Daily AncestorLamb
A lamb on a gravestone stands for innocence and usually marks a child's grave; it also recalls Christ as the Lamb of God.
The lamb is one of the most common symbols on American children's graves, carved in the round, in relief or simply incised. It stands for innocence and purity and draws on Christ as the shepherd and the Lamb of God. It stayed common on babies' graves well into the 20th century.
A lamb usually means a child, but not always: some adults have lambs too, so read the dates. A lamb is a strong clue to look for the child in the next census or in church baptism records.
As seen in a recordTown or rural cemetery, 1850 to 1930
Small marble lamb lying on a block: Willie, son of J. and M. Ferrell, aged 1 yr. 3 mos. 9 ds.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Lamb." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/lamb. Last checked 2026-10-15.