A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Parra family of Spain.
grapesPlenty, and the labour of the vineJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or à trois feuilles de vigne de sin.”
The Parra arms were recorded in Spain, c. 1722.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Castile.
Castile was the heart of Spain and the source of most of its noble families. Land won in the long wars against the Moors was granted out to fighting men, and a man granted land was granted arms along with it.
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 Spain in this period.
Reigning in Spain when the Parra arms are first recorded.
In Spain, a coat of arms was considered a form of property that belonged to the entire family line. These arms were passed down from a father to all his children equally. Younger branches of the family usually kept the original design without needing to add any special marks to distinguish their specific line.
The surname Parra is a topographic name that originated in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically within the regions of Castile. In the Spanish language, the word *parra* refers to a vine or a trellis used for growing grapes, suggesting that the earliest families to adopt this name likely lived near a prominent vineyard or worked as viticulturists. By the early 18th century, the family was well-established in the Castilian heartland, a time when records confirm their presence in the region by 1722. As the family grew, members expanded across Spain and eventually migrated to the Americas, carrying their name and agricultural heritage into new territories. This transition from a simple descriptive term for a plant to a formal family name reflects the common practice of identifying individuals based on their local landscape and daily work.
A vine or trellis used for supporting grapevines.
