A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Monkey family of France.
bendDefence, and the scarf of a commanderJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à la bande d'or.”
The Monkey 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.
Reigning in France when the Monkey 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 family name Monkey, while rare, finds its earliest documented roots in the region of Bretagne, France, during the mid-seventeenth century. Records confirm that members of this family were established in the area by 1663, living within a society deeply influenced by local traditions and the rural economy of the Breton countryside. It is likely that the name originated as a descriptive nickname or a localized variation of a term used to identify individuals based on their personality or physical traits. During this period, families in Bretagne were often recorded in parish registers as they navigated the transition from feudal customs to more formal state documentation. While the name eventually spread, its presence in 1663 suggests that the early Monkey family was part of the foundational population that helped shape the social fabric of northwestern France before the modern era.
Latin term referring to a solitary person or a monk.
