A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Calva family of Italy.
chequyConstancy, and the counting-boardJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Echiq. de sa. et d'arg.”
The Calva arms were recorded in Gènes, c. 1775.
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 Italy in this period.
Reigning in Italy when the Calva arms are first recorded.
In the Italian states, coats of arms were often used by noble families to show their status and history. These symbols were passed down through the generations to all legitimate male descendants. Younger branches of a family usually kept the original design but sometimes added small changes to distinguish their specific line from the main branch.
The family name Calva carries a history deeply rooted in the coastal regions of the Mediterranean. By the year 1775, records confirm that members of the family were well-established in the city of Genoa, which was then a bustling center of maritime trade and cultural exchange. The name itself is thought to be linked to the Latin word calvus, which translates to bald or bare. In early naming traditions, such descriptors were often used as nicknames to distinguish individuals based on physical traits or the specific landscape of their ancestral home. As the family grew within the Genoese Republic, they became part of a society that valued navigation, commerce, and craftsmanship. This early presence in such a significant port city suggests that the Calva family was likely involved in the vibrant economic life that defined the region during the late eighteenth century.
A Latin term meaning bald or hairless.
