A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Glad family of Denmark.
Reg. 5406 · Danish, G–I
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
swanGrace, light and the poet's art
Colours
Blue (Azure)Means: Loyalty and truth
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'azur à trois têtes et cols de cygne d'arg., acc. de trois oeillets de gu. C.: un oeillet de gu., tigé et feuillé de sin., entre un vol d'arg.”
Denmarkc. 1722
Where the Glad Arms Were Recorded
Sjaælland
Map of Denmark showing where the Glad arms are recorded
The Glad arms were recorded in Denmark, c. 1722.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Sjaælland.
Zealand held the Danish court, the crown's offices and Copenhagen itself. Families who served the king kept estates within reach of it, and royal service was the ordinary route to a coat of arms.
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 Denmark in this period.
Frederik IV of Denmark
Sovereign of the period
Frederik IV of Denmark
1699–1730
Reigning in Denmark when the Glad arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Denmark
Danish heraldry during this period was closely tied to noble status and royal favor rather than being open to all citizens. Arms were typically granted by the monarch to individuals, and these symbols were then shared by all members of the noble house. If a family line died out, the right to use those specific arms ended with them.
Granting authority
The Danish royal chancery held the power to issue and regulate official coats of arms for the kingdom.
How they got arms
Families usually received their arms through a formal royal grant that confirmed their noble status and rights.
Where arms were recorded
These grants were officially recorded in the Danish Royal Chancery records starting in the sixteenth century.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Denmark.
Origin & History of the Glad Family in Denmark
The family name Glad has deep roots in the Danish landscape, with documented evidence placing early members of the family in the region of Sjælland by the year 1722. During this period, surnames in Denmark were often descriptive, and the name Glad likely originated as a nickname reflecting the personality or temperament of an ancestor. In the early eighteenth century, Sjælland was a hub of agricultural activity and social change, and families like the Glads were typically part of the rural population that formed the backbone of local society. As the family moved through the generations, the name became a permanent marker of their identity, passed down through the parish records that tracked births, marriages, and deaths in the local churches. By maintaining this name through the centuries, the family preserved a direct link to their ancestors who lived and worked in the fertile fields of Sjælland long ago.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
glath
Old Norse term meaning bright, shining, or joyful.
This name
GladA descriptive nickname for a cheerful, happy, or pleasant individual.
also spelled
Jlad
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Dansk Demografisk Database, Folketælling 1787 (1787)
Statens Arkiver, Kirkebøger for Sjællands Stift (1722)
Nielsen, O., Danske Navne (1891)
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swanGrace, light and the poet's art
swanGrace, light and the poet's art
