Show ContentsErbe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The German surname Erbe comes from the medieval personal name Erbe, meaning "descendant," or "heir."

Early Origins of the Erbe family

The surname Erbe 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 Erbe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Erbe research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1468 and 1531 are included under the topic Early Erbe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Erbe Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Erb, Erbe, von Erb, von Erbe, Erbs, Erby, Erbie and others.

Early Notables of the Erbe family

Notables with the name Erbe during this period were

  • the Erbe families of Silesia and of the Rhineland

Erbe Ranking

In the United States, the name Erbe is the 17,368th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Erbe migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Erbe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Catharina Erbe, who arrived in New York in 1710
  • Glaus Erbe, who immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1737
  • Catrina Erbe, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
  • Christian Erbe, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
  • Christophel Erbe, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Erbe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Hein. Erbe, aged 47, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Garonne", he died in 1846
  • Georg Erbe, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 2
  • Emilia Erbe, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 2
  • Emilia Erbe, who arrived in New York in 1850
  • Mrs. Joh Konr Erbe, who arrived in America in 1852 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Erbe (post 1700) +

  • Nancy D. Erbe, American negotiation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills
  • Kathryn Erbe (b. 1966), American actor from Newton, Massachusetts
  • Norman Arthur Erbe (1919-2000), American politician, Governor of Iowa (1961-1963)
  • Norman Arthur Erbe (1919-2000), American Republican politician, Iowa State Attorney General, 1957-61; Governor of Iowa, 1961-63; Defeated, 1962
  • Mary Erbe, American Republican politician, Member of Iowa Republican State Central Committee, 1971
  • Elizabeth Erbe, American politician, Candidate for Missouri State Auditor, 1950
  • Charles Erbe, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 29th District, 1931-34
  • Berit Erbe (1923-2009), Danish-Norwegian actress and theatrical historian
  • Joan Erbe Udel (1926-2014), American painter and sculptor from Baltimore
  • Joan Erbe Udel (1926-2014), American painter and sculptor from Baltimore, nicknamed "The Grand Duchess of Baltimore Painters"


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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