A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Greim family of Germany.
Reg. 3390 · German, G–I
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
lionCourage, strength and royalty
Colours
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
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)
“De gu. au lion d'or, cour. du même, tenant entre ses pattes une couleuvre nouée d'arg., en pal. Cq. cour. C.: un vol, coupé alt. de gu. et d'or. L. d'or et de gu.”
Germanyc. 1765
Where the Greim Arms Were Recorded
Bavaria
Map of Germany showing where the Greim arms are recorded
The Greim 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 Greim 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 Greim Family in Germany
The surname Greim is deeply rooted in the historical landscape of Bavaria, where records confirm the family was well-established by 1765. The name is considered a topographic or habitational surname, likely derived from the Middle High German word "grim," which described a person with a fierce or stern temperament. In the rural regions of southern Germany, such names often identified individuals by their personality traits or their specific place of residence near a jagged hill or a rough patch of land. As the family grew throughout the eighteenth century, they became part of the agricultural and artisanal backbone of the Bavarian countryside. Their presence in local parish registers and tax documents from this era reflects a life tied to the rhythms of village society and the shifting political borders of the Holy Roman Empire. By maintaining a consistent presence in the region, the Greim family contributed to the long-standing cultural traditions that define the history of the Bavarian people.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Grimm
Derived from the Old High German word for fierce or angry.
This name
GreimA topographic or habitational name referring to someone with a stern or ferocious personality.
also spelled
Greym
Grime
Related arms
Castiglionisimilar arms
Mayr auf Stockhausimilar arms
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
lionCourage, strength and royalty
lionCourage, strength and royalty
