Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
Kurlander Coat of Arms / Kurlander Family CrestThis surname KURLANDER was an East Ashkenazic Jewish regional name, originally derived from the Old German KURLAND (Courland) which is now part of Latvia. The name of the region comes from the name of KURS, a Baltic people who, together with the Letts, inhabited this area. The name is also spelt KORLAND, KURLENDER, KORLENDER, KURLANDSKI, KURLANSKY, KURLIANDSCHICK and KURLIANDCIK. When traditional Jews were forced to take family names by the local bureaucracy, it was an obligation imposed from outside traditional society, and people often took the names playfully and let their imaginations run wild by choosing names which corresponded to nothing real in their world. No one alive today can remember the times when Jews took or were given family names (for most Ashkenazim this was the end of the 18th century or the beginning of the 19th) although many remember names being changed after emigration to other countries, such as the United States and Israel in recent years. Surnames as we know them today were first assumed in Europe from the 11th to the 15th Century. The employment in the use of a second name was a custom that was first introduced from the Normans. They themselves had not long before adopted them. It became, in course of time, a mark of gentler blood, and it was deemed a disgrace for gentlemen to have but one single name, as the meaner sort had. At first the coat of arms was a practical matter which served a function on the battlefield and in tournaments. With his helmet covering his face, and armour encasing the knight from head to foot, the only means of identification for his followers, was the insignia painted on his shield and embroidered on his surcoat, the flowing and draped garment worn over the armour. The associated coat of arms for this name are recorded in J.B Rietstaps Armorial General. Illustrated by V & H.V Rolland's. This monumental work took 23 years to complete and 85,000 coats of Arms are included in this work. |
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