A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Guitard family of France.
lambGentleness, patience and faithJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à un mouton d'arg.”
The Guitard arms were recorded in Angoumois, c. 1663.
Angoumois was small western French country centred on Angouleme, living on paper mills and river trade. Families who prospered bought land nearby, and land brought arms with it.
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 Guitard 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 surname Guitard finds its historical roots in the southwestern region of France, with a particularly strong presence in the province of Angoumois during the mid-seventeenth century. The name is derived from the Old Germanic personal name Withard, which combines elements meaning wood and brave or hardy. By 1663, families carrying this name were well-established in the rural landscapes of Angoumois, where they likely worked as farmers or skilled tradespeople within the local feudal structure. During this era, the social identity of the family was tied closely to the land and the parish system, as these communities relied on local records to track births, marriages, and deaths. As the family grew, members of the Guitard line contributed to the development of the region, eventually spreading their influence beyond the borders of their ancestral home as they sought new opportunities in trade and agriculture.
A Germanic name element meaning wood or wide.
