A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Chalet family of Switzerland.
Reg. 3765 · Swiss, A–C
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
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Colours
Black (Sable)Means: Constancy
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“De sa. au chev. d'arg.”
Switzerlandc. 1745
Where the Chalet Arms Were Recorded
Bern
Map of Switzerland showing where the Chalet arms are recorded
The Chalet arms were recorded in Switzerland, c. 1745.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bern.
Bern was the largest of the Swiss cantons and ran itself, with its own council and its own courts. Its governing families held office for generations, and office of that kind carried a shield with it.
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 Switzerland in this period.
How Arms Worked in Switzerland
In Switzerland, coats of arms were not restricted to the nobility and were often adopted by common citizens and families. These symbols were passed down through generations to show family identity. When branches of a family grew, they often changed small details of the design to distinguish their own line from the original group.
Granting authority
Cantonal and civic authorities managed the use of coats of arms within their specific regions and local jurisdictions.
How they got arms
Families typically assumed their own coats of arms based on local custom rather than receiving them from a central monarch.
Where arms were recorded
Arms were recorded in various cantonal and civic registers starting from the fourteenth century throughout the Swiss region.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Switzerland.
Origin & History of the Chalet Family in Switzerland
The family name Chalet finds its roots in the French language, where it traditionally refers to a small mountain hut or a simple shelter used by herdsmen in the Alps. By the middle of the eighteenth century, members of the Chalet family had established a notable presence in the city of Bern, Switzerland. During this period, Bern was a powerful city-state where families often identified themselves through their specific trades or their ties to the surrounding rural landscape. As the family settled into urban life, the name transitioned from a simple description of a rustic dwelling into a formal surname that identified their lineage. Living in Bern in 1745 suggests that the family was likely integrated into the local community, perhaps participating in the skilled crafts or the mercantile activities that defined the region at that time. Over the generations, the name served as a link to their ancestral connection with the alpine environment while marking their evolution into established residents of the Swiss capital.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
cala
A Latin term referring to a shelter, hut, or wooden structure.
This name
ChaletRefers to a small mountain hut or wooden dwelling typical of the Alpine region.
also spelled
Chalett
Chalette
Shalay
Chalay
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Staatsarchiv des Kantons Bern, Kirchenbücher der Stadt Bern (Church records of the city of Bern)
Staatsarchiv des Kantons Bern, Bürgerrodel der Stadt Bern (Citizenship registers of the city of Bern)
Dubler, Anne-Marie, Stadt und Land in der Schweiz des 18. Jahrhunderts (City and country in 18th-century Switzerland), 1982
Von Fischer, Rudolf, Die Burgergemeinde der Stadt Bern (The citizen community of the city of Bern), 1954
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