How do I know if my family crest is accurate?
How to Find Your Family Crest
- Determine What You Already Know. You’ll need to decide on a branch of your family you want to research and trace that family name back as far as you can.
- Look for Heraldry Symbols.
- Verify the Information You Find.
- Understand the Symbolism.
- Get a Useable Family Crest for Genealogy.
How do you decode a family crest?
Colors had meanings for each family.
- Gold: generosity and elevation of the mind.
- Silver or white: peace and sincerity.
- Red: warrior or martyr, also military strength or magnanimity.
- Blue: truth and loyalty.
- Green: hope, joy, and loyalty in love.
- Black: constancy.
- Purple: royal majesty, sovereignty, and justice.
What do the symbols on my family crest mean?
Colours and symbol meanings Gold (or): generosity and elevation of the mind. Silver or white (argent): peace and sincerity. Red: warrior or martyr; military strength and magnanimity. Blue: truth and loyalty. Green: hope, joy, and loyalty in love.
What does an AXE mean on a coat of arms?
of military service and duty
AXE: The symbol of military service and duty. Very common in crests, less so on the shield. BADGER: Also known as a brock, denotes intelligence. Rarely used. BARNACLE: Not a sea creature, but a horse grooming tool.
Can you make up a family crest?
There is always an option to create a crest for yourself or your family from scratch. It may not be “official,” but it can be fun to customize a coat of arms that is specific to you, your interests, hobbies, family history, philosophy, or religion, to name a few examples.
Is there a difference between a coat of arms and a family crest?
Although some people refer to a “family crest” and a “coat of arms” interchangeably, there is a difference. A crest is an element or part of a coat of arms, but not the entire arms. On a coat of arms, the crest is found above the shield, usually on top of a helmet.
What is the coat of arms for the Fitzgerald?
The Arleigh Burke -class destroyer USS Fitzgerald in the United States Navy is named for Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald, USN. The Fitzgerald family coat of arms (a white shield with a red saltire) provides the foundation for the coat of arms for USS Fitzgerald .
What do the letters on the Fitzgerald crest mean?
The crest of Fitzgerald. ARK-NOAHS: Rarely encountered, the symbol of the Church. ARM: Very common in crests, denotes industry. ARROW: The symbol of readiness, commonly used as a pun on the surname, as in Fletcher (arrow maker), usually seen in crests, but occurs regularly on the shield also.
What is the origin of the name Fitz Gerald?
“Fitz Gerald” thus means in Old Norman and in Old French “son of Gerald”. Gerald itself is a Germanic compound of ger, “spear”, and waltan, ” rule”. Variant spellings include Fitz-Gerald and the modern Fitzgerald.
What does F Fitzgerald stand for?
The FitzGerald / FitzMaurice dynasty (Irish: Ríshliocht Mhic Gearailt or Clann Gearailt) is a Cambro-Norman and Anglo-Norman, and later Hiberno-Norman, aristocratic and royal dynasty.