Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
Brocato Coat of Arms / Brocato Family CrestThis surname of BROCATO was originally a French and Italian nickname, probably for a person with a prickly temperament, and originally derived from the Old French word BROC meaning point, spur. The word has other meanings, a pointed weapon for stabbing, a deer's antler, a needle, a spit, a jug with a pointed handle, and any of these senses may have contributed to the surname. It was also sometimes used as a nickname for 'one with the characteristics of a badger'. The earliest French hereditary surnames are found in the 12th century, at more or less the same time as they arose in England, but they are by no means common before the 13th century, and it was not until the 15th century that they stabilized to any great extent; before then a surname might be handed down for two or three generations, but then abandoned in favour of another. In the south, many French surnames have come in from Italy over the centuries, and in Northern France, Germanic influence can often be detected. The name has spread throughout Europe in many forms including BROCHE, BROCQUE, BROQUIER, BROCAS, BROCA and BROCHART. Early records of the name in England include Laurence del Brock who was recorded in 1285 in County Somerset, and Nigel de Brocke appears in 1285 in County Sussex. Surnames as we know them today were first assumed in Europe from the 11th to the 15th Century. The employment in the use of a second name was a custom that was first introduced from the Normans. They themselves had not long before adopted them. It became, in course of time, a mark of gentler blood, and it was deemed a disgrace for gentlemen to have but one single name, as the meaner sort had. At first the coat of arms was a practical matter which served a function on the battlefield and in tournaments. With his helmet covering his face, and armour encasing the knight from head to foot, the only means of identification for his followers, was the insignia painted on his shield and embroidered on his surcoat, the flowing and draped garment worn over the armour. |
