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Cobernuss Family Coat of Arms
This page is provided only as a matter of historical interest since it's almost certain that none of the peasant and farm families we've studied had a family coat of arms. As a result, it's virtually certain that no living family would be entitled to use it.
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From the family coat of arms of the COBERNUSS family of Malchin:
"The Cobernuss family name is first mentioned in Mecklenburg around 1450 where the brothers Ernst and Hanns had a concession in the office of Malchin in 1458. This still belonged to the family in the year 1586. In 1559, mention is made of a Wilhelm von Cobernuss, on whose seal the coat of arms described below could also be recognized. All noble branches of the family disappeared shortly after 1700 and may only be found in common descendants today. "
Decoration: Blue and Silver
Crest: On the helmet, a red star between two extended blue wings
Shield: A blue lion in an "en garde" stance outlined in red on a silver background.Note: This coat of arms is provided by the Cobernuss family of Reuterstadt-Stavenhagen Germany. The author of this history is unknown, although it is thought that it was commissioned by a family in Rostock. The coloring is an approximate rendering of what a Heraldic artist would do.
There are more than 300,000 registered coats of arms for German names - some surnames have many coats of arms - each specific to one family. Unless an ancestor received a grant of arms (armorial bearings), use of a surname does not entitle a person to use a coat of arms.
In Germany, a coat of arms has always been given to a specific family and never to a group of families with the same name. Also, bearing a coat of arms does not mean that you are automatically descended from a noble family. Especially over the last 400 years, there have been more and more coat of arms whose bearers are "common" families who lived in cities and/or villages. For German coat of arms, there is a register, the "Wappenrolle" which shows all existing and registered coat of arms. It is still possible to create a coat of arms today. However, it has to meet certain heraldic features and MUST be registered.
For more information, see