Map of France showing where the Coudray arms are recorded
The Coudray 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 Coudray 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 Coudray Family in France
The surname Coudray originates from the French word *coudraie*, which refers to a grove or a thicket of hazel trees. In medieval France, families often adopted names based on the specific landscape features near their homes, suggesting that the earliest ancestors lived near a prominent hazel wood. By the year 1663, historical records confirm that members of the Coudray family were firmly established in the Normandy region. During this period, Normandy was a hub of agricultural activity and social transition, and families with this name were likely involved in the local farming communities that defined the rural landscape. As these individuals moved through the seventeenth century, the name became a permanent marker of their regional identity and their connection to the fertile lands of northern France.
Coudray Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
Coudraie
A grove or plantation of hazel trees.
This name
CoudrayA topographic name for someone who lived near a hazel grove.
also spelled
Coudrai
Coudraye
Coudrey
Kudray
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Dauzat, Albert, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille et prénoms de France, 1951
Archives départementales de la Seine-Maritime, Registres paroissiaux et d'état civil, 1663
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