Heraldry is one of history’s most misunderstood traditions. Between Hollywood movies, tourist shops selling generic “family crests,” and well-meaning but incorrect family lore, misconceptions about coats of arms are everywhere. Here are the seven most common myths — and the truth behind them.
Myth #1: “Everyone with my surname can use the same coat of arms”
The truth: In countries with formal heraldic systems (particularly England, Scotland, and Ireland), a coat of arms legally belongs to a specific individual and their direct line of descendants — not to everyone who shares the surname. The College of Arms in England is very clear on this point.
However, in practice, most people use coats of arms as symbols of their surname’s heraldic heritage — a legitimate and meaningful way to connect with family history, even if you’re not the direct heir of the original grantee.
What this means for you: The coat of arms associated with your surname represents your family’s heraldic tradition. Displaying or wearing it is a way to honor that heritage — not a legal claim to be the armigerous heir.
Myth #2: “Only nobles and royalty have coats of arms”
The truth: While heraldry began as a marker of military and noble status, it expanded rapidly. By the 14th and 15th centuries, wealthy merchants, guild members, churchmen, and even prosperous commoners were using and registering coats of arms across Europe.
In France, Louis XIV’s 1696 Armorial Général required virtually everyone — including craftsmen and tradespeople — to register arms. In Germany and the Netherlands, merchant families used coats of arms as proudly as any knight. In Scotland, any person of good standing could petition the Lord Lyon for a grant.
The idea that only nobles had arms is largely a modern myth.
Myth #3: “My family crest is the same as my coat of arms”
The truth: The crest is just one part of the full coat of arms. Specifically, it’s the emblem that sits on top of the helmet in a complete heraldic achievement. The coat of arms includes the shield, the helmet, the crest, the mantling, and often a motto and supporters.
In everyday language, “family crest” and “coat of arms” are used interchangeably — and that’s fine. But technically, when someone says “here’s my family crest,” they may only be showing you part of the full design.
Myth #4: “The coat of arms tells you what your ancestors were like”
The truth (sort of): The symbols in a coat of arms did originally convey meaning about the family — their virtues, military achievements, or the lord they served. A lion meant courage, a cross meant crusading faith, a ship meant maritime heritage.
But over centuries, arms were granted, modified, quartered (combined through marriage), and inherited in ways that disconnected the symbols from their original meaning. Many modern families bear arms whose symbolism is no longer directly tied to their personal history.
That said, the original symbolism is still historically meaningful — it tells you what the family valued when the arms were first granted, which is usually in the medieval period.
Myth #5: “You can buy a coat of arms”
The truth: You cannot buy a legally granted coat of arms in countries with formal heraldic systems. In England, arms are granted by the College of Arms through a formal petition process. In Scotland, the Lord Lyon grants arms. These cannot be purchased off a shelf.
What you can do — and what most people mean when they say “buy a coat of arms” — is commission a representation of the heraldic design historically associated with your family name. This is entirely legitimate and is what most heritage companies, including us, provide.
What you should avoid: generic “coat of arms” certificates sold in airport shops or online without any actual heraldic research. These are usually stock designs with your name printed on them — they have nothing to do with your actual family history.
Myth #6: “Coat of arms research only matters for people with European ancestry”
The truth: While European heraldry is the most extensively documented tradition, heraldic and family symbol traditions exist across the world. Japanese kamon (family crests) are one of the oldest and most sophisticated family symbol systems in history. Ottoman Turkish families used tughra (calligraphic seals). African kingdoms used royal emblems. Chinese clans had clan symbols and hall names.
For people with European ancestry — whether from Ireland, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, or anywhere across the continent — formal heraldic research is particularly accessible because of the extensive European archival record.
Myth #7: “My family name is too common to have a unique coat of arms”
The truth: Some of the most common surnames in the world have the most extensively documented heraldic histories. Murphy, Smith, García, Müller — all of these extremely common names have multiple documented coats of arms in heraldic archives, because common surnames were carried by many different families across different regions, each of which might have had their own arms granted.
In fact, a very common surname often has more heraldic records associated with it, not fewer.
The Real Story of Your Coat of Arms
The truth about heraldry is more interesting than the myths. It’s a centuries-old system of visual identity that crossed social classes, spread across continents, and preserved family stories in permanent form. Your family’s coat of arms is part of that real history.
- Search your family name — find the real heraldic history of your surname
- Heritage Search Origins — a deeper dive into your family’s documented history