A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Walt family of Germany.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“de sa. sur or. C.: deux têtes et cols de dragon adossées, vomissant des flammes, celle à dextre de sa. et celle à sen. d'or (Arm. v. G.)”
The Walt 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 Walt 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 Walt has deep roots in the historical region of Bavaria, where records confirm members of the family were established by 1765. The name is likely derived from the Old High German word walt, which translates to forest or woods. During the eighteenth century, many people in this part of Germany received surnames based on the landscape where they lived or the work they performed. Families with the name Walt were often associated with the management of timber or lived near the dense, sprawling woodlands that define the Bavarian countryside. As the family grew, they became part of the local agricultural and social fabric of the region, contributing to the development of their rural communities through generations of steady work and local trade.
Germanic word meaning rule, power, or authority.
