Map of Germany showing where the Coln arms are recorded
The Coln arms were recorded in Silesia, c. 1765.
Silesia was farming country in the east of the German lands, held in large estates by families who stayed put for generations. Owning land was what entitled a family to arms, so the region fills a good deal of the register.
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 Coln 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 Silesia.
Origin & History of the Coln Family in Germany
The surname Coln is deeply rooted in the historical landscape of Silesia, a region that has long served as a crossroads for various European cultures. By 1765, records confirm that families bearing this name were well-established within the local population. The name itself likely originated as a locative surname, which was a common practice in the eighteenth century to identify individuals by the town or region from which they migrated. Given that Silesia was a territory marked by shifting borders and diverse linguistic influences, the Coln family likely participated in the agricultural or trade-based economies that defined the area during the mid-1700s. As the family grew, they became part of the social fabric of the Prussian-controlled provinces, contributing to the local traditions and community life that characterized this period of Central European history.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Colonia
Latin term for a settlement or colony.
This name
ColnRefers to a person who originated from the city of Cologne.
also spelled
Coln
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Knie, Johann Georg, Alphabetisch-statistisch-topographische Uebersicht der Dörfer, Flecken, Städte und andern Orte der königl. Preuss. Provinz Schlesien, 1845
Zimmermann, Friedrich Albert, Beyträge zur Beschreibung von Schlesien, 1783
State Archive in Wrocław (Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu), Revisionslisten der schlesischen Städte und Dörfer, 1765
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