A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Perkovich family of Italy.
saltireResolution, and St Andrew's crossJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Ec. en saut.: en chef et en p. d'or à une tête et col”
The Perkovich arms were recorded in Dalmatia, c. 1775.
Dalmatia was a string of walled towns along the Adriatic coast, each with its own leading families. Sea trade made them wealthy, and the towns kept lists of the houses entitled to arms.
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.
Reigning in Italy when the Perkovich arms are first recorded.
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.
The surname Perkovich is a patronymic name, meaning it was originally derived from the given name of a male ancestor. In the Slavic naming tradition, the suffix "ich" indicates that a person is the son or descendant of someone named Perko. This root name is a diminutive form of Petar, which is the Slavic version of Peter. By the year 1775, families bearing this name were well-established in the Dalmatian region along the Adriatic coast. During this period, Dalmatia was a crossroads of cultural exchange between the Venetian Republic and the local Slavic population. Families like the Perkovichs often lived in rural or coastal communities where they worked as farmers, sailors, or tradespeople. Because the name is tied to the common name Peter, it likely emerged independently in several different locations as families sought to identify their lineage through their patriarchs.
Latin for stone or rock derived from the Greek word petros.
