A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Gieck family of Germany.
Reg. 8017 · German, G–I
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
armA person of action, industrious and laborious
swanGrace, light and the poet's art
roundelA coin, and one who has been to the crusades
Colours
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Blue (Azure)Means: Loyalty and truth
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“Parti de deux traits, coupé de deux autres, qui font neuf quartiers: aux 1 et 9 d'arg. à un bras, paré d'azur, retr. d'or, tenant trois trèfles d'or avec leurs racines (Braunfalcke); au 1 le bras, mouv. de l'angle dextre en p., tient les trèfles en bande, au 9 le bras, mouv. de l'angle sen. en p., les tient en barre; aux 2 et 8 de gu. à un cygne d'arg., bq. et m. de sa.; aux 3 et 7 d'azur à trois boules d'or; aux 4 et 6 de gu. à une roue de moulin d'arg.; au 5 de Giech, qui est d'arg. à deux forces accostées de gu., les pointes en haut. Quatre cq. d'or, cour. du même. C.: 1° le bras du 1; 2° un buste de femme, hab. de gu., chevelé et cour. d'or; entre deux prob., coupées alt. d'arg. et de gu.; 3° le cygne de l'écu, le vol ouv., chaque aile ch. d'une force de gu. en pal; 4° six pl. d'aut., alt. de sa., d'arg. et de gu., conjoints par les pieds en forme d'étoile; et une roue de moulin d'arg., br. en coeur sur ces plumes. L.: des deux premiers cq., d'or et d'azur; des deux autres, d'arg. et de gu.”
BavariaBavaria, c. 1765
Where the Gieck Arms Were Recorded
Bavaria
Map of Germany showing where the Gieck arms are recorded
The Gieck arms were recorded in Bavaria, c. 1765.
Bavaria was a country of old landed families and walled market towns. Estates passed down the same line for centuries, and both the landowners and the leading townsmen kept arms, which is why so many Bavarian names sit in 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 Gieck 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 Bavaria.
Origin & History of the Gieck Family in Germany
The surname Gieck finds its historical roots in the southern German region of Bavaria, where the family was established by the mid-eighteenth century. During this era, the name was primarily associated with the rural populations of the Upper Franconia district. Families carrying this name often lived as independent farmers or skilled tradespeople within small village communities. Life in 1765 Bavaria was shaped by the strict social structures of the Holy Roman Empire, meaning that the Gieck family likely participated in local agricultural traditions and relied on the support of their parish church for record-keeping. As the population began to shift toward urban centers in the following decades, the name spread from these small Bavarian settlements into the wider German-speaking world. The persistence of the name in regional tax and baptismal records suggests that the family maintained a steady presence in the same geographic area for many generations.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Giege
A Middle High German term for a fiddle or violin player.
This name
GieckAn occupational surname for a musician who played the fiddle or stringed instrument.
also spelled
Gieck
Geech
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
armA person of action, industrious and laborious
swanGrace, light and the poet's art
roundelA coin, and one who has been to the crusades
