From the office
Notes from the office on coats of arms, crests, and the records that stand behind them. We write from published authorities, and we link to those authorities so you can read them yourself.
America has no government office that grants a family a coat of arms. It does have a long heraldic habit, private rolls, and a federal institute that designs emblems for the Army and the rest of the government, not for private surnames.
A blazon is the written coat. Learn the order of the words, the metals and colours, and why “gold on white” is usually a fault rather than a flourish.
English and Scottish heralds are blunt on this point. The crest sits on the helmet. The arms live on the shield. A surname does not come with either one attached.