A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Bouvard family of France.
bullValour and generosityJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De gu. à trois rencontres de boeuf d'or.”
The Bouvard arms were recorded in Dauphine, c. 1663.
Dauphine lay in the mountains of south-eastern France, a country of small estates and scattered valleys. Its gentry were many and mostly modest, and even a small landholding was enough to justify arms.
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 Bouvard 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 Bouvard finds its historical roots in the rugged landscape of the Dauphiné region in southeastern France. By the year 1663, records confirm that members of the Bouvard family were well-established residents in this mountainous area. The name itself is thought to be derived from the Old French word bouvier, which refers to a person who worked as a cowherd or a cattle driver. This suggests that the earliest ancestors of the family were likely hardworking people connected to the agricultural life of the Alpine foothills. As they settled in the valleys of the Dauphiné, the family became part of the local social fabric, living through the transition from feudal traditions to the more centralized administration of the French monarchy. Their presence in this specific region during the seventeenth century highlights a long history of resilience and integration within the rural communities of old France.
Old French term for an ox or cattle.
