Map of France showing where the Herlin arms are recorded
The Herlin arms were recorded in Flandre, c. 1663.
Flandre grew rich on cloth, and its towns were among the busiest in Europe. Merchant families bought land with their profits and took arms to go with it, so trade put as many names in the registers here as land did.
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 Herlin 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 Flandre.
Origin & History of the Herlin Family in France
The family name Herlin has deep roots in the historical region of Flanders, where members of the family were documented as early as 1663. The name is believed to be a patronymic or a locative surname, likely derived from the Germanic personal name Herle or from specific geographic landmarks common to the Low Countries. During the seventeenth century, the region of Flanders was a complex landscape of shifting borders and intense trade, which often influenced how families settled and recorded their names in local parish registers. Families like the Herlins were typically part of the industrious middle class or agrarian society that defined the social structure of the region during this era. Because the area was a crossroads for various European cultures, the name likely evolved through local dialects before becoming a fixed family identifier. By maintaining a presence in Flanders during the mid-1600s, the early Herlins were part of a resilient population that navigated the political and economic changes of the seventeenth-century Netherlands and northern France.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Haril
A Germanic root meaning army or warrior.
This name
HerlinA diminutive form derived from Germanic elements signifying a little warrior or army leader.
also spelled
Herlinn
Related arms
Herrlinvariant spelling
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Debrabandere, Frans. Woordenboek van de familienamen in België en Noord-Frankrijk. 1993
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fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
lionCourage, strength and royalty
fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
lionCourage, strength and royalty
