The Fisher Coat of Arms

Heraldic Blazoning of the Coat of Arms of the Fisher Family.  Shield: Azure (blue) - a dolphin naiant (swimming) - argent (silver).  Crest: A kingfisher proper (natural color).

In Heraldry, blue is the color of truth, loyalty, honesty and happiness while silver denotes purity, eloquence, virginity and innocence.  

The Fisher coat of arms is a very simple one.  This is due to its antiquity.  In its incipiency heraldry signified merely the markings of shields. This was for the purpose of identification.  Encased in a helmet and armor the fighting  man's features were hidden from view.  As it was necessary that he be recognized by his friends, and for him to distinguish friend from foe, he adopted individual markings upon his shield, the most prominent thing about him.  The markings were at first very simple.

The dolphin, called king of fish, upon the arms, and possible the kingfisher in the crest constitute a canting, rebec or armes parlantes (meaning speaking arms) upon the name.  A canting is a heraldic pun upon the family name.  Inasmuch as the use of surnames and the carrying of marked shields began at about the same time, some families took their name from the charge upon their arms and some families adopted a charge upon their arms which bespoke their name.  Thus we find bulls upon the Bullwinkle arms, apples upon the Appleton shield, and foxes, called reynard in French, upon the Reynolds shield.

Many crests are borne by minor branches of the Fisher family but the kingfisher is the basic crest of the family as a whole.  There is no motto and this is also due to the antiquity of the arms.  The custom of displaying mottoes with Germanic arms did not originate until about the fifteenth century.  The Fisher grant of arms antedates this period.

The name Fisher seems to have been originally spelled Fischer.  It is so spelled today in Germany and in many parts of Pennsylvania.  The name is of Teutonic origin.  It means exactly what is says - a fisher or fisherman.  Whether this name is occupational or a place name, we have no way of telling.  It may have been derived from the fact that the early ancestors were fishermen.  It may have been adopted because the family lived near a place where fishing was common or where fish were plentiful.

We have gone to great lengths to see that the coat of arms presented here is authentic and as accurate as possible.

It is interesting to learn that the German town of our ancestors also has a coat of arms.  In 1446, the coat of arms of Freinsheim was the letter "F" surrounded by two bunches of grapes.  The town was originally owned by a few nobles, but in 1471 the Electoral Price of the Pfalz region became the sole owner.  The upper half of the coat of arms of Freinsheim then became the coat of arms of the Prince, and the lower half remained the letter "F" surrounded by two bunches of grapes.  In 1514 it was attached to the "Iron Door," and it still the coat of arms of Freinsheim.  On the building that was formerly the city hall, there still remains a colored sign with the coat of arms of Freinsheim dating from 1588.

Colour Meanings:

Azure: (blue)  The colour azure denotes loyalty and truth and also signifies divine contemplation and Godliness.

Argent: (silver) The metal argent represents peace and security. It also signifies everlasting charity and clear conscience.