Clan Crest vs Coat of Arms vs Family Crest: What's the Difference?

Search for your surname online and you will be offered a "family crest" within seconds. Search a little further and the same picture turns up labelled a "coat of arms", a "clan crest" and a "family shield". They are not interchangeable terms. In Scottish heraldry each one means something specific, and two of them belong to a single named person rather than to everybody who shares a surname.

This guide explains the difference in plain language, says who is actually entitled to use what, and points you to the official bodies that decide.

The Short Answer

• A coat of arms is the whole heraldic design, granted by a heraldic authority to one individual person.
• A crest is just one component of that design — the figure that sits on top of the helmet.
• A "family crest" is not a heraldic term at all. It is a popular phrase, and in Scotland the thing it describes does not exist.
• A clan crest badge is a distinctly Scottish object: the chief's crest inside a strap and buckle carrying the chief's motto, which clansfolk may display to show allegiance.

What a Coat of Arms Actually Is

A full coat of arms — heralds call the complete display an achievement — is a layered design. At the centre is the shield. Around and above it sit the external parts: the helmet, the mantling (the stylised cloth drapery), the torse or wreath, the crest, sometimes supporters standing either side, and a motto.

The crucial point is ownership. In Scotland, arms are granted to a person, not to a surname and not to a family. The Court of the Lord Lyon, Scotland's heraldic authority, puts it bluntly: there is no such thing in Scotland as a "family coat of arms", because a personal coat of arms can be borne by only one person at a time. Even the heir to a coat of arms has to bear it with a mark of difference to distinguish it from the version their parent carried.

Scotland also takes this seriously in law. Arms legally used in Scotland are entered in the Public Register of All Armorial Bearings in Scotland, which has recorded them since 1672. If a coat of arms is not properly recorded in that register, it is a criminal offence to use it in Scotland.

What a Crest Actually Is

The crest is the smallest and most misunderstood piece of the puzzle. Historically it was a three-dimensional ornament fixed to the top of a helmet for tournaments and display. Today the Court of the Lord Lyon defines a crest as the representation of a three-dimensional object which is placed above the helm.

So a crest is the device borne on top of the helm — a stag's head, a hand holding a weapon, a bird, a tower. It is not the shield, and it is not the whole achievement. The word is very commonly used loosely to mean the arms on the shield, or the entire design, but that usage is incorrect.

This matters for a practical reason. When people picture a "crest" they usually picture a shield. The thing most often reproduced as a Scottish clan emblem is genuinely a crest, in the strict sense: the figure from above the helmet, lifted out and set inside a circular strap.

Why "Family Crest" Is the Odd One Out

"Family crest" is the phrase most people type into a search box, and it is the one with no standing in Scottish heraldry. Arms and crests in Scotland are personal property. They descend through a line of individuals, each of whom holds a version of their own, rather than attaching to everybody who happens to share a name.

The Court of the Lord Lyon notes that websites often present the design of the arms belonging to the chief of a clan as though it applied to everyone of that surname. It does not. Thousands of people share the surname MacDonald; one person at a time holds the chief's arms.

The same principle holds south of the border. The College of Arms, the heraldic authority for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, treats arms as the hereditary property of the original grantee and their descendants — a matter of proven lineage, not of surname. Sharing a name with an armiger does not make their arms yours.

None of this makes the surname search pointless. Your surname is still the thread that leads to a clan, a chief and a tartan. It simply is not a certificate of entitlement to someone else's arms. If you want to start that thread, the surname search on our homepage is the quickest way in.

The Scottish Clan Crest Badge: The Strap and Buckle

Here is where Scotland does something generous that English heraldry does not.

A member of a clan may display a badge made up of the chief's crest set within a strap and buckle design, with the chief's motto shown on the strap. The chief alone owns the coat of arms. The encircling strap is the visual signal that the wearer is a follower of that chief rather than the armiger himself.

That small design decision is the whole etiquette of the thing. Strip the strap away and you are displaying the chief's personal crest as if it were your own. Keep the strap and buckle, and you are doing exactly what the tradition invites you to do.

It also explains something you may have noticed: in Scotland many unrelated people correctly display the same crest, because they all follow the same chief. In English practice arms and crests pass only to the grantee's descendants in the male line, so unrelated people of the same surname do not share them.

The badge on a garden flag, an ornament or a blanket is therefore the correct form for a clansman or clanswoman to display. Our Clan MacGregor page sets the clan's crest and motto alongside its history, and you can browse our A–Z list of Scottish clans and families.

Three Authorities, Three Jurisdictions

Which office governs your arms depends on where those arms come from, and the three systems are genuinely separate.

Scotland: The Court of the Lord Lyon

The Lord Lyon King of Arms is Scotland's heraldic authority and sits as a court within the Scottish legal system. Anyone resident in Scotland, or who owns a house or land in Scotland, may petition for a grant of arms. If you live elsewhere and own no Scottish property, you may still be able to petition for arms in the name of a Scottish ancestor, provided you can prove descent from that ancestor.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland: The College of Arms

The College of Arms is the heraldic authority for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for some Commonwealth realms including Australia and New Zealand. It grants arms by Letters Patent. It has no jurisdiction in Scotland.

Ireland: The Office of the Chief Herald

Heraldic authority for Ireland rests with the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland, part of the National Library of Ireland since 1943, when the Office of Arms in Dublin Castle passed from British to Irish administration. Since then the Chief Herald has granted and confirmed arms to individuals and corporate bodies in Ireland, recorded in the Register of Arms. Note that the Office is not currently accepting new applications for grants or confirmations of arms, citing resourcing capacity.

Because the systems differ, Scottish guidance does not settle an Irish question, and vice versa. If your line is Irish rather than Scottish, the Irish authority is the one to consult.

What This Means in Practice

Three things follow from all of the above.

First, read "your family coat of arms" as a heritage label rather than a statement of heraldic entitlement. Nobody inherits arms simply by sharing a surname.

Second, the clan crest badge is the form to look for. Crest inside a strap and buckle, motto on the strap: that is the design a clan member is invited to display, and it carries real meaning rather than invented pedigree.

Third, if you want arms of your own, they can be petitioned for. They are granted to you personally, and from that point they are genuinely yours.

If you are still working out which clan your name connects to, start with our guide on how to find your clan tartan by surname.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Crest the Same as a Coat of Arms?

No. The crest is one element of a coat of arms — the figure placed on top of the helmet. The coat of arms is the whole design, centred on the shield. Using "crest" to mean the full achievement is common but inaccurate.

Do I Have a Family Crest?

Not by virtue of your surname. In Scotland all arms and crests are personal and belong to one individual at a time, so there is no family crest attached to a name. What you may have is a clan connection, and with it the right to display that clan chief's crest badge.

Can I Use My Clan's Crest Badge?

Yes, if you are a member or follower of the clan. The accepted form is the chief's crest encircled by a strap and buckle bearing the chief's motto. The strap is what marks you as a follower rather than the owner of the arms.

Is It Illegal to Use a Coat of Arms in Scotland?

Only if the arms are not properly recorded. All arms legally used in Scotland have been recorded in the Public Register of All Armorial Bearings in Scotland since 1672, and using a coat of arms that is not properly recorded there is a criminal offence in Scotland.

How Do I Get a Coat of Arms of My Own?

In Scotland you petition the Lord Lyon King of Arms. You may apply if you live in Scotland or own a house or land there. If you do not, you may be able to apply for arms to be granted in the name of a Scottish ancestor, if you can prove your descent from them. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the equivalent body is the College of Arms; in Ireland it is the Office of the Chief Herald.

What Is the Motto on a Crest Badge?

It is the chief's motto, shown on the encircling strap. On a Clan Fraser of Lovat badge, for example, the strap carries "Je suis prest" — "I am ready" — around a buck's head crest.

Sources

• Court of the Lord Lyon — official site and FAQs (courtofthelordlyon.scot): the Public Register of All Armorial Bearings in Scotland since 1672; no such thing as a "family coat of arms"; eligibility to petition; clan crest badge within a belt and buckle showing the chief's motto.
• College of Arms — heraldic authority for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; grants by Letters Patent; arms as hereditary property of the grantee and descendants.
• National Library of Ireland — Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland; part of the NLI since 1943; Register of Arms; applications currently suspended.
• Court of the Lord Lyon — definition of a crest as the representation of a three-dimensional object placed above the helm, and the common misuse of "crest" for the whole achievement.
• Clan Fraser of Lovat — motto "Je suis prest" and the buck's head crest.