Siebmacher’s Wappenbuch, Coat of Arms

Siebmacher's Wappenbuch is the definitive work on Germanic heraldry. The collective work consists of over 100 volumes published in a series spanning over 100 years, the first volume being published in 1855.

Each volume contains detailed illustrations of coats of arms with text descriptions about the arms and the families and other entities that bore them. Families that bore coats of arms included noble families, but also those of the bourgeoisie (upper middle class). Information provided about these families may include biographical information and sometimes even pedigree charts. Entities that bore coats of arms included principalities, cities, diocese, abbeys, etc.

Areas covered in this work include the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and some other parts of Europe. The heraldry presented in these volumes dates from the 12th century to the early 20th century.

Out of over 100 volumes in Siebmacher’s Wappenbuch, all but five are included in this database. Volumes are missing either because they are still under copyright, or because, due to their rarity, they could not be obtained for digitization. The missing volumes are:

• I.08. Universitäten


• I.01.V. Souveraine, 5. Teil


• IV.07.A. Steiermark, Uradel


• V.I. Bürgerliche Wappen (Neue Folge), 1. Teil


• V.II. Bürgerliche Wappen (Neue Folge), 2. Teil


• VI.08.II. Abgestorbener Adel: Schlesien, 2. Teil

In addition, a few of the volumes include only partial information. The volume includes the coats of arms, but the descriptive text is missing:

• I.03.II. Erlauchte Grafen

The following include the text, but are missing the coats of arms:

• VII.03.A. Ergänzungen: Preußen, Abgestorbener Adel


• VII.03.C. Ergänzungen: Pommern, Abgestorbener Adel

In addition, there are also a few individual pages missing from some volumes, because the original books used for digitization were missing pages here and there.

Note: As with all genealogical records, careful research needs to be done in order to link specific records in this database with specific people in your family tree. You may find in this database surnames that are the same or similar to those from your ancestry. Just because the names are the same does not necessarily mean that you descend from noble or royal families or that the coats of arms presented pertain to your family as well. Please conduct careful research to verify connections between individuals and the families who bore the coats of arms.