How to get a family crest or coat of arms

 

The good news is that most people have several options to get a family crest or coat of arms.

Your options will vary depending on what your family name is, what evidence you have of your family history and how much time you’re willing to dedicate to it. 

 

Here’s the shortlist:

1. Contact a governing body like the College of Arms to apply for use of a crest.
2. Enlist the services of a genealogist.
3. Find a crest already associated with your family using an online heraldry service.

 

1. Use a governing body like the College of Arms

Depending on your family name, you may be able to trace back your family history to prove a connection to an existing title such as a Lordship in England. 

If you can do so, a governing body like the College of Arms may be able to confirm which crest is applicable. 

However, this can be costly and time consuming as you need to find documents verifying the connection over generations. It is estimated that less than 3% of people could make such a claim via this route. 

2. Enlist the services of a genealogist

Professional genealogists can help take some of the work off your hands by tracing back your early ancestors. 

This can be particularly useful in finding names that changed over hundreds of years as a professional has the tools and skills to navigate these tricky connections. 

Genealogists may be able to find some missing documentation needed to connect generations of your family.

You can visit the Association of Genealogists to find some genealogists in Europe and the rest of the world. 

Average prices start at approximately $350-500 per project.

 3. Use an online heraldry service

Very often, a coat of arms has already been granted to a distant family member centuries ago.

The challenge is finding the correct family crest as there can be hundreds of versions for a given family name, and many are not historically accurate.

Our team specialises in tracing family crests back to the earliest documented version using official heraldry resources. 

We can then recreate it for you in as little as 36 hours for a fraction of the cost of genealogy services (We also offer a 30 day money back guarantee).

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Getting a copy of your family crest is a special way to connect with your ancestors and celebrate your heritage, so it's crucial to ensure you get the right coat of arms.

To learn more, view our family crest products here or drop us a line in the chat box in the bottom of your screen if you’d like to confirm any details before purchase.