A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Cho family of France.
cross symbolChristian faith and serviceJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“de sa. (sable):** Charged with a small black cross pattée.”
The Cho arms were recorded in France, c. 1725.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bretagne.
More families held coats of arms in Bretagne than anywhere else in France. The land was divided into many small estates rather than a few large ones, so far more households counted as gentry, and each needed a shield of its own to be told apart.
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 Cho 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 Cho has deep roots in the Brittany region of France, where records confirm members of the family were living as early as 1725. During this period, the name was closely tied to the rural landscape and the local social structures of the province. Families in this area often lived in small, tight-knit farming communities where surnames were passed down through generations to track lineage and property rights. Because Brittany maintained a distinct cultural identity separate from the rest of France, the name likely evolved from local linguistic traditions or specific geographic landmarks near their ancestral homes. By the eighteenth century, the Cho family was already established as part of the regional fabric, contributing to the agricultural and social life of their parish long before the major political changes that would later reshape the country.
Derived from the Latin word for a cause or reason.
