A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Em family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“d'or. C.: un bras d'arg., tenant une gerbe de sin., chargée de six quintefeuilles d'arg.”
The Em arms were recorded in France, c. 1725.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bretagne.
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 Em 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 Em has deep roots in the historical region of Bretagne, France. By the year 1725, records confirm that members of the family were already established within this rugged coastal territory. During the eighteenth century, families in Bretagne often lived in small, tight-knit rural communities where they relied on farming or maritime trade to survive. The name itself is quite short, which was common for surnames that evolved from local nicknames or shortened versions of longer given names. Because the region of Bretagne maintained a distinct cultural identity and language during this era, the family likely participated in the unique traditions and social structures that defined life in western France. Over time, these early ancestors helped shape the local history of their parishes by contributing to the agricultural and social growth of their villages.
A Germanic root meaning work, labor, or industrious.
