A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Calf family of France.
Reg. 7000 · French, A–C
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
bullValour and generosity
Colours
Blue (Azure)Means: Loyalty and truth
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“D'azur à trois veaux d'or; à la bord. de gu.”
NormandieNormandie, c. 1663
Where the Calf Arms Were Recorded
Normandie
Map of France showing where the Calf arms are recorded
The Calf arms were recorded in Normandie, c. 1663.
Normandie held a dense crowd of knightly families on some of the best farmland in France. Its men had fought and settled abroad for generations, and a family that sent sons to war needed a shield they could be recognised by.
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 Calf 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 Normandie.
Origin & History of the Calf Family in France
The family name Calf has deep roots that trace back to the region of Normandy in northern France. By the year 1663, records confirm that members of this family were well-established within the local communities of that area. During this period, surnames often functioned as descriptive nicknames, and it is likely that the name originated from a physical trait or a specific connection to animal husbandry. As families moved across borders and settled in new lands, the spelling of the name sometimes shifted to match the local language, yet it maintained its core identity. These early ancestors were part of a society defined by agriculture and local trade, which shaped the way they lived and interacted with their neighbors in seventeenth-century France.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Calvus
Latin term meaning bald or hairless.
This name
CalfA descriptive nickname for a person who was bald or had very little hair.
also spelled
Kalf
Related arms
Kalfvariant spelling
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Dauzat, Albert. Dictionnaire étymologique des noms et prénoms de France. 1951
Archives départementales de la Seine-Maritime, Registres paroissiaux et d'état civil
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bullValour and generosity
bullValour and generosity
