A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Stade family of Germany.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Coupé-émanché de trois pièces de gu. sur or.”
The Stade 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.
Reigning in Germany when the Stade 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 Stade is a topographic surname, which means it originated from a description of the landscape where the first ancestors lived. In Middle High German, the word "stade" referred to a riverbank, a landing place, or a quay. This suggests that the earliest people to carry the name likely resided near a major waterway, perhaps working as boatmen, traders, or farmers who relied on the river for their livelihood. By 1765, records confirm that members of the family were well-established in the Bavarian region of Germany. During this period, Bavaria was a center of agricultural and craft production, and families like the Stades were often deeply integrated into the local village structure. As they moved through different regions, the name remained a testament to their ancestral connection to the riverbanks that once sustained their daily lives.
A landing place, wharf, or river bank.
