How to Track Down Your Family Crest

A Display of Family Crests

Family crests identified a family long before surnames. The spelling of your surname on a crest may not be exactly as yours, but in most cases the derivation is the same. There are several ways you can find out if there was a crest in your family. See if the country your family comes from issued family crests. Find out from relatives what countries your ancestors came from. Then do some investigative work on the Internet.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access

Instructions

Tracking Your Family Crest

1. 

   Family Crest

   Consult the Internet and search for your family crest by typing in your surname. Consult websites such House of Names or Roots Web Ancestry to facilitate your search. Compare the information on several websites for consistency on the origin of your family crest and its signification.

2. 

   Heraldry

   Basic information about your family name on websites is free. Consult websites such as All Family Crests, 20-20 Site and The Tree Maker. Type in your surname to see if there is a crest for your family. Typically, most websites carry family crests of Irish, German, Scottish, Italian, Spanish, English, Scottish, Welsh, Canadian, Australian and American origin.

3. 

   Family shields

   A family crest or coat of arms contains symbols, colors and designs that have special meaning for where your family came from and what your name means. These symbols are different from family crest to family crest, but there are some general guidelines common to all crests. Studying these will give you insights into the origin of your family.

Tips & Warnings

• After finding your family crest, you may be interested in learning more about the genealogy of your family, and there are many resources in print and online available for this.

• Be aware that some heraldry sites want to promote their own merchandise.

References

• House of Names
• 20-20 Site
• The Tree Maker