A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Ellers family of Germany.
Reg. 5833 · German, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
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Colours
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'arg. à trois chev., celui du milieu de sa., les deux autres de gu. Brl. de gu., d'arg. et de sa. C.: un vol coupé, à dextre de sa. sur arg., à sen. d'arg. sur gu. L.: à dextre d'arg. et de gu., à sen. d'arg. et de sa.”
BavariaBavaria, c. 1715
Where the Ellers Arms Were Recorded
Bavaria
Map of Germany showing where the Ellers arms are recorded
The Ellers arms were recorded in Bavaria, c. 1715.
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.
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Sovereign of the period
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
1711–1740
Reigning in Germany when the Ellers 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 Bavaria.
Origin & History of the Ellers Family in Germany
The family name Ellers finds its historical roots in the southern German region of Bavaria, where records confirm the presence of family members as early as 1715. The name likely originated as a topographical surname, which was a common way for people to identify themselves based on the landscape where they lived. In the local dialects of that era, the name is associated with the word "Eller," which is the traditional German term for the alder tree. Families often adopted this name because they lived near a grove of these trees or a swampy area where alders grew in abundance. By the early 18th century, the Ellers family was well-established within the agricultural and social structures of the Bavarian countryside, living as part of the hardworking rural population that defined the region during that period.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Eller
A Germanic term referring to the alder tree.
This name
EllersA topographic name for someone who lived near a group of alder trees.
also spelled
Ellerz
Related arms
Elersvariant spelling
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
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