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Greenblatt Coat of Arms / Greenblatt Family CrestThis Danish, Norwegian, German and Jewish surname of GREENBLATT is, with its many variants one of the most common and widespread of surnames. It was either a nickname for someone who was fond of dressing in this colour, or who had played the part of the 'Green Man' in the May Day celebrations. It was also a topographic name for someone who lived near a village green. The name has numerous variant spellings which include GRUN, GRIN, GREEN, GREENE, GROEN, GRUNBLATT, GRINBERG, GRUENGRAS and GRINMAN, to name but a few. Surnames having a derivation from nicknames form the broadest and most miscellaneous class of surnames, encompassing many different types of origin. The most typical classes refer adjectivally to the general physical aspect of the person concerned, or to his character. Many nicknames refer to a man's size or height, while others make reference to a favoured article of clothing or style of dress. Many surnames derived from the names of animals and birds. In the Middle Ages ideas were held about the characters of other living creatures, based on observation, and these associations were reflected and reinforced by large bodies of folk tales featuring animals behaving as humans. It was not until the 10th century that modern hereditary surnames first developed, and the use of fixed names spread, first to France, and then England, then to Germany and all of Europe. In these parts of Europe, the individual man was becoming more important, commerce was increasing and the exact identification of each man was becoming a necessity. Even today however, the Church does not recognise surnames. Baptisms and marriages are performed through use of the Christian name alone. Thus hereditary names as we know them today developed gradually during the 11th to the 15th century in the various European countries. 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. |
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