by Jan-Olov von Wowern

The purpose of this article is to show what you should look out for if you are searching for an ancestor's surname and want to know if it is noble.

The most common noble predicates are "von", "de", "di" etc. (meaning "of") before surname. A predicate among your ancestors is by no means proof of nobility, and some families have wrongly assumed predicates to make themselves appear to be noble. In some countries noble families do not have any predicates, but are noble nonetheless. A predicate is an indispensable part of a surname if surname was originally constructed with it - if it has been assumed later (after family was ennobled or generally recognised as noble) it is sometimes called "prefix".

by Jan-Olov von Wowern

By "nobility" I refer to that class in society which once had hereditary political, financial and social privileges guaranteed by law. By "original nobility" I follow German (and now internationally accepted) definition and refer to those families who were ennobled (or generally recognised as nobles) before year 1400. With "patricians" I refer to those families who from time immemorial were recorded as local and regional leaders, and usually as a base for their power had vast landed properties. With "knight" I refer to warrior class that emerged and developed during 900 - 1300 AD.

The original nobility was comprised of those two categories, patricians and knights. The patricians soon developed into higher nobility, and were often granted land and titles by king or ruler. To administer vast and scattered estates they needed local commanders, who in their turn needed well armed warriors to defend properties. During 11th, 12th and 13th centuries duties and privileges (e.g. to maintain an armed force and enjoy tax exemption) became formalised and hereditary.

Among knights one could originally distinguish two classes: nobiles (who belonged to hereditary and wealthy higher nobility, usually derived from patricians), and milites (the lower nobility which served as officers in castles of higher nobility).