A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Wendt family of France.
Reg. 2471 · French, W–Z
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Colours
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“D'or à trois chapeaux de fer partis d'azur et d'arg., les cordons de gu. passés en saut. Trois cq. cour. C.: 1° un vol coupé, à dextre d'or sur sa., à sen. de gu. sur arg.; 2° un chapeau de l'écu, sommé de six pl. d'aut., disposées sur deux rangs, 4 et 2; 3° huit drapeaux, les quatre à dextre d'or à deux fasces de sa., les quatre à sen. palés d'or et de sa. L.: d'arg. et d'azur. T.: deux hommes d'armes, chacun appuyant sa main libre sur un bouclier ovale, celui à dextre tenant un drapeau d'or à deux fasces de sa., celui à sen. une bannière d'arg., bordée d'or et ch. de trois pals de gu.”
Francec. 1725
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Map of France showing where the Wendt arms are recorded
The Wendt 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.
Louis XV of France
Sovereign of the period
Louis XV of France
1715–1774
Reigning in France when the Wendt arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in France
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.
Granting authority
The Juge d'armes de France acted as the official authority that regulated and verified coats of arms across the country.
How they got arms
Families typically inherited their arms from ancestors, though they could also receive them through royal grants or by proving their noble status.
Where arms were recorded
Coats of arms were officially recorded in the Armorial Général de France, which began its main collection in the year 1696.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of France.
Origin & History of the Wendt Family in France
The surname Wendt originates from the Germanic word for the Wends, who were a group of Slavic people living along the borders of the historic German territories. Over many centuries, the name was often used as a descriptive label for individuals who migrated from these eastern regions into central and western Europe. By the early eighteenth century, members of the family had established a presence in the region of Bretagne, France, by at least 1725. This suggests that the family was part of the broader patterns of movement and settlement that defined European history during the early modern period. As these ancestors settled in new lands, they integrated into local communities while carrying the linguistic heritage of their origins within their name.
Wendt Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
Venedi
An ancient Germanic term referring to Slavic-speaking peoples.
This name
WendtA topographic or ethnic surname historically used to identify individuals of Slavic origin.
also spelled
Wendte
Went
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Bahlow, Hans, Deutsches Namenlexikon: Familien- und Vornamen nach Ursprung und Sinn erklärt, 1967
Archives départementales d'Ille-et-Vilaine, Registres paroissiaux et d'état civil, 1725
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