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'arg. à un laurier de sin., terrassé du même.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Lourens family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'arg. à un laurier de sin., terrassé du même.”

The Lourens arms were recorded in Alsace, c. 1663.
Alsace lay between France and the German lands and belonged to both at different times. Its families held small estates and served whichever side ruled, and men who served in arms carried arms of their 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 family name Lourens is a variant of the Latin name Laurentius, which means someone who comes from the town of Laurentum or someone crowned with laurel leaves. By the mid-seventeenth century, the name had become well-established in the Alsace region of France. In 1663, records show that members of the family were living in this area, which was a crossroads of European culture and trade during that time. Because Alsace sits on the border between France and Germany, families like the Lourens often experienced a blend of different linguistic and cultural influences. This location placed them in the heart of a region that was frequently changing hands between powerful empires, requiring families to be adaptable and resilient as they navigated the shifting political landscape of the era.
Derived from the Latin word for the laurel tree or laurel wreath.
