Coat of arms of the Swedish Bielke family.

Bielke is the name of an ancient and powerful Swedish noble family, originally from Småland.

History

The family was first mentioned in the 13th century.[1] It is the second-oldest such family still in existence after Natt och Dag. The comital family branch, descended from the first Count Nils Bielke af Åkerö (1644–1716), is still extant, while the baronial branch became extinct in the male line with the death of Johan Ture Bielke in 1792.[2]

Members of the family include:

See also

  • René Bielke (b. 1962), German ice hockey player
  • Don Bielke, American basketball player
  • Finn Bjelke (1959-), Norwegian humourist, writer, music journalist and radio host.

Notes

  1. Swedish nobility did not use the practice of including family names in personal names until the late 16th century. The name was originally derived from the traditional family coat of arms and has been applied posthumously to earlier noble ancestors as well. In such cases, the family name is usually written in parentheses.
  2. Carlsson, G. (1924), Bielke, släkt in the Dictionary of Swedish National Biography.
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