Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or à trois fers de lance de sa.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Fradet family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or à trois fers de lance de sa.”
The Fradet arms were recorded in Berry, c. 1663.
Berry was central French farming country, quiet and long-settled. Its estates were modest and stayed in the same hands for centuries, and steady landholding of that kind is exactly what puts a name into the heraldic records.
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.
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 Fradet finds its historical roots in the central French province of Berry, where members of the lineage were firmly established by the year 1663. The name itself is likely a diminutive form of the Old French word frade, which was a common term used to describe a brother or a member of a religious order. During the seventeenth century, families in this region were often deeply connected to the land and local parish life. As the Fradet family grew, they became part of the social fabric of Berry, participating in the agricultural and community traditions that defined rural life in central France. By the mid-1600s, the name was already well-integrated into the local records, marking the beginning of a long history for the family in this historic territory.
Derived from the Germanic element frad meaning wise or prudent.
