A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Eichstaedt family of Germany.
swordJustice, and military honourJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'azur à trois épées au nat., rangées en fasce. C.: les épées.”
The Eichstaedt 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.
Reigning in Germany when the Eichstaedt arms are first recorded.
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.
The family name Eichstaedt is a locative surname, which means it was originally derived from the name of a specific place. The name is composed of two German words: "Eiche," meaning oak tree, and "Statt," meaning a place or town. This suggests that the earliest ancestors to carry the name likely lived near a prominent oak forest or a settlement known for its oak trees. By 1765, records confirm that members of the family were well-established in the Bavarian region of Germany. During this period, families in Bavaria were often tied to the land through agriculture or local trade. As the family grew, individuals moved throughout the German-speaking lands, carrying the name as a link to their ancestral home. The name serves as a historical record of how people in the eighteenth century identified themselves based on the geography of their local environment.
Oak tree and a place or settlement.
