United States Heraldic Registry

Frequently asked questions

Questions:

Answers:

A: No. Stores that sell family or surname arms are selling bogus or other people's ancestors' arms. If your name is Johnson, and someone named Johnson had arms 100 years ago, that does not make them yours. In short, there is no "Johnson coat of arms." Instead you need (a) to inherit a coat of arms from a documented, usually patrilineal ancestor who actually bore that coat of arms or (b) to design an original coat of arms that you can rightfully own and your descendants can inherit. The USHR can assist you with a new design.

A: Having a coat of arms is perfectly legal in the USA. Unlike subjects of Great Britain, Americans don't need their government's permission to bear a coat of arms. Americans enjoy the same heraldic freedoms found in Continental Europe where coats of arms can be assumed without the government's permission.

For more information about the legal status of arms in the United States, see the American Heraldry Society's "Guidelines for Heraldic Practice in the United States" and their article "Heraldic Registration in the United States."

A: Registration is not the same as a "grant" of arms, which is available only in a few countries that regulate heraldry, such as Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Canada. Grants offer limited protection against theft of design within the granting country's borders. In almost all other countries heraldry is, for the most part, unregulated. Citizens of all countries may register their arms with a variety of private and public organizations. Registration with a private registrar, such as the USHR, while offering no legal protections, does, however, create a date-certain for the use of the arms, which can settle disputes if someone later claims the same design, and it helps others to avoid unintentionally assuming someone else's arms.

A: Yes, anyone can register arms.

A: No, anyone can have a coat of arms. There is no rule in any country that one must be related to someone else in order to bear a coat of arms. However, if you want to receive a grant from a foreign country, you usually must have had ancestors in that country, and in Scotland you must meet additional requirements. But even in Scotland, a Scottish citizen can receive a grant of arms regardless of their ancestry.

A: If you design a coat of arms yourself, it is free. If you want a professionally designed coat of arms, then there is the cost of the design and artwork. The USHR offers design consultation.

A: Registration allows a person or organization to record and display their coat of arms in a publicly accessible database. Registration distinguishes inherited and original heraldic designs from bogus "surname coats of arms" and "family crests" purchased at stores and online. Registration can prevent others from unintentionally assuming the same coat of arms. Registration creates a documented date-certain for the use of the arms, which can settle disputes if someone later claims the same design. Registration allows the arms to be stored in standardized, written form, called a "blazon," which stabilizes the design and allows it to be more easily preserved and transmitted and to be found in an electronic search. Registration entries can include the design rationale and history of the arms, preserving the information for the public and future generations. Registration of a personal coat of arms in honor of a parent or grandparent creates an enduring memorial and a symbol of family identity to all the honoree's offspring. Registration of organizational arms helps promote the organization's visibility on the internet.

A: Most heraldic authorities and registries charge hundreds or thousands of dollars. This practice unintentionally perpetuates the popular myth -- springing mainly from the British Isles -- that heraldry is only for the rich and elite of society. In contrast, to promote a more egalitarian heraldic practice consistent with American society, the USHR allows anyone -- no matter their station, economic circumstance, or social status -- to register his or her coat of arms for free. The USHR receives financial support through commissioned artwork and design assistance.

A: About 50%. About half of those rejected are surname family arms which belong to unrelated individuals, the other half violate basic rules of heraldic design. Rejection can prompt applicants to rethink their designs or improve them.

A: Heraldic designs need to be clearly identifiable and distinguishable from a distance, i.e. "across a field," so good contrast and simplicity are the ideal. One convention is called the "rule of tincture," which reminds designers that metals (white and yellow) should not be placed on metals, and colors (darker tinctures) should not be placed on colors. Another convention is that charges (figures or objects) should be few in number, large, and have minimal overlap. Complex designs with small charges appear as spots on a shield when viewed from a distance, and they can appear as smudges when the arms are reduced for a letterhead. A third basic convention is to avoid trite designs like "lucky charm" designs with multiple charges representing one's ancestral countries. Quartering (dividing a shield into four parts) should be avoided in new designs since it adds unnecessary complexity and suggests the inheritance of multiple arms. A good list of ten rules of thumb for heraldic design was developed by the Heraldic Society of Finland in 1990.

A: After gathering information in a phone or email exchange, the USHR emails to the customer a "brainstorm" sheet of several thumbnail-size designs, usually starting with the shield design. The customer comments on these designs, and a new brainstorm sheet is sent out. This process is repeated until a design is chosen. Then the USHR creates final drafts and a finished drawing. This process -- from start to finish -- can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months. Designing a coat of arms can be an existential project -- one is asked to put into symbols and colors a glimpse of themselves. It is not easy!

A: A blazon is a standardized description of a coat of arms (or flag). Blazons use specialized terms and grammar with the goal of efficiently capturing the design. Since English heralds wrote in French, English blazons use many French words. Blazons were used as early as the 12th century to record heraldry at tournaments. In a sense, the blazon defines the coat of arms. Coats of arms, unlike logos which have only one graphic representation, can have multiple representations or "emblazonments." All emblazonments of a coat of arms, even if they differ from one another, are the same coat of arms if they are consistent with the blazon.

A: No. Your character's arms belong to the imaginary character.

A: A coat of arms is not the same thing as a crest, even though many people seem to use the terms interchangeably. The crest is the component of the coat of arms that is usually displayed on top of the helm. A coat of arms is, at minimum, the shield, but it can include a helm, mantling, and a crest over the helm. When all these components are shown together, it is called an "achievement."

A: Helms and clerical headgear are not registered because they are not inherited and can be changed in a person's lifetime (and from drawing to drawing). Supporters, as well as compartments and most crowns, are not registered as part of personal arms because they symbolize nobility in most countries, which is antithetical to American democracy. If supporters and other symbols of nobility are inherited from ancestors in other countries, then a note can be included describing their historical use and display.

A: No. Tinctures do not have fixed or historical meanings. For example, "white" does not mean "purity." Some authors have tried to define color meanings, but their definitions are fictional or not followed.

A: No. The Paypal checkout service takes major credit cards without joining or signing into Paypal. After adding items to the shopping cart, click on "Proceed to checkout" and then click on "Continue" located next to the sentence "Use your credit card or bank account." If you want to pay by money order in US funds, please email us for the mailing address.