A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Bicho family of Germany.
Reg. 3085 · German, A–C
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
lionCourage, strength and royalty
Colours
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“D'arg. à une tête de léopard au nat. C.: trois plumes de héron d'arg.; [?]”
PomeraniaPomerania, c. 1765
Where the Bicho Arms Were Recorded
Map of Germany showing where the Bicho arms are recorded
The Bicho arms were recorded in Pomerania, c. 1765.
Pomerania was flat farming country on the Baltic coast, held in large estates by a small number of families. They kept their land for generations, and generations of landholding is what fills the registers.
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 Germany in this period.
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Sovereign of the period
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
1745–1765
Reigning in Germany when the Bicho arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Germany
In the Holy Roman Empire, coats of arms were often granted to individuals by the Emperor or his representatives. These arms were then passed down through the generations to all legitimate descendants of the original holder. Younger branches of a family usually kept the same shield design without needing to change it, as the arms belonged to the entire lineage.
Granting authority
The Holy Roman Emperor held the sole power to grant new coats of arms throughout his vast imperial territories.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal imperial grant or by proving their noble status to the authorities.
Where arms were recorded
These grants were officially recorded in the Imperial Chancery registers, which began keeping formal records of such honors during the Middle Ages.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Pomerania.
Origin & History of the Bicho Family in Germany
The family name Bicho has roots that trace back to the historical region of Pomerania, where members of the family were documented as residents in 1765. During the eighteenth century, Pomerania was a dynamic area located along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea, characterized by a mix of rural farming communities and growing market towns. Families living in this region often derived their surnames from local geographical features, specific trades, or descriptive nicknames that highlighted a unique trait of an ancestor. Given the linguistic patterns of the time, the name likely emerged as a way to identify a specific household within the local parish records. As these early family members navigated the social and economic changes of the Prussian era, they contributed to the agricultural and cultural development of the Pomeranian landscape, establishing a legacy that persisted through generations of regional history.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Bestia
Latin term referring to a beast or wild animal.
This name
BichoA nickname likely used to describe a person with a wild or animalistic nature.
also spelled
Bychow
Bichov
Bicho
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Gehrke, Arnold, Die Einwohner von Pommern im 18. Jahrhundert, 1974
State Archive in Szczecin (Archiwum Państwowe w Szczecinie), Kirchenbücher der Provinz Pommern, 1765
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lionCourage, strength and royalty
lionCourage, strength and royalty
