Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur au chev. d'arg., acc. de trois molettes d'or.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Delin family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur au chev. d'arg., acc. de trois molettes d'or.”

The Delin arms were recorded in Bretagne, c. 1663.
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.
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 Delin has deep roots in the Brittany region of France, where records confirm members of the family were established by the year 1663. The name likely originated as a topographical descriptor, meaning it was used to identify people who lived near a specific landmark or geographic feature, such as a line of trees or a boundary. During the seventeenth century, the social structure in Bretagne was heavily influenced by rural life and local parish communities. Families like the Delins were often tied to the land, working within the agricultural systems that defined the coastal and inland provinces of western France. As the family grew, they became part of the local fabric of the region, participating in the daily traditions and administrative life of their parishes. By maintaining their presence in this area, the early generations helped shape the identity of the name as one deeply connected to the history and culture of the Breton people.
Preposition meaning from or of, followed by the noun flax.