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 au lion de gu., cour. du champ, tenant une rose d'arg., tigée du même. C.: le lion, iss.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Makis family of Belgium.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or au lion de gu., cour. du champ, tenant une rose d'arg., tigée du même. C.: le lion, iss.”

The Makis arms were recorded in Belgium, c. 1737.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Brabant.
Brabant lay at the heart of the Low Countries, where the trade routes met. Its towns were wealthy and its landowners many, and both kinds of family kept arms, which is why the region is so heavily represented.
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 Belgium, a coat of arms is considered personal property that is passed down through the male line to legitimate descendants. Families often use the same shield design across generations to show their shared heritage. If a branch of the family wants to change the design, they must apply for an official update to their specific version of the arms.
The family name Makis has deep roots in the region of Brabant, where records confirm members of the family were living as early as 1737. During the eighteenth century, Brabant was a bustling area known for its agricultural productivity and its position as a crossroads for trade in the Low Countries. Families in this region often lived in small, tight-knit rural communities where they worked as farmers or local tradespeople. Because the name appears in official documents from this period, it suggests that the family was well-established and integrated into the local social structure of the time. Life in Brabant during the 1700s was shaped by the changing political landscape of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Netherlands, which likely influenced the family's daily movements and economic opportunities. By studying these early records, we can see that the Makis family was part of the hardworking population that helped define the cultural identity of the Brabant region long before the modern era.
Derived from the Greek word for blessed or happy.
