2006-11-04 14:30:38 · 7 answers · asked by lita 5 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
go to www.houseofnames.com and type in your surname on the left
2006-11-04 14:38:04 · answer #1 · answered by Jessi 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The sources listed by other answerers are all good but you need to know that there is a lot of misleading information about family crests or coats of arms. The following was copied from the website listed under "sources."
Except for a few individual exceptions from some parts of Eastern Europe, there is no such thing as a coat of arms for a surname - despite the claims and implications of some companies to the contrary. Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families or surnames. A form of property, coats of arms may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Such grants were (and are) made by the proper heraldic authority for the country in question.
2006-11-05 03:18:59 · answer #2 · answered by Serendipity 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Serendipity nailed it. My stock answer is more cynical:
Crests / coats of arms were given to specific indivuals, not families. The oldest legitimate son inherits it.
Supose Sir Thomas Smith, Sir Richard Smith and Sir Harold Smith all get C of A in 1512. By 2006 there is one legitimate eldest son of eldest son of eldest son each, for a total of three men. (Unless someone died before they had a son.)
BUT - there are 3 million Smiths in the US, not to mention England, Canada, Australia and the branch of the family in Argentina started in 1912, after the trouble with the bank auditors in Philadelphia.
You are a merchant, selling plaques, coffee mugs, T-shirts and so forth with coats of arms on them. Hmmmm. Which would get you more sales - to sell them to those three eldest sons of eldest sons . . ., or to the four MILLION people with surname Smith, including some who were "Schmidt" or "Smithkowski" or "Wjohoschmitz" before they came through Ellis Island?
What you get with a "Family" coat of arms is a C of A that was once awarded to someone with that surname, usually. If they get an order for 50 T-shirts for a reunion and can't find a C of A that had ever been awarded to someone of that surname, you get the best guess of the guy in the graphics department, who uses a lot of lions rampant on a crimson field with verdant argules.
If you are truly entitled to a C of A, you are probably living in Europe and it is engraved in the stone above the mantle of the family country home. If not, take your pick from the web sites; they are all equaly false for you, and you might as well pick one whose colors you like.
Wikipedia has articles on Coats of Arms and heraldry, if you are interested.
2006-11-05 09:41:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I just checked out www.houseofnames.com It had most of the names I was looking for... I would have to say it has a big name index to search from, but you need to buy the products... If you want a keepsake, it is a good one to go to.
CyberNara
2006-11-04 23:27:41 · answer #4 · answered by Joe K 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
try putting your surname in google but click on the images tab
2006-11-05 03:34:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
simple...google something along the lines of "family heraldry" and see what pops up.
2006-11-04 22:39:13 · answer #6 · answered by too funny 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
ask parents or look it up in the gov. files.....{birth, deaths & marriages} etc..
2006-11-04 22:35:49 · answer #7 · answered by Alex H 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋