Is There a Picard Family Coat of Arms?

I have been asked about "the" Picard family coat of arms. There are a few coats of arms that I have seen produced by a variety of the companies that exist today to "sell" family coat of arms. These coats of arms are generally based upon old descriptions of the Province of Picardie's coat of arms. None of the lines of Picard that are known by this researcher have origins in a family of nobility with the surname of "Picard". Only families of nobility or status, or regions or special organizations, had a coat of arms granted to them. Coats of arms are generally registered. There are ancient rules of heraldry about coats of arms that must today still be followed. Some modern family associations and individuals have created a coat of arms in honor of their family's origins. There are many sites devoted to the study and development of a coat of arms. Years ago, my husband and I even had one of the companies who research and produce coats of arms on plaques do one for us. This was before I found out what these kinds of coats of arms really were. There are many elements in "our" coat of arms that came from the original Province of Picardie coat of arms.

The 2 coats of arms on the left are for the ancient Province of Picardie, France. The larger one is the one that I have seen the most. The coat of arms of the Province of Picardie has been traced back to 1640. The Province of Picardie first became known as Picardie during the 13th century under the house of Valois. For a while (1435-1477) the area was a part of Burgundy.

In 1477, the area was made a province of France and Amiens became the capital. The county and diocese of Amiens has a crest, which is displayed to the right. Note that both the coat of arms of the Province of Picardie and of Amiens have the French blue with the gold fleur d'leis.

However, the Province of Picardie, from which the name Picard originates, no longer exists in the geopolitical subdivisions of modern France. I have been told that Picardie is now divided up into the Department of Somme and into parts of the Departments of Pas de Calais, Oise, and Aisne.

The following maps came from the following location: http://www.lepg.org/maps.htm. The map on the left shows the ancient provinces of France during the time of Henry of Navarre. Picardie is at the top of the map and is north of Paris and includes the city of Calais at the very top of the map. The map on the right shows a part of northern France (from Paris north to Calais) during the 16th Century.

A current map, generated by Mapquest is below. Again, Calais is near the center top of the map and Paris is near the center bottom of the map. Note that the French border to the northeast of Amiens has expanded to the northeast.