A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Saks family of Germany.
Reg. 0048 · German, T–V
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
roseThe seventh son, and beauty with grace
ostrichWilling obedience and serious thought
Colours
Black (Sable)Means: Constancy
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Green (Vert)Means: Hope
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
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)
“Parti: au 1 de sa. à trois roses d'arg., barbées de sin., 2 et 1, haussées au-dessus d'un rocher d'or en p.; au 2 de gu. à deux barres d'or et une autruche posée sur un tertre de sin., br. sur les barres. Cq. cour. L'écu timbré de l'ancien cimier. L.: à dextre d'arg. et de sa., à sen. d'or et de gu.”
Germanyc. 1701
Where the Saks Arms Were Recorded
Bavaria
Map of Germany showing where the Saks arms are recorded
The Saks arms were recorded in Germany, c. 1701.
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.
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Sovereign of the period
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
1658–1705
Reigning in Germany when the Saks 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 Saks Family in Germany
The family name Saks traces its roots to the historical region of Bavaria, where records confirm the presence of family members as early as 1701. The name is often categorized as a locational or ethnic surname, likely derived from the Old High German word for the Saxon people. During the early eighteenth century, families in this part of Germany were often identified by their regional origins or their specific trade within the local community. As the family established itself in the Bavarian landscape, they became part of the complex social fabric of the Holy Roman Empire. This era was defined by small agricultural settlements and growing market towns, where the Saks name would have been recorded in local parish registers or tax documents as the family navigated the shifting political boundaries of the time.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Sahs
A Germanic tribal name derived from the word for a knife.
This name
SaksAn occupational or ethnic surname referring to a person from Saxony or a knife-maker.
also spelled
Sacks
Sax
Saks
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
Heintze, Albert, Die deutschen Familiennamen: geschichtlich, geographisch, sprachlich, 1903
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
roseThe seventh son, and beauty with grace
ostrichWilling obedience and serious thought
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
roseThe seventh son, and beauty with grace
ostrichWilling obedience and serious thought
