Erhard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The ancestral home of the Erhard family is in the German province of Bavaria. Erhard is a German nickname surname. Such names came from eke-names, or added names, that described their initial bearer through reference to a physical characteristic or other attribute. It is a name for a courageous or honorable person. The surname Erhard is composed of two German words meaning honor and bravery.

Early Origins of the Erhard family

The surname Erhard was first found in Bavaria, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation. Saint Erhard of Regensburg was bishop of Regensburg in the 7th century. He was also known as Abbot Erhard of EbersheimMunster. He was canonized on the 8th of October 1052, by Pope Leo IX.

Early History of the Erhard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Erhard research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1391, 1573, 1752, 1776, 1777, 1786, 1794, 1796, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1824 and 1854 are included under the topic Early Erhard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Erhard Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Erhard include Ehrhardt, Ehrhart, Erhart, Erhard, Erhardt, Errheart, Errhart, Errhard, Errhardt, Earhart, Airhart and many more.

Early Notables of the Erhard family

Prominent among members of the name Erhard in this period include Friedrich Ehrhardt, commander of the 8th Prussian infantry brigade, who was ennobled in 1854; D. Johann Ehrhart, director of the medical school at the University of Innsbruck, was ennobled in the first half of the 19th century; he was known for his work on a Salzburg medical magazine that he had taken over in 1808.Erard was the name borne by this firm of harp and pianoforte makers has been known almost as long in England as in France, its workshops having been established in London near the close of the...
Another 230 words (16 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Erhard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Erhard migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Erhard or a variant listed above:

Erhard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Simon Erhard, who landed in New York, NY in 1710-1714 1
Johan Henrich Erhard, aged 23, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 1
Joanis Erhard, aged 21, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 1
Wilhelm Erhard, aged 20, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1741 1
William Erhard, aged 20, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1741 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Erhard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Erhard, aged 28, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1807 1
Georg Erhard, who arrived in North America in 1836 1
Gg Jul Friedr Erhard, who landed in America in 1845 1
Johan Erhard, aged 28, who landed in New York, NY in 1849 1
Charles Erhard, who landed in Colorado in 1884 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Erhard (post 1700) +

Werner Hans Erhard (b. 1935), born John Paul Rosenberg, American critical thinker and author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations, founder of Werner Erhard and Associates (1981-1991)
Lloyd Erhard, American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Tucker County; Elected 1934
Angela S. Erhard, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Minnesota, 2008
A. M. Erhard, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Matanzas, 1858
Ludwig Erhard (1897-1977), German Minister of Finance under Konrad Adenauer and the architect of the "economic miracle" (Wirtschaftswunder), Chancellor of West Germany from 1963-1966
Georg Erhard Hamberger (1697-1755), German professor of medicine, surgery, and botany
Erhard Busek (1941-2022), Austrian politician from the Christian-conservative People's Party, Vice-Chancellor of Austria (1991-1995), Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs (1994–1995)
Erhard Wittek (1898-1981), German author who used the pseudonym Fritz Steuben; he wrote wrote war novels and stories depicting American Indians
Erhard Gustave de Wedel, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 2
Erhard Eppler (b. 1926), German Social Democratic politician and founder of the GTZ

Citations +

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)
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) Erhard Wedel. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html