A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Platzer family of Germany.
lambGentleness, patience and faithJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De sa. à un agneau d'arg.”
The Platzer arms were recorded in Cologne, c. 1765.
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 Platzer 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 Platzer is rooted in the German language and historically served as a descriptive term for a person’s occupation or place of residence. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "platz," which referred to an open space, a town square, or a specific plot of land. People who lived near a central square or worked as tradesmen in a marketplace were often identified by this location, eventually adopting it as a hereditary surname. By the mid-eighteenth century, the name was well-established in urban centers such as Cologne. In 1765, records confirm that members of the Platzer family were active residents of this city, likely participating in the vibrant merchant culture that defined the region during that era. As the family grew, they moved through various German-speaking territories, maintaining their connection to the name as a marker of their ancestral origins.
A flat area, open square, or plot of land.
