Amberg Coat of Arms
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Which coat of arms or "family crest" is mine?
Choose the design you like best, just your ancestors did when they painted these symbols on the shields they carried into battle and displayed in their homes. These coats of arms are real, historical works of art/culture dating back as far as 1100AD. Most of these designs were compiled and documented by genealogists and heraldists in large books published in the nineteenth century. These arms were owned by individuals who bore your surname, and were passed down through the generations from father to son, earning the monicker "family crest".
Origin, Meaning and Family History of the Amberg Name
Origins of Amberg:
This ancient German surname is geographical in origin. It acquires from the old phrase “amme Berg,” or “amme der Berg” which means “one who is of the mountain,” a source either to a mountaineer or to one who resided at a place on a mountain. There are many places in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, called Berg, and it is equally possibly that the original name ancestors acquired from any one or all, of these places. Geographical Surnames were amongst the first to be formed, since it was logical to call a person by the name of any outstanding natural feature near to them, and nothing is much more outstanding than a “berg.” Not surprisingly, probably the surname is one of the earliest to be noted anywhere in the world. The first known of these records is that of Johann amme Berge, in the documents of the town of Bartenheim, in the year 1270, while in 1361, Agnes an der Berge, noted at the famous town of Worms, both in Germany. Later records acquired from remaining German parish records contain as Georges Amberger, a witness at Necharkries, Wuertt, in May 1587, Andreas Amberg, of Coburg, Sachsen, in March 1704, and Leonard Amsberg, of Amern, Rheinland, in September 1783. Spelling variations of this family name consist of Lambert, Lamberre, Lambere, Lambaire, Lambair, Lambert, Lembert, Lemberre, Lembere, Lembaire, Lembair, Lemberc, Lanbert, Lanberre, Lanbere, Lanbaire, Lanbair, L’Ambert, Ambert, Lambert, Amberd, Amberde, Lamberd, Lamberde, Ambart and many more.
More common variations are: Yamberg, Ambergo, Ambergh, Aemberga, Emberg, Imberg, Omberg, Amburg, Amborg, Ambrig
The surname Amberg first appeared in Dauphiny (French: Dauphine’ or Dauphiné Viennois), an old province in southeastern France, Where this distinguished family held a family seat from old times.
The prominent surname Amberg started in France, a country which has been a powerful presence in world matters for centuries. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in France were the patronymic surnames, which acquired from the father’s given name, and metronymic surnames, which acquired from the mother’s given name. The patronyms acquired from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. The surname Amberg acquired from A Germanic personal name combination of the components “land,” which means “land” or “territory,” and “berht,” which means bright” or “famous.”
Many of the people with surname Amberg had moved to Ireland during the 17th century.
United States of America:
Individuals with the surname Amberg landed in the United States in two different centuries respectively in the 18th, and 19th. Some of the people with the name Amberg who arrived in the United States in the 17th century included Georg Amberg, who landed in America in 1781.
The following century saw more amberg surnames arrive. Some of the people with the surname Amberg who arrived in the United States in the 19th century included Anton Amberg, who came to Texas in 1845. Gg Amberg at the age of 29, arrived in New York. NY in 1855.
Here is the population distribution of the last name Amberg: United States 1,615; Germany 1,345; Switzerland 333; France 257; Sweden 145; Austria 131; Canada 73; Finland 60; England 32; Russia 25.
Amberg Coat of Arms Meaning
The main device (symbol) in the Amberg blazon is the gyronny. The two main tinctures (colors) are azure and or.
The bright, strong blue color in Heraldry is known in English as azure, and similarly in other European languages – azul in Spanish, azurro in Italian and azur in French. The word has its roots in the Arabic word lazura, also the source of the name of the precious stone lapis lazuli 1A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Azure. Despite this, those heralds who liked to associate colours with jewels chose instead to describe blue as Sapphire. According to Wade, the use of this colour symbolises “Loyalty and Truth” 2The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P36.
The bright yellow colour frequently found in coats of arms is known to heralds as Or, or sometimes simply as Gold.3Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 27. Along with, argent, or silver it forms the two “metals” of heraldry – one of the guidelines of heraldic design is that silver objects should not be placed upon gold fields and vice versa 4A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P85. The yellow colour is often associated with the Sun, and the zodiacal sign of Leo.5Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P53.
Gyronny is a very distinctive pattern covering the whole field of the shield, being a series of triangles, drawn from the edges and meeting in the centre of the shield 6A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Gyronny. Each triangle is known as a gyron, and these sometimes appear as charges in their own right 7Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 55. Wade suggests that the use of gyrons upon a shield should be taken to denote “unity”.