Erb Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Erb last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Erb last name
Meaning of the Erb last name: a descendant of a name with Erbe, inheritance. Erb comes from Middle High German erbe, inheritance, and Smith derives it from short forms of names such as Erbhart; it may also describe an heir to a farm. The last name is common in Baden-Württemberg and Switzerland, and Mennonite families carried this surname to America.
Arms associated with the Erb name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full Erb family history
This is only a glimpse of the Erb story. The full Erb history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Erb coat of arms. Get the full Erb report.
Erb name FAQ
What does the Erb name mean?
A descendant of a name with Erbe, inheritance.
Where does the Erb surname come from?
It originates in Germany, and is also found in the United States and France.
Is there a Erb coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Erb coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.