Family Arms and Coat of Arms: What They Are, and Which Is Yours

Most families use the words interchangeably. Family arms, coat of arms, family crest, they get pointed at the same picture. But in heraldry each word means something specific, and knowing the difference matters when you're trying to find what belongs to your name, or turn it into something you can wear.

What are family arms?

"Family arms" is the everyday name for a coat of arms associated with a surname, a heraldic design granted centuries ago and passed down through the generations that followed. The full, formal version is called an achievement of arms, and it's made up of distinct parts:

• The shield (escutcheon) - the heart of the design. The colours, patterns and symbols on the shield are what actually identify a family. When people say "coat of arms," this is the part they mean.
• The crest - the figure that sits on top of the helmet, above the shield. A lion, a stag's head, an arm holding a sword. Originally worn on actual helmets in tournaments so a knight could be recognised in the crowd.
• The helm and mantling - the helmet between shield and crest, and the flowing drapery around it.
• The motto - the family's phrase, usually on a scroll beneath the shield (or above it, in Scottish heraldry).
  
  
  

Crest vs coat of arms: the difference

Strictly speaking, the crest is one component - the piece above the helmet, while the coat of arms is the shield design, and the achievement is the whole arrangement together.

In practice, "family crest" has become shorthand for the entire design, and that's the sense most families use today. There's no harm in it but when you're researching your name in heraldic records, it helps to know that some old sources record only a crest for a surname, others a full coat of arms, and some both. They're listed separately for a reason.

Does your family have arms?

Here's the honest answer: arms were historically granted to individuals, not surnames, and passed down through direct descent. So two unrelated families sharing a surname don't automatically share arms. That said, centuries of records, armorials, heraldic registries, published references mean that for a great many surnames, particularly British, Irish and European ones, there is a documented coat of arms connected to the name.

Finding it takes some digging through those records. We've written a separate guide on exactly that: how to find your family coat of arms - where to look, what the records actually show, and how to tell a genuine reference from a souvenir shop invention.

If there are no arms for your name

Some names have no recorded arms. Names from outside the European heraldic tradition often won't. And some families simply want something of their own rather than something inherited.

That's how it worked originally, anyway every coat of arms was designed for someone, once. Founding your own arms means choosing symbols that mean something to your family and setting them in the heraldic structure: shield, crest, motto. It becomes the inherited design for the generations after you. A good portion of the rings we make start exactly this way, a family designing arms to pass down, rather than tracing ones that already exist.

Wearing your arms: the signet ring

For most of history, family arms weren't framed on a wall. They were worn, engraved into a gold signet ring and used to press the family's mark into wax. The ring was the signature, and it moved from one generation's hand to the next.

That's the tradition we work in. At Cavetta we take a family's arms, found in the records or newly designed and make them into solid gold crest signet rings. The crest is either laser engraved into the face or built into the 3D CAD and cast directly into the ring itself. You see the finished design as a 3D render and approve it before we make anything. Every ring is solid 9ct, 14ct or 18ct gold - yellow, white or rose or platinum or silver, made on the Gold Coast and covered by a lifetime craftsmanship guarantee.

If you're weighing up how a signet is traditionally worn, we've covered that too: signet ring meaning, and which finger to wear it on.

Common questions

Is a family crest the same as a coat of arms?

Not technically. The crest is the figure above the helmet; the coat of arms is the shield design. But in everyday use "family crest" has come to mean the whole design, and heraldic records will make the distinction clear when you're searching a surname.

Can anyone use a coat of arms for their surname?

Arms were granted to individuals and their descendants, so sharing a surname isn't proof of a connection. Many families still choose to use the historic arms associated with their name as a mark of heritage and others design their own so the question never arises.

What's the difference between family arms and an achievement of arms?

They describe the same thing at different levels of formality. "Achievement of arms" is the full formal display, shield, helm, crest, mantling, motto. "Family arms" is simply what most people call it.

Can a coat of arms go on a ring?

Yes! That's the original use. Traditionally a signet carried the crest alone or the full arms, depending on the size of the face. On our rings, a full coat of arms suits a larger face; a crest and motto suit a smaller one. We'll advise on what will hold detail at the size you choose.

Book a 15-minute call if you'd like to talk through your family's arms - whether they exist, and what they'd look like in gold.