Map of Switzerland showing where the Swango arms are recorded
The Swango arms were recorded in Switzerland, c. 1745.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bern.
Bern was the largest of the Swiss cantons and ran itself, with its own council and its own courts. Its governing families held office for generations, and office of that kind carried a shield 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 Switzerland in this period.
How Arms Worked in Switzerland
In Switzerland, coats of arms were not restricted to the nobility and were often adopted by common citizens and families. These symbols were passed down through generations to show family identity. When branches of a family grew, they often changed small details of the design to distinguish their own line from the original group.
Granting authority
Cantonal and civic authorities managed the use of coats of arms within their specific regions and local jurisdictions.
How they got arms
Families typically assumed their own coats of arms based on local custom rather than receiving them from a central monarch.
Where arms were recorded
Arms were recorded in various cantonal and civic registers starting from the fourteenth century throughout the Swiss region.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Switzerland.
Origin & History of the Swango Family in Switzerland
The family name Swango is believed to have originated from the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically centered around the city of Bern, Switzerland, during the mid-18th century. Historical records confirm that members of the family were established in Bern by 1745, a period marked by significant social and economic shifts that prompted many families to seek new opportunities abroad. The name likely evolved as a phonetic adaptation of a Germanic or Swiss-German surname as the family migrated through different linguistic territories. By the late 1700s, individuals bearing the name began appearing in colonial American records, suggesting that the family participated in the large-scale migration of Palatine and Swiss settlers who traveled across the Atlantic to establish homesteads in the American colonies. This transition from the alpine landscapes of Switzerland to the frontier of North America highlights the resilience and mobility of the early Swango ancestors as they navigated the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Schwangen
Derived from the Middle High German word for a swan.
This name
SwangoA topographic or habitational name referring to someone who lived near a swan habitat.
also spelled
Sange
Sangg
Zang
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Staatsarchiv des Kantons Bern, Kirchenbücher der Stadt Bern (Church records of the city of Bern)
Pennsylvania State Archives, Records of the Provincial Council: Ship Passenger Lists, 1727–1776
Faust, Albert Bernhardt, The German Element in the United States: With Special Reference to Its Political, Moral, Social, and Educational Influence, 1909
Strassburger, Ralph Beaver, Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808, 1934
Digital archive packCoat of arms PNG, gold border print PDF, vector SVG and the certificate of authenticity. Sent to your email in minutes.
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
mulletThe third son, and a divine quality from above
crescentHonour by the sovereign, and the second son
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
mulletThe third son, and a divine quality from above
crescentHonour by the sovereign, and the second son
