Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Erm. a demi lion couped az. collared or”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Caridi family of England.
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Erm. a demi lion couped az. collared or”

The Caridi arms were recorded in England, c. 1620.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in York.
Yorkshire is the largest of the English counties, and it held more gentry families than any other. Land there was split among a great many households rather than a few, so a great many of them carried arms.
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.
English heraldry allowed arms to be shared by all legitimate descendants of the original owner. These symbols were treated as personal property that moved through the generations to all children. While the eldest son kept the original design, other family members could use the same shield without needing to change it or register their own unique versions.
The family name Caridi traces its roots back to the southern regions of Italy, where it likely developed as a descriptive identifier for individuals living near specific geographic landmarks or within particular communities. By the early 17th century, members of the family had migrated across Europe, establishing a documented presence in the English city of York by 1620. This movement suggests that the family was part of the broader patterns of trade and travel that connected Mediterranean populations to northern urban centers during the Renaissance. As these early settlers integrated into English society, they maintained their distinct surname, which served as a link to their ancestral origins while they adapted to the local culture and economy of York. This transition highlights the resilience of family identity during a period of significant social and geographical change.
Derived from the Latin word carus meaning dear or beloved.
