A Tattoo of Your Family Coat of Arms

I recently received an e-mail from someone who has the same last name as my own. She had searched the web and found that I often write about genealogy and occasionally about coats of arms and crests. She sent me an e-mail that said (in part), "I am looking for a copy of the Eastman family crest because my son would like to have one."

She and I exchanged a couple of emails and I explained that there is no such thing as a family crest. Each person has to apply for permission to display his or her own crest and is not authorized to share it with others. In my message, I used the word "crest" but didn't mention "coat of arms."

She then she wrote back, "If there is no family crest, do you have a coat of arms for the Eastman name? If you do, could I please have a copy of it for my son? He wants to have it for a tattoo he is going to have it put on his back."

A tattoo? Gasp! He wants to have a tattoo of something that isn't his? I'd suggest that the son think long and hard about the wisdom of doing that.

I have written several articles about the "propriety" of displaying coats of arms or family crests when you do not have written permission from the heralds to do so. (Heralds are the people who issue crests and coats of arms.) Many other people have written similar articles.

I won't repeat all the information here. Instead, I will suggest that if you have an interest in the subject, you should read some of the following articles now before doing anything that is difficult to reverse:

The Right to Arms http://www.sog.org.uk/leaflets/arms.html

Fake Coats of Arms http://www.historyslice.com/beginners/frauds.htm

Beware of "Your Family's Coat of Arms" Scams! http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2005/11/beware_of_your_.html

Pssst! Want to Buy Your Family's Coat of Arms? http://www.eogn.com/archives/news0126.htm

Family Coats of arms, Crests and other such misconceptions http://www.naught.org/coa.html

Fancy your own coat of arms? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/659526.stm

My Least Favorite Genealogy Web Site http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2004/08/my_least_favori.html

The above is an incomplete list; a search on Google or other search engines will find many more, similar articles. The National Genealogy Society's Consumer Protection Committee also has additional information about the shoddy businesses that create and sell coats of arms.

I wonder if my correspondent's son is still interested in the tattoo.

Comments

[Robert Juch]

Since there is no authority in the United States that issues or otherwise controls coats of arms, I believe that any American can use any coat of arms that he or she wants. They should not adopt the coat of arms of anyone else however, but make their own.

[Tim]

I have a large collection of coat of arms images, and have integrated the arms of my ancestors into the background images on my web site. I have also studied heraldry enough to be able to design my own coat of arms.

But why? Since the US does not recognize arms or crests, they would be meaningless. More than that, they would probably be offensive to those in countries that do grant arms. And what would they be "used" for?

I found several web sites encouraging teachers to have children design their own coats of arms by (more or less) randomly placing charges onto a shield. The sites supplied a shield outline image and a very brief, and mostly wrong, explanation of what a coat of arms is. It was disgusting.

On a side note, I have a copy of the actual order creating the arms for a person which seems to grant the arms to his descendants with the same surname. If I can find it I may post the relevant portion here. It seems to contradict what I have always heard about arms not being hereditary.

[Ed Chavez]

How do I get mine with a spanish last name. Who can get that information and it be legit.

[Dick Eastman]

If anyone says that it is your family's coat of arms, you can be sure that it is illegitimate.

There is no such thing as a family coat of arms unless your direct all-male line of ancestry goes back to a Samurai warrior in Japan. Even then, Japanese family coats of arms do not look much like the English or European coats of arms that are issued to individuals, never to families.

- Dick Eastman

[Tim]

Dick,

Have you noticed that there are some exceptions? The caption "Winston Churchill's: Arms are hereditary" appears on the page you linked to above: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/659526.stm. I haven't found the document I mentioned in a previous post, but it and that caption suggest that exceptions can be made.

Of course, this will probably just add to the perceived validity of those "family coat of arms" sites.

[J. W. Blasdell]

An American can be granted honorary coat of arms with the college of arms, but you must be able to show that you have descended through male lineage from a subject of the crown. You can apply to be granted the coat of arms held by that ancestor.

[J. W. Blasdell]

An American can be granted honorary coat of arms with the college of arms, but you must be able to show that you have descended through male lineage from a subject of the crown. You can apply to be granted the coat of arms held by that ancestor.

[Ms. Tauscher]

in my parents attic is my family's coat of arms.this i am gettin tattooed onto the back of my neck with my last name tauscher under it. my last name means everything to me. i have wanted my coat of arms tattooed on me since i was 17. my last name will soon be gone and forgotten due to theres only one boy with that will carry the last name into more generations. 1 boy and 10 girls in the whole family. i believe that anyone should have the right to get their coat of arms tattooed on them.

[Non F Yerbiznaz]

who cares, do you honestly think that the heralds, or whoever it may be that keeps track of this sort of thing, are going to be so concerned with other people, that they are contacting all of these people with tattoos of they're coat of arms (tattoos being a form of free expression), then they obviously are suffering from having way to much free time. And i woudlnt bother replying to this post with some crack about me not having any spare time because im on some stupid genealogy blog or whatever this is, cuz i am already well aware of the amount of free time i actually do have, and id hate for anyone to point out the obvious. i honestly am only responding because i as well would like to get a tattoo of my coat of arms...on both my shoulders, for both sides of my family, which i believe holds some kind of sentiment and taste, rather than getting something that is distasteful or that i will have to cover up in public.

[chuck Hudgins]

Looking for family crest tattoos. Coat of arms.

[coat of arms]

nice post.

Of course you are correct. Coats of arms are not inherited, etc. etc. However, if the person decides that they like the Murphy coat of arms, and their name is Murphy, then what is the harm of getting it tattooed on their back? It isn't much different than choosing the Irish Flag for a tattoo. It's not like an Irish-American inherited the Irish Flag either. It's just a symbol that makes someone feel good about their heritage.

[CraeZ8]

Well, I certainly don't think that any of my ancestors have a coat of arms or a crest, but i want to get a tat of one on my chest. So i drew my own. you gotta understand, no matter what it is, a tattoo is an illustrated experession of either an aspect of your personality or just something that symbolizes what you are. And a coat of arms is just one way that you can show you have pride in your name and in your heritage.

[esotw]

In the US there is no governing body to grant you a coat of arms, so you kinda can do what you want. BUT if you are wanting one in the sense of tradition then you should learn about heraldry and what is allowed. I am putting my family history together and I decided I wanted a coat of arms. I hired a heraldry designer and after long back and forth exchanges, I got a crash course on what could and couldn't be used if you were wanting a real coat of arms. Supporters for example are a no-no, using coronets, badges, mantles of estate, etc. of others are unethical UNLESS you can prove lineage connection. There is a split on if a woman can have a helm, crest and a split on if it's a shield or lozenge (diamond shape) since women are not expected to go to war, but in this day and age women serve in the military. For me my coat of arms were created to represent me, my ancestors and my heritage. I also had my son give his input as I told him when I died I was willing it to him for him to use or if he wanted tradition for him to add to mine something to represent him. I suggest everyone do the right thing don't use someone else's coat of arms, get your own.

[Happy Dae]

In my opinion, which seems worth less to today's youth than ever before, a coat of arms is simply a decoration. It grants no priviledges and requires no responsibility on the part of the bearer. Thus if our callow youth wish to pierce their bodies, butcher their hair or mark their flesh with meaningless symbols, then they will do so as long as they can pay for it.

Oh, yes. You may counsel them against it, but where has that led? Instead of one tattoo, they obtain several. One earring becomes a series of other flesh piercings. When they mature (should that happen) they will come to regret the folly of their earlier decisions.

Historically, the owners of slaves and chattel would mark their belongings with piercings and tattoos and brandings. UhOh. Did I just open the gateway to another stupid, insidious practice for the adolescent-minded?

Listen: if Genealogy teaches us nothing else, it should teach us to Think Long Term. A Coat of Arms was issued to one person -- not an heriditary, long-term item. I suggest including its likeness next to the documented information you've researched on your ancester. . .much the same as you would his steed or his signature.

Happy Dae.

[Beg to differ]

I take exception to your comment, since I am a 37 year old married mother of two and looking for a tattoo design.

In my "youth", I had a tattoo put on my arm, and it still makes me happy to see it. I like the design, I like what it symbolizes for me and I like the location.

Your opinion is noted, but stereotypical, and way off base.

I am not a "biker", chattel, or an addict. I am not a rebellious teen ager, and I meet a lot of responsibilities every day. I am articulate, educated, and healthy, emotionally and physically. My children are in a private school, my husband makes a good wage, and my kids are healthy well adjusted individuals.

I do not feel as though I need to be "counseled against" a decision to get another tattoo.

[XxWarlordxX]

wow there's alot of people who complain about stuff they don't need to... i feel sorry for the people who have to reply to such disgusting critisism about " It's bad to get tattoos and peircings ". Complaining is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do, but doesn't get you were very far. Personnaly I think that people who flame people because of personnal feelings towards the things they are flaming towards. As my friend would say: STFU!!!.. no one cares what you think. Yes, by now you can tell that i'm a teenager. I had to say all that ^ because it was bugging me.. sorry, but someone has to say it sooner or later. Anyway, the real reason I came to this site was to ask if I could get a tattoo of the Coat of Arms for the Roberts family. Oh and give me a sujestion on were to put it cause seriously i have no place to put it. Though my first Idea was to put it on my left forarm then have gothic swirling flames coming up from a tattoo braclet all the way up to my elbow.. or at least 3/4 the way up my forarm. Anyway PLEASE contact me about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dick Eastman]

You may be surprised to learn that there is no coat of arms for the Roberts family. In fact, there is no such thing as a family coat of arms for any family (with a few exceptions in some Oriental countries but Roberts doesn't sound like an Oriental name.) Lots of people think there are family coats of arms but a few minutes' reading on authoritative web sites will quickly show the truth.

Coats of arms are issued to individuals, not families. Perhaps at some time in history, some person named Roberts obtained a grant for a coat of arms. That does not automatically give permission for every person named Roberts to copy it and use it.

If I was about to get a tattoo, I would not want to permanently use something I am not authorized to display.

Here's a few places to check:

The Right to Arms http://www.sog.org.uk/leaflets/arms.html

Fake Coats of Arms http://www.historyslice.com/beginners/frauds.htm

Beware of "Your Family's Coat of Arms" Scams! http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2005/11/beware_of_your_.html

Pssst! Want to Buy Your Family's Coat of Arms? http://www.eogn.com/archives/news0126.htm

Family Coats of arms, Crests and other such misconceptions http://www.naught.org/coa.html

Fancy your own coat of arms? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/659526.stm

My Least Favorite Genealogy Web Site http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2004/08/my_least_favori.html

[Julie Chrisler]

I am fascinated to learn that the books that used to be sold containing a family's coat of arms or family crest were just big fat scams. I kinda knew that anyway, but had no idea that even the coat of arms and crest in these books was meaningless.

In the meantime, if one of your readers does go out and get a new tattoo, I recommend that you check out the tattoo after care described on http://hubpages.com/Tattoo-After-Care to prevent infection.

[Nathan Dent]

What the f are you people tryin to say here? that i cant tattoo a symbol on my body? I could get Coca - cola tattoed if i felt it meant something, it is my skin, and the people wanting to get a coat of arms tattooed are simply looking to display a sense of pride for thier family, like me. Is that unethical these days? To not have a sense of family pride? I am an australian that descended from english background and i am gettin a coat of arms whether the f'n geneology centre likes it or not, so stick it up your ass. Fake or not i like the fake design, fake meaning and fake motto, and tomorrow i get my fake coat of arms and i'm going to love it, wear it with pride and i'm gonna smile when i think of the stuck up pommy pricks at the geneology whatever the f it is cryin because i dont have a right to wear it. How about tomorrow you come over here and try rub it off.

[Faith]

whether or not it was origonally made for 1 person or not, it was made for that person, with that last name. so why would you not want to honor your last name the way they did, reguardless of it "not being for you! oh noes!" you people that say the geneology people wouldnt like it, its called have a mind of your own and have some free will you morons. i think like any tattoo its a symbol of yourself, and any symbol can mean anything. learn2 not get butt hurt. i do agree that you can design your own family crest that you can pass down to your family, that will be "your family crest" because you designed it that way. and for you ppl that are complaining, if you dont like it, dont look at it.

[Kyle]

I suspect our friend Dick is spot on here (he is the expert after all :-P).

I was also considering a tattoo of a family coat of arms.

As it happens, I have a particularly rare last name. I found a site, however, that listed the name in their list of prior names 'researched'.

Having already come across a few other more easily discernable frauds, I was wary to accept whatever they produced for my 50 dollar fee. I sent an email to their customer service asking if in addition to the graphic, I could also be sent a list of references and sources of information.

That was quite a while ago, and after a few follow up emails, I am yet to hear back.

My advice to the tattoo seeking crowd? Your family is obviously worth a lot more to you than a few symbols on a shield. Do some brain storming, and come up with a tattoo idea that REALLY ties you to your roots.

[Mr. Roberts]

I have to say while reading all of this has made me very disturbed. First off I Do have a tattoo of "MY" family coat of arms. Big, colorful, and everyone can see it on the back of my calf. I am proud to have something that means so much to me displayed on my body. I have gotten nothing but compliments and wows. Also as a side note, if you are thinking of wanting or searching your coat of arms, you can simply start one for your family. You can add your own meanings and symbols to what describes your lineage from the time of you and on.

[Coat of Arms Tattoos / Family Crest Tattoos]

It is true that in the U.S., you can choose any coat of arms you wish for a tattoo. It may not sit right with the stuffy english, but here in the U.S., it is just something that is more FUN than serious. If you do want to be serious about it, you can have your lineage researched to see if you do actually qualify to bear a certain coat of arms. Or, like another user here said, just make up one of your own based on your interests or traits. Or, you can have one done for you here: http://www.4crests.com/tattoos.html

[B.Murphy]

i come from county cork in ireland and my second name is murphy...there are a few different murphy family crests/coat of arms, and one of them is a cork/kerry one.it comes from the wexford sept...i was born in cork and lived all my life in cork, my dad was born in kerry...my dad died recently and i want a tatoo that reminds me of where i came from, and sort of in memory of my dad...what better way than to get the cork/kerry 'murphy' crest...what right does some genealogy fool have telling people what thet can and cant have tatoo'd on their body.
im a cork/kerry 'murphy'and i will get that tatoo if i want because im proud of my family backround and no geneology muppet will stop me from getting it...slan

[s robertson]

Isnt it better to have something you are truly proud to be apart of tattoed on your body than something random that when you are 80 think why? I have had my family crest tattoed on my ankle for 12 years now and have never regretted it and never will its who i am.

[Benjamin Reynolds]

What about family crests. The symbol often displayed above, or without an individuals coat of arms? Does a person need permission to display them if their surname matches?

[Dick Eastman]

In the United States and (I think) in most other countries, you do not need "permission" to tattoo or display anything. You could display a dozen different family coats of arms/crests but that doesn't mean that any of them are authorized for your use.

If anyone says that it is your family's coat of arms, you can be sure that it is illegitimate.

Yes, there are some minor exceptions so I will change the above statement: "If anyone says that it is your family's coat of arms, you can be sure that it is illegitimate 99.999% of the time."

- Dick Eastman

[Anoldlady]

In the U.K. when a man was granted a coat of arms, all sons could apply and be granted one with some differences. Only the oldest son inherits his father's upon his father's death. So any coat of arms goes from father to oldest son to oldest son all the way down the line. A female sometimes inherited one if there was no male heir.

So any coat of arms you see in a book or sold by one of the peddlers on the internet, at shopping malls, in airports, in magazines etc belongs to one man and one man alone. For anyone else to display the coat of arms of another man is usurpation of another man's identity.

How could a person with pride in themselves and their family want to take on another person's identiy????

In the U.S. some prominent and wealthy Americans have been granted one by the College of Arms for a price but I understand they are not hereditary. I also understand those that are granted to men who are knighted are not hereditary.

Now, many people,even of humble origin, have more than one in their family tree. That doesn't mean they are entitled to any one of them. If a person has any English lines that goes back to early colonial days in the American South, they have an excellent opportunity of finding several in their family tree. That just mean if they have a book printed or even published on their family history, it is quite legitimate for them to put pictures of their ancestors' coats of arms in their book. That's all. It wouldn't be legitimate, for them to put pictures in their book of coats of arms that just happened to be granted to someone with the same surname as their ancestors.

Some in the South have one their ancestor brought over from England 300-400 years ago. They aren't those little walnut plaques either. As a rule, they don't display them. They can't buy groceries or gasoline with them.

[Y. Murphy]

Wow, I had no idea there was so many people interested in a Tattoo of a family crest. I came looking for my family crest, with little or no knowledge of them. My son wants to tattoo it on his body somewhere. We Murphy's are a proud bunch. My grandfather Jeremiah Murphy was nationalized at Ellis island in 1942, he married and raised 7 children, build his own home and had a family business, he was a little guy but larger than life to me. I am very proud of my lineage, his family still reside in Ireland. I hope to go meet them someday. It makes no difference to me if my son wears a family crest of Murphy. It shows me he also is proud of his family, and our history. Who cares who don't like it. Those are the people who are shocked about tattoos in the first place, they are people who are narrow minded and stifled a bit, and probably not someone I am going to be hanging out with or care what they have to say.
I agree after learning some more about coats of arms and family crest, that making your own is a good idea, but who knew there would be so much fuss over a piece of art.

[Al]

Wow
I have had my family's "crest" inked on my back for years.
My nephew is the one who provided the ring so that I could get the tattoo in the first place.

[Dick Eastman]

---> I have had my family's "crest" inked on my back for years.

Question: How do you know it is your family's crest?

The experts who study heraldry (coats of arms, crests, and other regalia) tell us there is no such thing as a family coat of arms or a family crest. I'm curious how you determined that yours is authentic?

[Eric]

My grandfater recently passed and I am having a really hard time finding the GRONACHAN coat of arms origin Ireland ....If anyone could help me out or give me some good places to narrow my search down it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You

[Rita Botting]

wow, thanks this was great information. what about the female line, are they allowed to apply for the deceased male's crest/coat. What makes a crest/coat defunct? Do you have any information of how the crest/coat established battle standards (not sure what you call the symbols knights carried).

[Dick Eastman]

---> what about the female line, are they allowed to apply for the deceased male's crest/coat.

Yes, a female can be issued coats of arms these days. They are usually "differenced" arms. That is, they look similar to the father's coat of arms but with minor differences. Again, only one person is ever authorized to use a coat of arms or family crest. They are not issued to every person who shares the same last name.

---> What makes a crest/coat defunct?

When the person who is authorized to display them dies.

After the person's death, his eldest son may apply to use the same coat of arms and the heralds usually approve that. However, the son must apply and must first be approved.

[Dick Eastman]

---> My grandfather recently passed and I am having a really hard time finding the GRONACHAN coat of arms origin Ireland

There are no family coats of arms in Ireland.

Coats of arms are issued to INDIVIDUALS, not to families.

[Don Gronachan]

I'm also a "Gronachan" (we must be related)and I have found recent evdene that our ancestors were from Scotland and not Ireland as I also thought.