One of the first things a lot of beginning genealogists want to explore is their family crest or coat of arms. It is a mistaken belief among beginners that every family has one of these somewhere in their ancient history, and newcomers to the genealogical field naturally want to celebrate their family by bringing their coat of arms back to life. This is a wonderful ambition, and if your family truly does have a coat of arms or crest that you are entitled to use, you should learn about it and display it proudly. However, actually having a coat of arms or family crest is much rarer than you might imagine. Having the hereditary right to use it is even rarer. While there are many companies out there that are willing to sell you all kinds of merchandise with your supposed “family crest” on it, the vast majority of these companies are not engaged in legitimate genealogical research. The coat of arms or crest you get may or may not belong to your family (and it might be made up completely by the company selling it to you), or you may not have the hereditary right to use it.

The use of coats of arms became pretty common by the 12th century and was used by many knights and minor feudal lords who went into battle. Within another century, families were using coats of arms (usually ones granted to an ancestor a century before) as the family logo, and sewed these arms onto flags that flew above their castles and manors. Only the highest classes of people in medieval Europe used coats of arms, as they were the only one with ancestors distinguished enough to have been granted them by the kings of the time. Once a family started using a coat of arms, it was passed down through the generations, from one to the other, even down to the present day.

An individual had to be granted a coat of arms by a ruling monarch to be able to legally use it. After that, the laws or customs governing who had the right to use them varied by country. In most of Europe, only the aristocracy could use them. In the Germanic countries, both aristocrats and free citizens who weren’t noble, but who had distinguishing accomplishments, could be granted them and use them.

In England and Scotland, only the person who was originally granted the coat of arms could use it as it was. While coats of arms were made hereditary in England by King Richard I in the 13th century during the first Crusades, each generation had to change the coat of arms slightly to distinguish it from the generation prior. …

Most European countries adopted the use of coats of arms over the centuries in the Middle Ages. Today, nearly anyone can claim the use of those arms, except in cases where they are trademarked, as most European countries no longer regulate their use (and some countries, like Italy, do not recognize them at all, leaving anyone free to adopt a coat of arms as their own). In the United Kingdom, however, it is different. There are still laws there governing the use of coats of arms that must be followed by anyone in any part of the world who wishes to use them. …

Nothing stops you from designing your own coat of arms and/or family crest. Just know that it is not a hereditary one and has no official or ancestral meaning. You can make one for yourself or your family and use it as a logo. Many companies online will help you design your own. It is the companies that sell you what they tell you is your official family coat of arms based on your surname that are not to be trusted.

As you have seen, only a certain few individuals are legally entitled to use an ancient and hereditary coat of arms. Companies that sell you merchandise with your supposed coat of arms on it are either using the coat of arms of a family with your same surname (and which you have no legal or hereditary right to use), or they are making one up for you and not telling you. They use all of the right parts of a real coat of arms, but the arms they are making for you are new, with no ancestral meaning to your family at all. Many companies have made a lot of money with this deception over the past several decades, as a renewed interest in heraldry began after WWII.

While there is nothing wrong with designing your own coat of arms for your family, it is unlikely you will discover you are entitled to use an ancient and established on that has been handed down for centuries through the same family. Your family might actually have a legitimate ancient coat of arms, but your branch probably doesn’t hold the right to use it. Only in a very few, exceptional cases will you find you belong to a line that does have the right to use an ancient coat of arms. If you do, display them proudly, because they are part of a rich and lengthy heritage few can claim or prove. ...