A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Ehlers family of Germany.
Reg. 0117 · German, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
cantonA mark of honour granted by the sovereign
armA person of action, industrious and laborious
Colours
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“D'or à un bras de carn., mouv. d'une nuée au nat., posée au canton sen. du chef, et empoignant un faisceau de cinq flèches de gu. C.: une Justice, iss. par les genoux, hab. de gu., tenant de sa main dextre une épée haute et de sa sen. une balance. L.: d'or et de gu.”
MecklenburgMecklenburg, c. 1765
Where the Ehlers Arms Were Recorded
Mecklenburg
Map of Germany showing where the Ehlers arms are recorded
The Ehlers arms were recorded in Mecklenburg, c. 1765.
Mecklenburg was farming country in the north of Germany, held by a small number of families who kept their estates for generations. Owning land was what entitled a family to arms, so a great many Mecklenburg names ended up 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 Ehlers 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 Mecklenburg.
Origin & History of the Ehlers Family in Germany
The surname Ehlers is a patronymic name, which means it originated as a way to identify someone as the son of a man named Eler or Eilert. This name is rooted in the Low German language and was common across the northern regions of Germany. By the middle of the eighteenth century, families carrying this name were well-established in the Mecklenburg region. During this period, the area was characterized by a rigid social structure where most people worked in agriculture or as skilled tradesmen in small villages. Families like the Ehlers often lived in these rural communities for generations, maintaining their ties to the land and local parish churches. These church records serve as the primary way to track the movement and growth of the family during the 1760s, as they document the births, marriages, and deaths that defined daily life in northern Germany.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Eler
A Germanic personal name derived from the word for noble or illustrious.
This name
EhlersA patronymic surname indicating descent from a person named Eler or a variant of Alaric.
also spelled
Ehler
Ehlerss
Elers
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 Familien-Namen: geschichtlich, geographisch, sprachlich, 1903
Landeshauptarchiv Schwerin, Kirchenbücher der mecklenburgischen Landeskirche (1765)
Digital archive packCoat of arms PNG, gold border print PDF, vector SVG and the certificate of authenticity. Sent to your email in minutes.
cantonA mark of honour granted by the sovereign
armA person of action, industrious and laborious
cantonA mark of honour granted by the sovereign
armA person of action, industrious and laborious
