This is a page for genealogy and history surrounding the Suadicani family and other closely related families.
When your last name is Suadicani, I know from experience that you do not need to be very old before you are asked where that name might come from. For many years I have responded that the the lineage originated from Böhmen, and that it gradually wandered up through Germany during the last 300 years.
I have always felt that my answer was somewhat imprecise, that there should be agreement about an authoritative answer on the question of the origins of the lineage. My grandfather writes in his "In Memoriam" that the lineage originates from Böhmen, and that is of course the story that I have previously advocated for.
However, through my studies of the lineage's history, I have determined that it is not entirely correct. The oldest known member of the lineage is indeed Jan Svatik, the cantor of Ceske Budojevice (Budweiss) in Böhmen, but that says nothing of the origin of the lineage. If we reach far enough back, we all originate from the Garden of Eden, but that is clearly not what is meant when the discussion is about where the lineage or family originate from. It is reasonable to assume that Jan Svatik's son, born Jan Rudolf Svatik, is the originator of our lineage, and that he, along with Esther Martha Herr, constitute the lineage's first generation. After all, it was likely Jan Rudolf Svatik that decided that his family needed a new surname.
Johan Rudolf and Ester Martha married on the 24th of September, 1684 and it must be around this time that Johan Rudolf begins to call himself Johan Rudolf Suadicani, rather than the Czech Jan Rudolf Svatik. One must assume that a Czech name was considered unfavourable, as there were many refugees from Böhmen after the Thirty Years' War. Strictly speaking, we do not know anything about this, but there are certain indications that this was a fairly carefully considered decision.
Most importantly, there is a logical connection between the name, the crest and the motto. The name Suadicani stems from the Latin words Suadeo and Canis. Suadeo means to convince, as in persuade, and a persuader may in fact mean a sword. Canis is a dog in Latin, and thus we have established the connection to the two symbols in our crest.
The family's motto "fortis et fidelis", which means strong and loyal, is known from many other families, but is perfectly symbolized by the strength of the sword and the loyalty of the dog. Some may prefer to translate fortis as brave, but that does not significantly change the meaning.
— Manne Suadicani, 24th of June, 2003