I have been very interested in “Coat’s of Arms” for many years.  Coats of Arms are often referred to as Family Crests.  You will find the Family Crest sitting directly on top of the wreath on the Coat of Arms, which is above the helmet, mantle and shield.  Some of the terminology that is used in Heraldry is occupational origin, occupative origin and habitation origin.  For anyone who may have studied Heraldry or is involved in it, it is very easy to understand.

Samples of Heraldic terminology and their meanings are as follows.

What is the meaning of this statement?

This means that was derived from a position that was held or the occupation that was sought after by the original bearer of the name.

An example is;

Burgess is an old English name, which is a surname of occupational origin. The burgess was a person who held a lot of land and was not required to render service to the King of England. The Burgess name is also found in Ireland  Cathal Brugha (1874-1922) was a notable bearer of this name and was a courageous Republican leader, who was killed during the ferocious Civil War of 1922. There was an old Dublin Family whose name was Burgess that he came from.

What does this statement mean?

This means that the name originally came from the occupation of some of the common trades of Medieval Europe and give us an idea of the daily lives of some of our ancestors.

Here is an example;

The name Stelmack, which originally came from the old Germanic name “Stellmacher, is from Poland and is of occupative origin. Tranlated into English, this name means carriage maker. The Stelmach name was first introduced during the emigration from Europe to the United States in the nineteenth century  The name of Kirilo Stelmach was recorded in North America in 1897.

What is the meaning of this statement?

The name came from the place or home where the original bear of the name was from.

An example is;

An old name from Poland called “Krysztaki” was classified as a name of habitational origin. Any of the original bearers of this name may have had a sign or engraving that they placed above the door of their residence  This sign would have indicated the place where the residence was by some geographical feature. An earlier reference to the name was Mikolaj Frystacki, which is a variant of the name Krysztaki. He was cited in the Sandomiera region in or around the year 1436.

Another person who entered the United States in 1907 through the port of Ellis Island in New York was Waclow Frystacki. Another notable person who has this name is Professor Krysataf Frystacki, who is the head of the Sociology Department of Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

My hope is that you will find some of this Heraldic terminology to be quite simple, even though it was written in an old fashioned way. There were parts of it translated from Latin and the language it was written in at the time was Norman French.

There are so many ways that you can show and display your earliest “Coat of Arms”.  Here are some of the world’s favourites;

The Family Crest Ring has your name on it and is engraved with your earliest crest or shield.

The Family Seal Ring has reverse engraving which will allow you to make your Family Seal in wax on any letters or valuable documents that you might have.

The Family Crest Banner shows your crest and the markings on your shield.  It is embroidered with your earliest “Coat of Arms”.

The Family Crest Plaque has your earliest “Coat of Arms” embroidered or painted on it.  They are available in a single or double format. Your home or office makes for a great place for this unique and beautiful display.

The Family Crest Pendant is usually a gift that is bought for a family member or loved one.  These can be bought from Societygifts and come in Gold or Silver and are engraved with your family’s earliest recorded “Coat of Arms”.

By: diane hamments

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