Daily AncestorFlame
A flame on a gravestone stands for life, and often for eternal life or an undying memory; a lit torch carries the same meaning.
A flame stands for life, and carved on a grave it is usually read as an eternal flame. A torch held upright and burning means life and immortality, the opposite of the inverted torch.
One Iowa cemetery's best flame is on an Art Deco family monument from the 1960s, while torches go back much further. A flame alone tells you nothing about faith or age.
As seen in a recordTown cemetery, 1920 to 1970
Stylized flame cut into polished granite: Brannigan, Walter 1889 to 1962, Ruth 1893 to 1970
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Flame." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/flame. Last checked 2026-10-15.