Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
  Mims Coat of Arms / Mims Family CrestThis ancient English surname of MIMS is local of Mimms in Hertfordshire. The name was originally rendered in the Old English form MIMMAS, literally meaning 'the dweller at the settlement of MIMMA'. The earliest of the name on record appears to be MIMMINE (without surname) who was listed as a tenant in the Domesday Book of 1086, and MIMMAS (without surname) was recorded in 1236 in County Suffolk. Surnames can be divided into four categories; place names, occupation names, nicknames and patronymics. PLACE NAMES are the largest group and covers all those names first applied to people who lived in or nearby to a particular place. For example, Grove, Wood, Field, Meadow, and Street are obvious. Occasionally names were taken from obscure villages or hamlets which no longer exist and this can make research confusing. OCCUPATION NAMES cover nearly all trades which existed in the Middle Ages. These are numerous. It does not necessarily follow that such names as King, Duke, Earl and so on mean your ancestors were of noble blood. It is much more likely that such named people worked for the person referred to. NICKNAMES. This is a smaller group but in many ways more interesting. They usually originated as a by-name for someone by describing their appearance, personal disposition or character but which became handed down through the ages and did not apply to their descendants. For instance the name Black would denote a dark man, Little, someone small (or even somewhat ambiguously) someone tall. PATRONYMICS. This group covers all names which derive immediately from the owner's father. Many christian names which are also surnames have, over the years, lost the possessive form but the origin is still the same. Examples of this could be names such as Peter,Thomas, Henry - all names which became both christian and surnames over the years. A later instance of the name includes MIMMES (without surname) who was recorded in Hertfordshire in the year 1254. 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. |
Orders over $90 qualify for Free Shipping within the U.S. |
