Do coats of arms belong to surnames?
A. No. There is no such thing as a ‘coat of arms for a surname’. Many people of the same surname will often be entitled to completely different coats of arms, and many of that surname will be entitled to no coat of arms. Coats of arms belong to individuals. For any person to have a right to a coat of arms they must either have had it granted to them or be descended in the legitimate male line from a person to whom arms were granted or confirmed in the past. Coats of arms belong to individuals, not surnames Coats of arms are not awarded to a family or a name, but to an individual. This is why there is often more than one coat of arms associated with a given surname. In most countries, direct descent, usually through the male line, is required for any heir to have the legal right to bear his ancestor’s coat of arms.
