Stephen Alden Ralls, D.D.S., Ed.D., M.S.D

Registered: The International Register of Arms, 7th January 2008. Registration No. 0131.

Arms: Per chevron enhanced Sable and Or, in dexter chief a closed Holy Bible palewise Or, clasps sinister of the last, the front panel Gules with a fillet cross Or throughout, in sinister chief a golden sun and in base a wolf rampant Gules, armed and langued Argent.

Crest: An eagle rising with wings addorsed and inverted Sable, armed and membered Or, holding in its dexter talons a battleaxe Or.

Motto: Morere Semel Vive Bis (Die Once, Live Twice)

Private Registration: American College of Heraldry, 24 December 2007, Registration No. 3139.
 

The arms were designed by the armiger and incorporate the tinctures of the English arms granted in another era to two individuals with the Rawles surname. The Holy Bible and the motto reflect the armiger’s Christian faith; the sun is a related paronomastic tribute. Besides its obvious symbolism, the gold fillet cross on the red background secondarily represents the U.S. Navy signal flag for “R” (Romeo). The eagle signifies the armiger’s military rank and country. The battleaxe and wolf’s tincture reflect the longstanding military tradition of this family.

There is a second and less conspicuous layer of symbolism to the arms representing the Germanic origins of the Ralls surname in Radulf (or its variants). Radulf was derived from the Germanic elements “rad” (counsel) and “wulf” (wolf), or collectively “wolf counsel.” Given the ambiguous phonetic overlap often seen between Ralls and Rolls, the surname may have evolved at some point from a Rolls variation. The Rolls variations are considered to have Germanic origins in Hrodwulf (or its variants). Hrodwulf was derived from the Germanic elements “hrod” (fame, glory) and wulf (wolf), or collectively “famous wolf.” Both “wolf counsel” and “famous wolf” are symbolized in heraldic terms on the arms. The closed book symbolizes “counsel,” the sun symbolizes “glory” or “fame,” and the wolf depicts itself. The red wolf is also a paronomastic wordplay for early surname antecedents such as Radulf, Hrodwulf, and the Old English Rædwulf.

The armiger is a Captain, Dental Corps, U.S. Navy (retired) and currently serves as the Executive Director of the American College of Dentists in which organisation he is a Fellow. He has published in the professional literature as well as in established genealogical journals and is the recipient of the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), and Navy Commendation Medal (two awards). Dr. Ralls is married to Laura Marie (nee DiMicco) and they have three sons; Stephen Alden Ralls, Jr., John Walter Ralls, and James William Ralls.

The arms shown here were derived digitally by the armiger from an original rendering completed in February 2008 by the noted heraldic artist, John Ferguson.

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