Map of Germany showing where the Bergenholtz arms are recorded
The Bergenholtz arms were recorded in Swabia, c. 1765.
Swabia was broken into a great many small territories in southern Germany, and each had its own landowners and its own leading townsmen. That fragmentation produced an unusual number of families with arms.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Germany in this period.
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Sovereign of the period
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
1745–1765
Reigning in Germany when the Bergenholtz arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Germany
In the Holy Roman Empire, coats of arms were often granted to individuals by the Emperor or his representatives. These arms were then passed down through the generations to all legitimate descendants of the original holder. Younger branches of a family usually kept the same shield design without needing to change it, as the arms belonged to the entire lineage.
Granting authority
The Holy Roman Emperor held the sole power to grant new coats of arms throughout his vast imperial territories.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal imperial grant or by proving their noble status to the authorities.
Where arms were recorded
These grants were officially recorded in the Imperial Chancery registers, which began keeping formal records of such honors during the Middle Ages.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Swabia.
Origin & History of the Bergenholtz Family in Germany
The family name Bergenholtz traces its roots to the Swabian region of southwestern Germany, where records confirm the presence of family members by 1765. The name itself follows a traditional German naming structure that combines two distinct elements. The first part, Bergen, likely refers to a geographical feature such as hills or mountains, while the second part, holtz, translates to wood or forest. This suggests that the earliest ancestors were likely people who lived near a wooded hillside or worked within the forestry industry. During the eighteenth century, families in Swabia often adopted surnames that reflected their immediate environment or their specific trade. As these individuals moved through the local villages and towns, the name became a permanent identifier that linked the family to the rugged, forested landscape of their ancestral home.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Berg and Holz
Mountain or hill and wood or timber.
This name
BergenholtzA topographic name for someone living near a wooded mountain or hill.
also spelled
Bernholts
Bernholz
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann. Etymologisches Wörterbuch der Deutschen Familiennamen. 1957
Kohlheim, Rosa and Volker Kohlheim. Duden Familiennamen: Herkunft und Bedeutung. 2005
Digital archive packCoat of arms PNG, gold border print PDF, vector SVG and the certificate of authenticity. Sent to your email in minutes.
bearStrength, cunning and protection of kin
bearStrength, cunning and protection of kin
