A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Gerhardstein family of Germany.
Reg. 3831 · German, G–I
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
armA person of action, industrious and laborious
Colours
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Black (Sable)Means: Constancy
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 livre ouvert, au nat., tenu par deux bras parés de sa., cachés à demi par ledit livre. C.: un bras, arm. d'azur, lisére d'or, brandissant une épée d'arg., garnie d'or. L. d'or et de sa.”
Germanyc. 1765
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Map of Germany showing where the Gerhardstein arms are recorded
The Gerhardstein 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 Gerhardstein 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 Gerhardstein Family in Germany
The surname Gerhardstein originates from the historic region of Bavaria, where the family was well-established by the mid-eighteenth century. The name itself is a compound structure, likely derived from the Germanic personal name Gerhard, meaning brave spear, combined with the word stein, which translates to stone. In the rural landscape of 1765 Bavaria, such names were often tied to specific geographic locations or landholdings, suggesting that the early ancestors were likely farmers or landowners who identified their property by these descriptive terms. As the family grew, they remained deeply rooted in the social and agricultural traditions of the Bavarian countryside. These early generations lived through a period of significant transition in the Holy Roman Empire, maintaining their identity through local parish records and community ties that defined life in southern Germany during the late 1700s.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Gerhard and Stein
Spear-hard warrior and a stone or rocky outcrop.
This name
GerhardsteinA locational surname referring to a stone fortification or rocky terrain associated with a person named Gerhard.
also spelled
Gerhard
Gerhart
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
armA person of action, industrious and laborious
armA person of action, industrious and laborious
