A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Grée family of France.
Reg. 4966 · French, G–I
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
cross symbolChristian faith and service
Colours
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“de gu., cant. de quatre croisettes du même. D.: IN HOC SIGNO VINCES.”
Francec. 1663
Where the Grée Arms Were Recorded
Bretagne
Map of France showing where the Grée arms are recorded
The Grée arms were recorded in France, c. 1663.
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.
Louis XIV of France
Sovereign of the period
Louis XIV of France
1643–1715
Reigning in France when the Grée 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 France.
Origin & History of the Grée Family in France
The surname Grée is deeply rooted in the historical landscape of Brittany, a region in northwestern France known for its distinct cultural identity. Records confirm that members of the family were well-established in this area by 1663, living within a society defined by rural traditions and the influence of the Catholic Church. The name itself is thought to be a topographic surname, which was a common way for families to identify themselves based on the specific features of the land they occupied or farmed. In the local Breton dialect and regional French, the term often related to a steep slope or a rocky incline, suggesting that the earliest ancestors likely settled on or near such terrain. As these families grew, they became part of the local parish systems, where their births, marriages, and deaths were carefully recorded in registers that provide a clear window into their daily lives during the seventeenth century.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Grégoire
Derived from the Greek verb meaning to be awake or watchful.
This name
GréeA locative or descriptive surname likely referring to a person who is vigilant or alert.
also spelled
Gre
Greay
Greer
Gray
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Archives Départementales d'Ille-et-Vilaine, Registres paroissiaux et d'état civil
Dauzat, Albert, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille et prénoms de France, 1951
Tanguy, Bernard, Dictionnaire des noms de communes, trèves et paroisses du Finistère, 1990
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cross symbolChristian faith and service
cross symbolChristian faith and service
