How can you find your family coat of arms?

Answer 1

If the family name is of British, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish ancestry, the College of Heralds is the place to seek help.

Heralds have, down thru the centuries, been the people who design and authenticate, family coats of arms, and crests. They are the official arbiters of what, who, why, and when, as it applies to family heritage.

Do a Google search and see what the College of Heralds can do to help you.

Follow up question on previous response. What about a European (Polish,German,Swiss,etc.etc.)surname. Use the same resources??

Be very cautious in researching a family crest - the majority of people at that time did not have such an emblem, and were farmers, peasants, etc. There area lot of scam companies offering crests, lineages etc for a price.

Don't forget, just because you find an authentic crest for your Surname does not necessarily make your family eligible. You must find and authenticate a direct lineage to the proper family members to use a crest.

There is no such thing as a family crest; crests are part of the overall heraldry held by an individual (usually a man). They refer to the crest worn on top of a knight's helmet during the late medieval period - not to the design on the shield.

A crest can be many kinds of things like a swan, a deer's head and neck, a man's arm holding a sword, a ship, a standing dragon and so on. This crest was often used as a badge by the knight's retainers and servants, who were not permitted to have a coat of arms.

Fraudsters have in modern times pretended to be able to identify "your family coat of arms" in return for payment; this idea is completely false because if you have been awarded a complete coat of arms (with motto, supporters, mantling and crest) you will already have a legal heraldic document proving it - nobody without that evidence can claim to have any heraldry.

In England, Wales and Scotland it is a serious offence in law to pretend that you have title to any part of a coat of arms (including the crest) when you have no such right.

Answer 2

In most cases, if your family actually has a "family crest" or coat of arms, you've known about it since you were a small child.

The vast majority of families do not have, and never have had, a family crest or coat of arms. Simply having the same surname as a family that once had a coat of arms does not mean that you are related to that family. Even if you can prove that you are related to a family that once had a coat of arms, it does not mean that the coat of arms ever rightfully belonged to one of your ancestors. A coat of arms belonged to a specific individual and his descendants, not to a surname.

That, of course, does not prevent heraldic "bucket shops" from selling you a bogus "family crest" that they have found in a book or invented themselves.

Answer 3

The first thing is to determine whether your family actually had a coat of arms. Contrary to what many 'crest companies' would have you believe, most families did not have a coat of arms. Coats of arms belonged to the nobles and knights, who were only about 10% of the population of medieval Europe. Chances are not high that your family had one.

If you can document your lineage to nobility, then you have a chance of finding a coat of arms. And just because your name matches it does not mean that you are related to a particular coat of arms.

Answer 4

There are many online sites where one can view their family crests. All Family Crests has a complete alphabetical listing with many family crests. The Family Crest Shop also has a wide listing available, including crests from many different countries of origin.

Answer 5

If your family has a family crest, you might find information about it on a site that specializes in geneologies like WikiTree. Many families do not have a family crest, though.

Answer 6

I have placed a link below directing you to a page with the information that you require.

Answer 7

To create a family crest, make a design and call it your crest.

Answer 8

4crests.com or houseofnames.com