A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Durette family of France.
lionCourage, strength and royaltyJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à trois têtes de panthère d'or.”
The Durette arms were recorded in Lorraine, c. 1553.
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.
Reigning in France when the Durette 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 Durette family name finds its historical roots in the Lorraine region of France, where records confirm members of the family were established by the year 1553. The name is believed to be a diminutive form of the French word dur, which translates to hard or firm. In the context of medieval naming conventions, this likely served as a descriptive nickname for a person known for their strength, resilience, or stubborn character. During the sixteenth century, the Lorraine region was a crossroads of European culture and politics, and families like the Durettes were often involved in the local agricultural or artisanal life of the duchy. As the family grew, they became part of the social fabric of the area, eventually spreading from their original home in Lorraine to other parts of France and eventually across the Atlantic to North America.
Latin term meaning hard, tough, or enduring.
