A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Flot family of France.
Reg. 1978 · French, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
riverThe bounds of a land, and life carried through it
Colours
Blue (Azure)Means: Loyalty and truth
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“D'azur à une mer d'arg., ch. d'une chaloupe de sa.”
MaineMaine, c. 1663
Where the Flot Arms Were Recorded
Maine
Map of France showing where the Flot arms are recorded
The Flot arms were recorded in Maine, c. 1663.
Maine was quiet farming country in western France, held in small manors by families who stayed for generations. Nothing about it was grand, but steady landholding is exactly what puts a name in the registers.
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 Flot 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 Maine.
Origin & History of the Flot Family in France
The family name Flot traces its roots to the early colonial period in North America, with documented evidence placing members of the family in the Maine region as early as 1663. During this time, Maine was a rugged frontier territory characterized by small fishing outposts and scattered settlements along the Atlantic coast. Families like the Flots were often among the pioneers who navigated the difficult transition from European life to the harsh conditions of the New England wilderness. The name itself likely originated from descriptive terms used in older European dialects to identify people who lived near flowing water or those involved in maritime trade. As these early settlers established their lives in Maine, they contributed to the development of local communities through farming, timber harvesting, and maritime commerce. Their presence in the historical record from the mid-seventeenth century marks them as part of the foundational population that helped shape the early social and economic landscape of the region.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Flot
Derived from the Old French word for a wave or tide.
This name
FlotA topographic name for someone who lived near a flowing stream or river.
also spelled
Flott
Flot
Flottes
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Noyes, Sybil, Charles Thornton Libby, and Walter Goodwin Davis, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, 1928–1939
Maine State Archives, Province and Court Records of Maine, 1636–1689
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riverThe bounds of a land, and life carried through it
riverThe bounds of a land, and life carried through it
