Map of Switzerland showing where the Trogden arms are recorded
The Trogden arms were recorded in Switzerland, c. 1745.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Bern.
Bern was the largest of the Swiss cantons and ran itself, with its own council and its own courts. Its governing families held office for generations, and office of that kind carried a shield with it.
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 Switzerland in this period.
How Arms Worked in Switzerland
In Switzerland, coats of arms were not restricted to the nobility and were often adopted by common citizens and families. These symbols were passed down through generations to show family identity. When branches of a family grew, they often changed small details of the design to distinguish their own line from the original group.
Granting authority
Cantonal and civic authorities managed the use of coats of arms within their specific regions and local jurisdictions.
How they got arms
Families typically assumed their own coats of arms based on local custom rather than receiving them from a central monarch.
Where arms were recorded
Arms were recorded in various cantonal and civic registers starting from the fourteenth century throughout the Swiss region.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Switzerland.
Origin & History of the Trogden Family in Switzerland
The family name Trogden finds its roots in the mountainous regions of central Europe, with documented evidence placing early family members in the city of Bern by 1745. During the eighteenth century, Bern served as a major cultural and political hub within the Swiss Confederation, and families living there were often involved in skilled trades or local governance. The name likely evolved as a variation of regional Germanic surnames that described a person’s occupation or their specific place of residence near a valley or a mountain pass. As these individuals moved through the changing borders of Europe, the spelling of the name shifted to match the phonetic styles of the local languages they encountered. By the mid-1700s, the Trogden family was part of a broader movement of people who eventually sought new opportunities by traveling across the Atlantic to the American colonies.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Troggen
Derived from the Middle High German word for a trough or channel.
This name
TrogdenRefers to a person who lived near a trough, water channel, or valley depression.
also spelled
Trogene
Troghen
Trogne
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz, Bern (Gemeinde), 2002
Staatsarchiv des Kantons Bern, Kirchenbücher der Stadt Bern, 1745
Von Fischer, Ernst, Rechtsgeschichte der Stadt Bern, 1948
Digital archive packCoat of arms PNG, gold border print PDF, vector SVG and the certificate of authenticity. Sent to your email in minutes.
bendDefence, and the scarf of a commander
bendDefence, and the scarf of a commander
