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 un arbre de sin., acc. de trois couleuvres ondoyantes en pals d'arg.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Gerome 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 un arbre de sin., acc. de trois couleuvres ondoyantes en pals d'arg.”
The Gerome arms were recorded in Lorraine, c. 1570.
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.
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 surname Gerome traces its roots to the historic region of Lorraine in northeastern France, where families bearing the name were firmly established by the year 1570. The name itself is a regional variation of the ancient name Jerome, which stems from the Greek name Hieronymus, meaning sacred name. During the sixteenth century, Lorraine was a crossroads of European culture and trade, situated between the French Kingdom and the Holy Roman Empire. Families in this area often lived in small, tight-knit agricultural communities where they maintained local customs and spoke a mix of French and Germanic dialects. By the late 1500s, the Gerome family was part of the common population that navigated the complex political shifts and religious tensions that defined life in the Duchy of Lorraine. Their presence in the historical record during this era highlights their role as long-standing residents who contributed to the social and economic fabric of the region for generations.
Derived from Greek words meaning sacred or holy name.
