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 à un phénix d'or sur son immortalité du même; au chef de gu., ch. de trois bes. d'arg.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Dilbert family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à un phénix d'or sur son immortalité du même; au chef de gu., ch. de trois bes. d'arg.”
The Dilbert arms were recorded in Forez, c. 1663.
Forez was a small upland county in central France, thick with minor gentry holding modest estates. Its families were more numerous than wealthy, and even a small holding was enough for a shield of one's 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.
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 Dilbert finds its historical roots in the lush, mountainous region of Forez in east-central France. By the year 1663, records confirm that members of the family were already well-established within this province, which was known for its deep ties to agriculture and local craftsmanship. The name likely evolved from regional dialects common to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes area, where naming conventions often reflected a person’s trade or their specific village of origin. Life in seventeenth-century Forez was centered around small, tight-knit communities, and the Dilbert family would have been deeply integrated into the social and economic life of the local parishes. As the family grew, they remained connected to the landscape of the Loire River valley, contributing to the development of the region through their work and community involvement. This early presence in Forez suggests that the Dilbert lineage was part of the foundational fabric of the local population during a time of significant cultural transition in France.
Derived from Germanic elements meaning noble and bright or famous.
