Name and Coat of Arms

Members of this Baltic noble family bear the name Hoyningen, also spelled Hoiningen or Hoyningen called Huene or Hoyningen-Huene.

The spelling of the name varies greatly. The oldest recorded form was Hoingen, followed by Hoyngen called Hune. Other versions included Hüenegen called Hüene, Huningen, Huenigen, Hühnchen, Huegenen, Hueningen, Hoinigen, Hune, Hoyne, Höen, Huyne, Huyn, Hühne, Hüne, Huene, and Hühn. In Hesse, the name was consistently spelled von Huyn, while the Prussian branch wrote Hoiningen called Huene. Today, most family members identify as Freiherr or Freifrau (Freiin) von Hoyningen-Huene or Hoyningen called Huene, or as Baron (Baroness, Baronesse) von Hoyningen (called) Huene. Family members who emigrated to the USA and Canada typically dropped the prefix Hoyningen from their names.

The name appears in similar forms and combinations throughout medieval Germany. However, a definitive connection to the family cannot be established based on the name alone.

Coat of Arms

The family’s ancestral coat of arms depicts three (2:1) silver rings on a black field. The crest features an open wing adorned with the same design as the shield, with black and silver mantling. Earlier depictions of the arms show three gold rings instead of silver, with the crest displaying the rings stacked vertically between the wings.

On December 7, 1547, Emperor Charles V confirmed the coat of arms for Willibaldt Hönegen von der Hüene, albeit with a blood-red cross in the background. However, Willibaldt’s exact relationship to the family has not yet been established.

In Martin’s 1646 genealogical table, the coat of arms features red rings.

In the Cathedral of Reval (modern-day Tallinn), there is a carved coat of arms epitaph for Royal Swedish Major Carl Johann von Hoyningen-Huene, showing the rings in gold on a red field.

Motto

The family’s motto, introduced in the 19th century, reads:

“Loyal in duty – truthful in counsel – steadfast in action.”