A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Runyon family of France.
lionCourage, strength and royaltyJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De sa. au lion d'arg.”
The Runyon arms were recorded in Franche-Comte, c. 1663.
Franche-Comte sat between France and the Empire and changed hands more than once. Border families held their land under arms and expected to defend it, so a shield was a practical thing rather than an ornament.
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 Runyon 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 Runyon finds its historical roots in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France, where records confirm the family was established by at least 1663. The name is believed to be a variation of the French surname Rognon, which likely originated as a descriptive nickname. In medieval French, the word rignon or rognon referred to a kidney, and such names were often given to people based on their physical appearance or their trade. As the family lived in the borderlands between France and the Holy Roman Empire, they were part of a complex cultural landscape shaped by centuries of shifting political boundaries. Many individuals from this region eventually migrated to the American colonies during the late seventeenth century to escape religious and social instability, carrying their ancestral name across the Atlantic where it evolved into the modern spelling of Runyon.
Derived from the Old French word for kidney or a small stone.
