...don't.
Don't even bother looking up your last name on one of those websites that supposedly show you your "family crest".
A few things to know if you're interested in heraldry:
1. It's not called a family crest, it's called an achievement of arms. The crest is just a small part of the full armorial bearings. The crest is literally just a small crest at the top of the helmet. The coat of arms is the design on the shield.
The achievement of arms consists of the coat of arms (the shield with the design), the mantle which is the colorful cloth or leaf designs surrounding the shield, the crest on top of the helmet, and sometimes, supporters (people or animals that stand next to the shield)
2. just because you have the last name Johnson or Williams or Smith doesn't mean that coat of arms you found online belongs to you. In fact unless you can prove that you are directly descended from the individual that bore those arms, they don't belong to you. Heraldry doesn't work like Scottish clans. Not everyone with the same surname bore the same arms. In fact only one person can bear any particular coat of arms at a time. When a man was granted the right to bear arms, it was HIS arms, not his family's. A first born son would bear arms similar to his father's but with a distinguishing mark to show that he was NOT his father. His second son would bear a different distinguishing mark etc.
When the father died, the first born son would inherit his arms.
So not only do you have to prove that you are actually descended directly from the person who last bore that particular set of arms you found online, you also have to be able to prove that you have the right to bear them rather than some other descendant of his...AND you have to be noble. Only nobles were granted the right to bear arms.
Luckily we live in America and there are no recognized titles of nobility anymore. So basically do whatever you want.
But if you want to be legit, design your own achievement of arms and register them with a heraldry registry such as:
United States Heraldic Registry : Main - Homepage browse
Since there is no American nobility, you don't need a nobleman to grant you the right to bear arms, but don't steal someone's design just because you have the same surname. It's a FAMILY coat of arms, not a "last name" coat of arms. Unless your father passed down the arms to you, and he himself had the right to do so, design your own.
Here's mine:
And it is blazoned as follows: Sable, a chevron between in chief a key fesswise pointing to sinister and in base a blacksmith's hammer palewise Argent.
And the crest on top is a raven regardant maintaning a key atop an anvil. The key represents the arms of Obwalden where my family comes from in Switzerland, the hammer is a pun for my last name and also represents the fact that I like making stuff.
The crossed halberds also represent Switzerland but they aren't actually part of the arms. I don't have supporters because I'm not nobility.
Oh yeah an the motto on the scrolls will be "ubi libertas, ibi patria" which means "where there is liberty, there is my country". Which represent the fact that I'm loyal to the principles of liberty, not any particular country or landmass.
Anyway, I hope that helped!
Don't even bother looking up your last name on one of those websites that supposedly show you your "family crest".
A few things to know if you're interested in heraldry:
1. It's not called a family crest, it's called an achievement of arms. The crest is just a small part of the full armorial bearings. The crest is literally just a small crest at the top of the helmet. The coat of arms is the design on the shield.
The achievement of arms consists of the coat of arms (the shield with the design), the mantle which is the colorful cloth or leaf designs surrounding the shield, the crest on top of the helmet, and sometimes, supporters (people or animals that stand next to the shield)
2. just because you have the last name Johnson or Williams or Smith doesn't mean that coat of arms you found online belongs to you. In fact unless you can prove that you are directly descended from the individual that bore those arms, they don't belong to you. Heraldry doesn't work like Scottish clans. Not everyone with the same surname bore the same arms. In fact only one person can bear any particular coat of arms at a time. When a man was granted the right to bear arms, it was HIS arms, not his family's. A first born son would bear arms similar to his father's but with a distinguishing mark to show that he was NOT his father. His second son would bear a different distinguishing mark etc.
When the father died, the first born son would inherit his arms.
So not only do you have to prove that you are actually descended directly from the person who last bore that particular set of arms you found online, you also have to be able to prove that you have the right to bear them rather than some other descendant of his...AND you have to be noble. Only nobles were granted the right to bear arms.
Luckily we live in America and there are no recognized titles of nobility anymore. So basically do whatever you want.
But if you want to be legit, design your own achievement of arms and register them with a heraldry registry such as:
United States Heraldic Registry : Main - Homepage browse
Since there is no American nobility, you don't need a nobleman to grant you the right to bear arms, but don't steal someone's design just because you have the same surname. It's a FAMILY coat of arms, not a "last name" coat of arms. Unless your father passed down the arms to you, and he himself had the right to do so, design your own.
Here's mine:
And it is blazoned as follows: Sable, a chevron between in chief a key fesswise pointing to sinister and in base a blacksmith's hammer palewise Argent.
And the crest on top is a raven regardant maintaning a key atop an anvil. The key represents the arms of Obwalden where my family comes from in Switzerland, the hammer is a pun for my last name and also represents the fact that I like making stuff.
The crossed halberds also represent Switzerland but they aren't actually part of the arms. I don't have supporters because I'm not nobility.
Oh yeah an the motto on the scrolls will be "ubi libertas, ibi patria" which means "where there is liberty, there is my country". Which represent the fact that I'm loyal to the principles of liberty, not any particular country or landmass.
Anyway, I hope that helped!
