A coat of arms is the design on a shield; the crest is only the figure that sits on top of the helmet above that shield. “Family crest” has become everyday shorthand for the whole thing, but heralds use the word strictly. A Scottish clan crest badge is different again: it is the clan chief’s crest inside a strap and buckle bearing the chief’s motto, which clan members may wear to show their allegiance.
The short version
| What it is | Who it belongs to | Who may use it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coat of arms | The design on the shield, the essential core of any heraldic display | One person, passing to his or her heirs | The person entitled to it |
| Crest | The object on top of the helmet, usually resting on a twisted wreath or rising from a coronet | The same person as the arms; it cannot exist without them | The person entitled to the arms (traditionally not women) |
| Clan crest badge | A Scottish chief’s crest within a strap and buckle inscribed with the chief’s motto or slogan | The clan chief | Members of the clan, to show allegiance |
| Heraldic badge | A separate emblem granted alongside arms, such as the Tudor rose | The person or organization it was granted to | Others who want to show a connection, such as staff or relatives |
What a crest actually is
The College of Arms in London is unusually direct on this point:
“It is a popular misconception that the word ‘crest’ describes a whole coat of arms or any heraldic device. It does not. A crest is a specific part of a full achievement of arms: the three-dimensional object placed on top of the helm.”
Scotland’s heraldic authority, the Court of the Lord Lyon, says the same: the crest “is the symbol which appears on top of the helmet which itself is on top of the shield,” while the shield “contains the main part of the Arms.”
Crests began as real decorations on real helmets. Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, in A Complete Guide to Heraldry (1909), dated the earliest known instance to 1198, and cited the Great Seal of King Richard I, which shows a lion on a fan-shaped ornament above the king’s helmet. He also noted two facts that surprise many people:
- Crests changed more than arms. Families often kept the same shield for centuries but adopted quite different crests over time.
- A crest cannot stand alone. In his words, “a crest in this country cannot lawfully exist without its complementary coat of arms.” Many old coats of arms, on the other hand, have no crest at all.
The most common crest of all, he wrote, is the demi-lion rampant: the upper half of a rearing lion. And because a crest was historically tied to the helmet, the College of Arms notes that women do not bear crests, though they may bear arms and a heraldic badge.
To see where the crest sits among the other parts, from mantling to motto, see how to read a coat of arms.
How “crest” came to mean the whole thing
For centuries, the crest was often the part of a family’s heraldry that people used day to day. It was small and self-contained, so it fitted neatly on a signet ring, a piece of silver, a seal or a sheet of writing paper. The 1905 edition of Fairbairn’s Book of Crests, first published in 1859, describes itself as suited to “the needs and purposes of jewellers and engravers”.
Over time, “crest” drifted into meaning any heraldic image at all. Fox-Davies recalled in 1909 that the habit of calling anything stamped on note-paper “a crest” had been fast becoming accepted usage. In 1927, Charles Knowles Bolton quoted another heraldic writer, Charles A. H. Franklin, in the introduction to Bolton’s American Armory (1927):
“The possession of arms is not constituted by wearing a signet ring, or by having at home a painting of arms and some device engraved upon family silver.”
There is no harm in saying “family crest” in conversation; everyone knows what you mean. But when you research heraldry, the precise words help. A record of a crest alone tells you about one small part of a family’s arms, and a picture labeled “family crest” may show a full coat of arms, just a crest, or a badge.
The coat of arms itself
The term “coat of arms” comes from the cloth surcoat that medieval knights wore over their armor, embroidered with the same design as their shield. Strictly, it means the shield design; the full display, with helmet, mantling, crest, motto and any supporters, is called the achievement. The shield is the only part that every coat of arms must have.
Like the crest, the arms belong to a particular person, not to a surname. The College of Arms puts it plainly: “There is no such thing as a ‘coat of arms for a surname’.” Our article on what a family coat of arms really is explains how arms pass from one generation to the next.
Scottish clan crest badges
This is where most of the confusion about “clan crests” comes from. The Court of the Lord Lyon is clear that “a clan cannot have a coat of arms.” The chief has personal arms, which no one else may use. What clan members may use is a badge made from the chief’s crest, “within a belt and buckle design,” with the chief’s motto on the belt.
Lyon’s guidance on crest badges sets out who wears what:
- Clan members, defined broadly as the chief’s relatives and everyone in the extended family called the clan, “whether bearing the Clan surname or that of one of its septs,” who profess allegiance to the chief: the chief’s crest inside a strap and buckle bearing the chief’s motto or slogan. Lyon calls the strap and buckle “the sign of the clansman.”
- The chief: his or her own crest inside a plain circlet inscribed with the motto, not a strap and buckle, with the option of three silver eagle’s feathers behind it.
- Heads of large branches officially recognized by Lyon: their own crest in a plain circlet, with two small eagle’s feathers.
- A person with his or her own registered arms: his or her own crest in a plain circlet, with one silver eagle’s feather. Such a person may instead wear the chief’s badge like any other clan member.
The quick way to read one: a strap and buckle means “I belong to this chief’s clan”; a plain circlet means “this crest is mine”. For the history and symbolism of individual clan badges, see our guide to Scottish clan crests.
One warning from Lyon’s own guidance: many websites present the chief’s coat of arms as “clan arms” for anyone of the name. Lyon says only the chief can use those arms and “it is completely incorrect for anyone else to do so.”
Heraldic badges
Outside the clan system, the closest equivalent is the heraldic badge, a separate device that can be granted alongside arms and crest. The College of Arms gives the Prince of Wales’ feathers and the crowned Tudor rose as famous royal examples. The important difference is who may use it. While “arms and crest are personal to their bearers,” the College explains, “the badge may be used by others wishing to show connection or allegiance.” Staff of a company may wear its badge on a tie, and a man’s grandchildren through his daughter, who may not use his arms or crest, “can quite properly wear his badge”.
So which one can you use?
- If you have arms by grant or proven inheritance: the whole achievement is yours, crest included.
- If you belong to a Scottish clan, by name, sept or allegiance: the chief’s crest badge within a strap and buckle.
- If you belong to a family or organization with a granted badge: that badge, where its owner allows it.
- If none of these apply: you can still enjoy the arms and crests recorded for people who shared your name as history, displayed and labeled as such. If you are thinking of a framed print or keepsake, our family crest gift ideas suggest ways to do that honestly.
Mottoes, which appear on both crest badges and full achievements, have their own rules; see family mottoes and their meaning.
See the arms recorded for your surname →
Sources
- College of Arms, “FAQs: heraldry” (what a crest is; women and crests; arms and surnames). https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/resources/faqs
- College of Arms, “Granting of Arms” (badges and who may use them). https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/services/granting-arms
- Court of the Lord Lyon, “Frequently Asked Questions” (crests, clan arms and badges). https://www.courtofthelordlyon.scot/faqs.htm
- Court of the Lord Lyon, “Crests” (guidance on crest badges, circlets and feathers). https://www.courtofthelordlyon.scot/crests.htm
- Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry (London, 1909), chapters on the component parts of an achievement and on the crest. Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41617
- Fairbairn’s Book of Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland, 4th edition (London, 1905), vol. 1, prefaces. Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/fairbairnsbookof01fair
- Charles Knowles Bolton, Bolton’s American Armory (Boston, 1927), introduction. Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/boltonsamericana0000char
Frequently asked questions
Is a family crest the same as a coat of arms?
No. The coat of arms is the design on the shield, while the crest is only the object placed on top of the helmet above it. The College of Arms calls it a popular misconception that crest describes a whole coat of arms, although family crest is now common everyday shorthand.
Can I wear my clan’s crest badge?
Yes, if you are a member of the clan. The Court of the Lord Lyon says clan members, whether they bear the clan surname or that of one of its septs, may wear the chief’s crest within a strap and buckle bearing the chief’s motto. The badge still belongs to the chief, and it does not give the wearer a coat of arms.
Does every coat of arms have a crest?
No. Many old coats of arms never had one, and women traditionally do not bear crests. Fox-Davies noted in 1909 that for the previous two centuries or more, English grants of personal arms to men had normally included a crest, and that a crest cannot lawfully exist without a coat of arms.
What is the difference between a crest and a heraldic badge?
A crest sits on the helmet and is personal to the bearer of the arms. A badge is a separate device that, according to the College of Arms, can be used by others to show connection or allegiance, such as employees of a company or grandchildren through a daughter.
What do the feathers behind a Scottish crest badge mean?
They show the wearer’s status. According to the Court of the Lord Lyon, a clan chief may display three silver eagle’s feathers behind a plain circlet, the recognized head of a large branch two, and a person with his or her own registered arms one. Ordinary clan members wear the strap and buckle without feathers.