Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
Caballero Family Crest / Caballero Coat of ArmsThis surname of CABALLERO was originally derived from the Old French 'chevalier', and rendered in medieval documents in the Latin form CABALLARUS. In the Middle Ages, only men of comparative wealth were able to afford the upkeep of riding a horse. It is likely that in the majority of cases the surnames was originally a nickname, or an occupational name for a knight's servant, rather than a status name, for most men of the knightly class belonged to noble families, which had more specific surnames derived from their estates. The name has numerous variant spellings which include CHAVALIER, CAVALIE, CAVALIERE, CABELLERI and CABELLO. A notable member of the name was Fernan CABALLERO, the pseudonym of Cecilia Francesca de Arrom (1797-1877). She was the Spanish novelist, born in MORGES in Switzerland, the daughter of Nikolaus Bohl von Faber, a German merchant in Spain. She spent most of her childhood in Germany, but returned to Spain in 1813. She wrote on the history of Spanish literature and introduced in Spain, the picturesque local-colour novel. French, or rather Norman French, was the language of the aristocracy and the upper classes in England at the time fixed surnames were being developed, it is therefore not surprising that many of our well-known family names are derived from French words. Originally only Christian or personal names were used, and although a few came into being during the 10th century, surnames were not widely used until much later, when people began to realize the prestige of having a second name. America was colonized by peoples from all over the world in a very short period of time, and mostly, in the case of French immigrants they have stayed together in Louisiana. Of the early immigrants to America the French have fared the worst in respect of their names, chiefly because of the difficulties experienced by the Americans in pronouncing them correctly. Many have been translated into English names. 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. |
