Erb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The German surname Erb comes from the medieval personal name Erbe, meaning "descendant," or "heir."
Early Origins of the Erb family
The surname Erb was first found in the Rhineland, where this family was a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. The earliest record is of "ich Erbo, Erben sun" or "Erbo, son of Erbo," who was a knight in Colmar in 1282. Colman or Kolman, located in Alsace, was a free city of the Holy Roman Empire in 1226. They held a family seat at Strasbourg, where records show Erbo Schonterlin in 1260, and Erbo Mendewin in 1353. Further to the south, there is a record of Joh. Erbe in 1320, in Konstanz, a city on the Swiss border.
Early History of the Erb family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Erb research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1468 and 1531 are included under the topic Early Erb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Erb Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Erb, Erbe, von Erb, von Erbe, Erbs, Erby, Erbie and others.
Early Notables of the Erb family
Notables with the name Erb during this period were
- the Erbe families of Silesia and of the Rhineland
Erb Ranking
In the United States, the name Erb is the 5,959th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Erb is ranked the 5,685th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2
Erb migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Erb Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Hance Rudolph Erb, aged 26, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 3
- Hans Rudi Erb, who arrived in America in 1736 3
- Hans Rudolph Erb, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 3
- Catrina Erb, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
- Claus Erb, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Erb Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Caspar Erb, aged 19, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 3
- Hance M Erb, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
- Henil Erb, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
- Catharine Erb, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
- Maths Erb, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1804 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Erb migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Erb Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. Henry Erb U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 4
Erb Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Christian Erb, who arrived in Canada in 1831
- Daniel Erb, who arrived in Canada in 1831
- David Erb, who landed in Canada in 1831
- Henry Erb, who landed in Canada in 1831
- Jacob, Erb Sr., who arrived in Canada in 1831
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Erb (post 1700) +
- Summer Erb (b. 1977), American gold medalist basketball player
- James "Jim" Erb (1926-2014), American composer, arranger, musicologist, and conductor, best known for his various arrangements of the Folk song "Shenandoah"
- Jeffrey D. Erb (b. 1969), American film producer, director, and actor
- Joseph Erb (b. 1974), Native American computer animator, educator, and artist
- Charles Freeman Erb Jr. (1902-1952), American football player and coach
- David Erb (b. 1923), retired American jockey and trainer
- Donald Erb (b. 1927), American composer best known for large orchestral works such as Concerto for Brass and Orchestra and Klangfarbenfunk
- John J. G. Erb, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1980
- Herman Erb, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1916
- Daniel H. Erb, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Blair County 2nd District; Elected 1954
- ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name Erb +
- Descendants of David Erb by Henry L. Erb.
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X