A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Heinrick family of Germany.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à un chicot au nat., posé en fasce. C.: deux branches de frêne de sin., accostées et mouv. d'un chicot en fasce.”
The Heinrick arms were recorded in Holstein, c. 1765.
Holstein was farming country between the North Sea and the Baltic, held in large estates. The same families kept the same land for generations, and generations of holding is what fills a 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.
Reigning in Germany when the Heinrick arms are first recorded.
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.
The surname Heinrick is a variant of the Germanic name Heinrich, which translates to ruler of the home or house. This name became very popular across Northern Europe during the Middle Ages because it was frequently held by kings and noble leaders. By the middle of the eighteenth century, the family had established a documented presence in the region of Holstein. At that time, Holstein was a territory with a complex political history involving both Danish and German influences. Families living in this area were often involved in agriculture or trade within the growing towns of the duchy. Because the name was derived from a common personal name, it likely evolved as a way to identify specific branches of a family as they settled into permanent communities. The presence of the Heinrick name in 1765 suggests that these ancestors were part of a stable society that kept careful track of its residents through local parish and tax records.
Derived from Germanic elements meaning home and ruler or power.
