Map of Italy showing where the Paolini arms are recorded
The Paolini arms were recorded in Venice, c. 1775.
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.
Alvise Giovanni Mocenigo
Sovereign of the period
Alvise Giovanni Mocenigo
1763–1778
Reigning in Italy when the Paolini 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 Venice.
Origin & History of the Paolini Family in Italy
The name Paolini is a patronymic surname, which means it originated from a given name rather than a specific location or trade. It is derived from the Italian name Paolo, which comes from the Latin word Paulus, meaning small or humble. By the time the family was firmly established in Venice in 1775, the name had already spread across various regions of Italy as a way to identify the descendants of an ancestor named Paolo. During the eighteenth century, Venice was a bustling center of trade and culture, and families like the Paolinis often integrated into the city’s complex social structure through commerce or local administration. Because the name was linked to a common personal name, it emerged independently in different areas, creating a diverse history for those who carry it today. The presence of the family in Venice during this period suggests they were part of the vibrant urban population that helped define the city during its final years as an independent republic.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Paulus
Latin for small or humble.
This name
PaoliniA patronymic surname derived from the name Paolo, meaning descendant of Paul.
also spelled
Poliny
Polinni
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
De Felice, Emidio. Dizionario dei cognomi italiani. 1978
Fucilla, Joseph G. Our Italian Surnames. 1949
Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Anagrafe di Venezia (1771-1777)
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martletA younger son, who must win his own land
martletA younger son, who must win his own land
