A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Swearingen family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Losangé d'or et d'azur. C.: un bonnet losangé d'or et d'azur, sommé d'une tête et col de cygne d'or, le dos orné d'une crête d'azur, chacun des cinq angles orné d'une boule d'or.”
The Swearingen arms were recorded in France, c. 1725.
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 Swearingen 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 Swearingen traces its roots to the northwestern region of France known as Bretagne. By the year 1725, records indicate that members of this family were well established within the local communities of this coastal province. The name itself is thought to be a variation of older Germanic or Dutch surnames that migrated across European borders during periods of regional conflict and trade expansion. As these families settled in France, the spelling of their name evolved to fit the phonetic patterns of the local language. Over time, the Swearingen family became part of the social fabric of Bretagne, eventually participating in the waves of migration that took many families from the French coast across the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies.
A locative surname originating from the village of Sweringe in the Netherlands.
