A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Gritty family of Italy.
Reg. 7085 · Italian, G–I
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
cross symbolChristian faith and service
Colours
Blue (Azure)Means: Loyalty and truth
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“Coupé: au 1 d'azur à la croix alésée d'arg.; au 2 d'arg. plein. Cq. cour. C.: la toque du doge de Venise.”
VeniceVenice, c. 1819
Where the Gritty Arms Were Recorded
Venice
Map of Italy showing where the Gritty arms are recorded
The Gritty arms were recorded in Venice, c. 1819.
Venice ran on trade, and its great families were merchants before they were anything else. The city kept a formal list of its noble houses, and a name on that list carried arms as a matter of record.
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.
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 Venice.
Origin & History of the Gritty Family in Italy
The Gritty family name carries a distinct resonance that traces back to the vibrant social landscape of nineteenth-century Venice. By 1819, the family was well-established within the city, a time when Venice was navigating the complex political shifts following the fall of the Napoleonic Empire and the rise of Austrian rule. During this era, families like the Grittys were often deeply integrated into the local merchant classes or the professional guilds that kept the Venetian economy moving through the canals. While the name itself suggests a rugged or resilient nature, its early history in Italy is tied to the city’s unique blend of maritime trade and artistic culture. Living in Venice during this period meant the family likely witnessed the slow transition of the city from a fading naval power into a center for European tourism and intellectual life. Their presence in the city records from this time highlights a family that was part of the enduring fabric of Venetian society during a century of great transformation.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Gritare
A Latin verb meaning to shout, cry out, or clamor.
This name
GrittyDerived from a nickname for a loud, boisterous, or vociferous individual.
also spelled
Griti
Gritty
Grytti
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Anagrafe della popolazione di Venezia (1819)
Cessi, Roberto, Storia di Venezia, 1944
Lane, Frederic C., Venice, A Maritime Republic, 1973
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cross symbolChristian faith and service
cross symbolChristian faith and service
