Can the coats of arms bearing family names be used by anyone with the same name?
(A) Unless you can prove direct descent in the mail line from the original bearer of the arms you are not entitled and therefore permitted by the Law of Arms to use such arms. There are many companies that provide for a fee a design of arms that may well be associated with the same surname as yours, however it is not always the case that you may be entitled to use them. There is no effective way of preventing anyone from designing and using a coat of arms of some other person with the same name. Any such arms are called ‘usurping arms’, or if you have not received a grant ‘bogus arms’.
