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'azur à deux troncs d'arbre d'or, passés en saut.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Trancoso family of Portugal.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à deux troncs d'arbre d'or, passés en saut.”

The Trancoso arms were recorded in Portugal, c. 1706.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Lisboa.
Lisbon was the seat of the Portuguese crown and the port its wealth came through. Families made rich by trade and by service to the king took arms, and the crown's heralds recorded them there.
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 Portugal, a coat of arms was a family possession that passed from a father to his children. Every legitimate descendant had the right to use the family shield without needing to change it. Younger branches of the family kept the original design, though they sometimes added small symbols to distinguish their specific line from the main branch.
The family name Trancoso is a toponymic surname, meaning it originated from a specific geographic location. The name is derived from the town of Trancoso, located in the Beira region of Portugal. During the Middle Ages, it was common for individuals who moved away from their hometowns to be identified by their place of origin. By the early 18th century, the family had established a notable presence in the capital city of Lisboa. Records from 1706 confirm that members of the Trancoso family were living and working within the city during this period of significant urban growth. As the family integrated into the life of the capital, they contributed to the social and economic fabric of Portuguese society during the reign of King João V. This transition from a rural origin to a prominent urban existence reflects the broader patterns of migration and family development that shaped families in Portugal during the early modern era.
Derived from the Latin trans-cursum meaning across the course or path.
