A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Dambach family of France.
Reg. 7822 · French, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
crescentHonour by the sovereign, and the second son
Colours
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)
“De gu. à un croiss. tourné d'or. C.: un chapeau pyramidal de gu., soutenu d'un croiss. montant d'or et sommé d'un panache de plumes de coq de sa.”
AlsaceAlsace, c. 1663
Where the Dambach Arms Were Recorded
Alsace
Map of France showing where the Dambach arms are recorded
The Dambach arms were recorded in Alsace, c. 1663.
Alsace lay between France and the German lands and belonged to both at different times. Its families held small estates and served whichever side ruled, and men who served in arms carried arms of their own.
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 Dambach 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 Alsace.
Origin & History of the Dambach Family in France
The family name Dambach is a locative surname, meaning it was originally derived from a specific place name. The name comes from the village of Dambach-la-Ville, located in the Alsace region of present-day France. In the German language, the name is a combination of the words "Damm," meaning a dam or embankment, and "Bach," meaning a stream or brook. This suggests that the earliest ancestors of the family likely lived near a dammed stream in this historic area. By the mid-17th century, records confirm that members of the Dambach family were firmly established within the Alsatian landscape. During this period, the region was a crossroads of European culture and politics, and families living there were often deeply connected to the local agricultural and village life that defined the Rhine Valley.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Damm and Bach
A dam or embankment and a stream or brook.
This name
DambachRefers to a person who lived near a dam or embankment on a stream.
also spelled
Damback
Dambak
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Bahlow, Hans, Deutsches Namenlexikon: Familien- und Vornamen nach Ursprung und Sinn erklärt, 1967
Heintze, Albert, Die deutschen Familiennamen: geschichtlich, geographisch, sprachlich, 1903
Archives départementales du Bas-Rhin, Registres paroissiaux et d'état civil
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crescentHonour by the sovereign, and the second son
crescentHonour by the sovereign, and the second son
