in the agricultural sector. As these families grew, they became established members of their local villages, contributing to the development of Catalan society through their labor and community involvement. By the time the 1722 records were created, the Bou family was already well-integrated into the social fabric of the region, reflecting a long tradition of connection to the rugged terrain and the agrarian economy of Catalonia.
Latin term for ox or bull.
