A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Donzé family of France.
Reg. 2802 · French, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
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 trois fasces ondées d'or.”
LorraineLorraine, c. 1663
Where the Donzé Arms Were Recorded
Lorraine
Map of France showing where the Donzé arms are recorded
The Donzé arms were recorded in Lorraine, c. 1663.
Lorraine sat on the border between France and the German lands, and border country bred soldiers. Families here held small estates and served in arms, and a fighting man was exactly the sort who carried a shield of his 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 Donzé 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 Lorraine.
Origin & History of the Donzé Family in France
The family name Donzé traces its roots to the historical region of Lorraine, where members of the family were firmly established by the year 1663. The name is believed to be a variation of the French word "donze," which historically referred to a young man or a page in a noble household. During the seventeenth century, families in this part of France often lived in small, tight-knit rural communities where surnames were frequently adapted from local nicknames or social roles. As the Donzé family grew, they became deeply integrated into the agricultural and social fabric of the Lorraine countryside. Their presence in regional records from the mid-1600s suggests they were part of the hardworking population that helped shape the local culture of the borderlands between France and the German-speaking territories.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Dominus
Latin term meaning master, lord, or owner of a household.
This name
DonzéA diminutive form indicating a person who is a small master or young lord.
also spelled
Donse
Donzay
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Albert Dauzat, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille et prénoms de France, 1951
Marie-Thérèse Morlet, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille, 1991
Archives départementales de la Meurthe-et-Moselle, Registres paroissiaux et d'état civil de Lorraine, 1663
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fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
