Map of Germany showing where the Sillin arms are recorded
The Sillin arms were recorded in Pomerania, c. 1765.
Pomerania was flat farming country on the Baltic coast, held in large estates by a small number of families. They kept their land for generations, and generations of landholding is what fills the registers.
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.
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Sovereign of the period
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
1745–1765
Reigning in Germany when the Sillin arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Germany
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.
Granting authority
The Holy Roman Emperor held the sole power to grant new coats of arms throughout his vast imperial territories.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal imperial grant or by proving their noble status to the authorities.
Where arms were recorded
These grants were officially recorded in the Imperial Chancery registers, which began keeping formal records of such honors during the Middle Ages.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Pomerania.
Origin & History of the Sillin Family in Germany
The family name Sillin traces its roots to the historical region of Pomerania, a coastal area along the Baltic Sea that was shaped by centuries of shifting borders and cultural exchange. By 1765, records confirm that members of the Sillin family were established in this region, which at the time was part of the Kingdom of Prussia. During this era, Pomerania was a landscape defined by agricultural estates and small village communities where families often lived on the same land for generations. The name likely developed as a localized identifier within these rural communities, reflecting the linguistic patterns of the Low German and Slavic populations that lived side by side in the area. As the family navigated the social and economic changes of the eighteenth century, they were part of a broader movement of people who helped define the unique cultural identity of the Pomeranian countryside.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Silo
A Germanic personal name derived from the Old High German word for soul.
This name
SillinA patronymic surname indicating descent from a person named Silo or a variation of Silla.
also spelled
Selin
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Heitz, Gerhard. Die Entwicklung der Gutswirtschaft im mecklenburgischen Küstengebiet. 1969
Pitz, Ernst. Landesverfassung und Landstände in Pommern. 1963
Landesarchiv Greifswald, Generalhufenvisitationen
Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz, I. HA Rep. 77 Preußische Ministerien
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goatOne who wins by diplomacy rather than force
goatOne who wins by diplomacy rather than force
