A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Giannini family of Italy.
Reg. 5951 · Italian, G–I
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
paleMilitary strength, and a fortified defence
mulletThe third son, and a divine quality from above
crownSovereignty, authority and just reward
lionCourage, strength and royalty
eagleNobility, strength and a keen mind
Colours
Blue (Azure)Means: Loyalty and truth
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Black (Sable)Means: Constancy
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“Parti d'un trait, coupé de deux autres, qui font six quartiers: au 1 d'azur à trois étoiles d'or, rangées en fasce; au 2 de gu. à une couronne d'or; au 3 de sin. au lion cont. d'or; à la bord. de gu.; au 4 d'arg. à l'aigle de sa., cour. d'or; au 5 d'azur à une ancre d'or, en barre; au 6 d'arg. à trois pals de gu. Trois cq. cour. C.: 1° trois pl. d'aut., une d'azur entre deux d'or; 2° une aigle ép. de sa., bq., m. et chaque tête cour. d'or, ch. sur l'estomac de la lettre H du même; 3° trois pl. d'aut., une d'arg. entre deux de gu. L.: à dextre d'or et d'azur, à sen. d'arg. et de gu. S.: deux lions reg. au nat., tenant chacun une bannière, celle à dextre de sin. au lion cont. d'or et celle à sen. aux armes du 4.”
LombardyLombardy, c. 1708
Where the Giannini Arms Were Recorded
Lombardy
Map of Italy showing where the Giannini arms are recorded
The Giannini arms were recorded in Lombardy, c. 1708.
Lombardy was the richest farming country in Italy with Milan at its centre. Its leading families held both city offices and country estates, and both kinds of standing were marked with 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.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Italy in this period.
Victor Amadeus II of Savoy
Sovereign of the period
Victor Amadeus II of Savoy
1675–1730
Reigning in Italy when the Giannini arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Italy
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.
Granting authority
Various local rulers and city governments controlled the use of coats of arms across the different Italian states.
How they got arms
Families often assumed their own arms or received them as official grants from local lords, popes, or city councils.
Where arms were recorded
Arms were recorded in local city archives or private family books rather than in one single national register.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Lombardy.
Origin & History of the Giannini Family in Italy
The surname Giannini is a patronymic name, which means it originated as a way to identify a person as the son of someone named Gianni. Gianni itself is a shortened form of Giovanni, the Italian version of John. By the year 1708, the family was well-established in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. During this period, Lombardy was a hub of agricultural and commercial activity, and families like the Gianninis were often involved in the local trade networks that defined the area. Because the name was tied to a common given name, it appeared in various parish registers and tax documents as the family grew and moved through the towns of the Po Valley. These early records suggest that the Gianninis were part of the hardworking middle class who helped shape the social and economic foundations of their local communities long before the name spread to other parts of the world.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Giovanni
The Hebrew name Yohanan meaning God is gracious.
This name
GianniniA diminutive form indicating the son or descendant of John.
also spelled
Gianniny
Janini
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
De Felice, Emidio. Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. 1978
Fucile, Roberto. I cognomi d'Italia: Dizionario storico ed etimologico. 1987
Archivio di Stato di Milano, Censo di Carlo VI. 1718
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paleMilitary strength, and a fortified defence
mulletThe third son, and a divine quality from above
crownSovereignty, authority and just reward
lionCourage, strength and royalty
eagleNobility, strength and a keen mind
