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)“D'azur au chev., acc. en chef de deux bes. et en p. d'un lion, le tout d'or. C.: le lion, iss.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Boulé family of Belgium.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur au chev., acc. en chef de deux bes. et en p. d'un lion, le tout d'or. C.: le lion, iss.”
The Boulé arms were recorded in Hainaut, c. 1729.
Hainaut sat on the border between France and the Low Countries and was fought over for centuries. Families there held their land under arms and expected to defend it, so a shield was a working thing.
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 Belgium, a coat of arms is considered personal property that is passed down through the male line to legitimate descendants. Families often use the same shield design across generations to show their shared heritage. If a branch of the family wants to change the design, they must apply for an official update to their specific version of the arms.
The family name Boulé has deep roots in the historical region of Hainaut, a territory that straddles the modern border between France and Belgium. By the year 1729, records confirm that members of the Boulé family were well-established within this area. The name itself is thought to be a variation of the Old French word boule, which originally referred to a rounded object or a wooden ball. In medieval times, such names were often used as nicknames for people who had a stout or round physical appearance, or they sometimes identified individuals who lived near a specific landmark shaped like a sphere. As the family grew, they became part of the local social fabric in Hainaut, living through a period of significant political change as the region shifted between the control of various European powers. These early ancestors were likely laborers or tradespeople who helped build the local economy during the eighteenth century.
A Latin term referring to a bubble, knob, or rounded seal.
