This surname of ARCADIUS was a Spanish and Italian occupational name for a cabinet-maker, from the Latin word ARCA meaning 'chest'. The name is also spelt ARCOS. Occupational surnames originally denoted the actual occupation followed by the individual. At what period they became hereditary is a difficult problem. Many of the occupation names were descriptive and could be varied. In the Middle Ages, at least among the Christian population, people did not usually pursue specialized occupations exclusively to the extent that we do today, and they would, in fact, turn their hand to any form of work that needed to be done, particularly in a large house or mansion, or on farms and smallholdings. In early documents, surnames often refer to the actual holder of an office, whether the church or state. ARCADIUS (377-408) was the first Emperor of the East, born in Spain and after the death of his father the Emperor Theodosius in AD 395, received the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, the Western falling to his brother Honorius. ARCADIUS lived in oriental state and splendour, and his Dominion extended from the Adriatic to the Tigris, and from Scyth to Ethiopia: but the real rulers over this vast empire were the Gaul Rusin, the eunuch Eutroprus and the Empress Eudoxia. In Spain identifying patronymics are to be found as early as the mid-9th century, but these changed with each generation, and hereditary surnames seem to have come in slightly later in Spain than in England and France. As well as the names of the traditional major saints of the Christian Church, many of the most common Spanish surnames are derived from personal names of Germanic origin. For the most part these names are characteristically Hispanic. They derive from the language of the Visigoths, who controlled Spain between the mid-5th and early 8th centuries. In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armoured warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western Europe. |
ORDER BY NOVEMBER 12th FOR XMAS DELIVERY
VIEW OUR CREST GIFT ITEMS HEREPURCHASE AN EMAILED JPG PURCHASE A HISTORY & CREST 
|