A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Dumain family of France.
chequyConstancy, and the counting-boardJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Echiq. d'or et d'azur.”
The Dumain 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.
The body that granted and recorded arms in France in this period.
Reigning in France when the Dumain arms are first recorded.
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 Dumain finds its historical roots in the rugged and culturally distinct region of Bretagne, France. By the year 1663, records confirm that members of the family were firmly established within this province. The name itself is topographic in nature, likely derived from the French phrase "du main," which translates to "of the hand" or refers to someone living near a specific landmark or hand-shaped geographical feature. During the seventeenth century, families in Bretagne were often deeply connected to the local parish system, where records of births, marriages, and deaths were meticulously kept by church officials. As the family grew, they became part of the social fabric of the region, participating in the agricultural and maritime traditions that defined life along the Atlantic coast. This early presence in Bretagne suggests that the ancestors of the Dumain line were likely involved in the local community life that shaped the unique identity of the Breton people during the reign of King Louis XIV.
of the hand or belonging to the hand
