A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Egly family of Switzerland.
Reg. 2464 · Swiss, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
dolphinSwiftness, charity and love
crescentHonour by the sovereign, and the second son
Colours
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
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)
“De gu. à un dauphin d'arg., posé en pal, la queue recourbée à dextre et la tête abaissée sur la queue; ledit dauphin acc. d'un croiss. versé d'arg. en p.”
Switzerlandc. 1745
Where the Egly Arms Were Recorded
Bern
Map of Switzerland showing where the Egly arms are recorded
The Egly arms were recorded in Switzerland, c. 1745.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bern.
Bern was the largest of the Swiss cantons and ran itself, with its own council and its own courts. Its governing families held office for generations, and office of that kind carried a shield with it.
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 Switzerland in this period.
How Arms Worked in Switzerland
In Switzerland, coats of arms were not restricted to the nobility and were often adopted by common citizens and families. These symbols were passed down through generations to show family identity. When branches of a family grew, they often changed small details of the design to distinguish their own line from the original group.
Granting authority
Cantonal and civic authorities managed the use of coats of arms within their specific regions and local jurisdictions.
How they got arms
Families typically assumed their own coats of arms based on local custom rather than receiving them from a central monarch.
Where arms were recorded
Arms were recorded in various cantonal and civic registers starting from the fourteenth century throughout the Swiss region.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Switzerland.
Origin & History of the Egly Family in Switzerland
The surname Egly is deeply rooted in the history of the Swiss canton of Bern, where records confirm the family was well-established by the year 1745. The name is considered a topographic or habitational surname, likely derived from the Middle High German word "egge," which refers to a sharp ridge, a corner, or a field boundary. This suggests that the earliest ancestors bearing this name were likely farmers or landowners who lived near a prominent geographical feature or a specific edge of a village. Over time, as families grew and moved, the name became a permanent identifier for those who traced their origins back to these specific rural settlements in the Bernese region. By the mid-18th century, the Egly family had integrated into the local social fabric, participating in the agricultural and civic life that defined the Swiss Confederation during that era.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Egli
A Swiss German diminutive form of the Germanic name Egil.
This name
EglyDerived from the Old High German word agil, meaning edge or sword point.
also spelled
Egly
Eglee
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Familiennamenbuch der Schweiz, Familiennamenbuch der Schweiz, 1989
Brechenmacher, Josef Karlmann, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen, 1957
Staatsarchiv des Kantons Bern, Kirchenbücher der Kirchgemeinde Bern
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dolphinSwiftness, charity and love
crescentHonour by the sovereign, and the second son
dolphinSwiftness, charity and love
crescentHonour by the sovereign, and the second son
