A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Dechow family of Germany.
Reg. 1799 · German, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
cockCourage, vigilance and readiness for battle
Colours
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
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 un coq hardi de gu., bq. et m. de sa., les deux plumes ext. de la queue du même. C.: le coq.”
PomeraniaPomerania, c. 1765
Where the Dechow Arms Were Recorded
Map of Germany showing where the Dechow arms are recorded
The Dechow 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 Dechow 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 Dechow Family in Germany
The family name Dechow is deeply rooted in the historical region of Pomerania, where members of the family were firmly established by the year 1765. The name itself is considered a locative surname, which means it likely originated from a specific place name in Northern Germany. During the eighteenth century, the Pomeranian landscape was defined by agricultural estates and small rural communities where families often took the name of their home village or parish. As the family grew, they became part of the local social fabric, often working as landowners or skilled tradespeople within the Prussian administrative system. This era was a time of significant transition for the region, and the Dechow family played a quiet but steady role in the development of these rural communities as they expanded their reach across the Baltic coast.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Děch
A Slavic personal name derived from the verb meaning to breathe.
This name
DechowA locational surname referring to people from the village of Dechow in Mecklenburg.
also spelled
Dechou
Chow
Dekow
Deshow
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Berghaus, Heinrich. Landbuch des Herzogthums Pommern und des Fürstenthums Rügen. 1865
Brüggemann, Ludwig Wilhelm. Ausführliche Beschreibung des gegenwärtigen Zustandes des Königl. Preußischen Herzogthums Vor- und Hinter-Pommern. 1779
Landesarchiv Greifswald. Rep. 65a, Kirchenbücher der pommerschen Kirchengemeinden
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cockCourage, vigilance and readiness for battle
cockCourage, vigilance and readiness for battle
