A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Egloff family of Germany.
Reg. 8543 · German, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
dolphinSwiftness, charity and love
Colours
Blue (Azure)Means: Loyalty and truth
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“D'azur à un dauphin d'arg., en pal, courbé vers dextre, la tête dirigée vers sen. C.: un croiss. d'or, supp. une étoile du même L.: à dextre d'arg. et d'azur, à sen. d'or et d'azur.”
Germanyc. 1765
Where the Egloff Arms Were Recorded
Bavaria
Map of Germany showing where the Egloff arms are recorded
The Egloff arms were recorded in Germany, c. 1765.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bavaria.
Bavaria was a country of old landed families and walled market towns. Estates passed down the same line for centuries, and both the landowners and the leading townsmen kept arms, which is why so many Bavarian names sit in the registers.
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 Egloff 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 Germany.
Origin & History of the Egloff Family in Germany
The surname Egloff is rooted in the Germanic linguistic tradition, originating as a compound name derived from the Old High German elements "egil," meaning edge or sword, and "wolf," meaning wolf. This combination suggests that the name was originally a given name used to describe a person with the fierce or sharp qualities of a warrior. By the time the family was firmly established in the Bavarian region during the mid-18th century, the name had transitioned into a hereditary surname passed down through generations. Families bearing this name in Bavaria during the 1760s were typically part of the agrarian or artisan classes, living in small communities where they contributed to the local economy through farming or skilled trade. The name reflects a long history of settlement in Southern Germany, where families often identified themselves by their ancestral roots and their roles within the rural society of the Holy Roman Empire.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Egil
Old High German term referring to the edge of a sword.
This name
EgloffDerived from a diminutive form meaning little edge or little sword.
also spelled
Eglof
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Bahlow, Hans, Deutsches Namenlexikon: Familien- und Vornamen nach Ursprung und Sinn erklärt, 1967
Heintze, Albert, Die deutschen Familiennamen: geschichtlich, geographisch, sprachlich, 1903
Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Kurbayern Hofkammer, Steuer- und Rechnungsunterlagen, 1765
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dolphinSwiftness, charity and love
dolphinSwiftness, charity and love
