A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Struchen family of Germany.
Reg. 1333 · German, T–V
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
paleMilitary strength, and a fortified defence
heronPatience and quiet watchfulness
Colours
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Black (Sable)Means: Constancy
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“Ec.: aux 1 et 4 de gu. à une grue d'arg., tenant de sa patte dextre une clé du même; aux 2 et 3 de sa. à la barre d'or. Cq. cour. C.: la grue, entre un vol de sa., chaque aile ch. d'un pal d'or. L.: à dextre d'arg. et de sa., à sen. d'arg. et de gu.”
Germanyc. 1765
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Map of Germany showing where the Struchen arms are recorded
The Struchen arms were recorded in Germany, c. 1765.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bavaria.
Bavaria was a country of old landed families and walled market towns. Estates passed down the same line for centuries, and both the landowners and the leading townsmen kept arms, which is why so many Bavarian names sit in 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 Struchen 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 Germany.
Origin & History of the Struchen Family in Germany
The family name Struchen traces its roots to the southern regions of Germany, with documented evidence placing family members in Bavaria by 1765. During this period, the name was likely associated with the rural landscape of the Holy Roman Empire, where families often lived in small agricultural communities. The linguistic structure of the name suggests it may have originated as a descriptive term for a person living near a specific type of terrain or a particular kind of brushwood, as the root word often relates to thickets or tangled growth in older German dialects. As the family established themselves in the Bavarian countryside, they were part of a society defined by local trade, seasonal farming, and the influence of regional church parishes. These early ancestors lived through a time of significant social change in Central Europe, moving from traditional village life toward the more structured administrative systems that began to define German identity in the late eighteenth century.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Struch
A Middle High German term referring to a thicket or brushwood.
This name
StruchenA topographic name for someone who lived near a dense thicket or wooded area.
also spelled
Struckel
Strukel
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
paleMilitary strength, and a fortified defence
heronPatience and quiet watchfulness
paleMilitary strength, and a fortified defence
heronPatience and quiet watchfulness
