Design your own family crest to communicate something about your family!
The Washington Family Crest
George Washington’s Family had a crest, or a coat of arms, which dated back to the 1300s! A crest is like a family’s logo – it is used to identify a family. George Washington used his family crest coat of arms on things like his carriage or bookplates for books in his library.
George Washington’s coat of arms had a griffin, stars, and stripes. The stars on the crest represent military service. While his coat of arms was likely not the inspiration for the flag of the United States, it did inspire the flag for the District of Columbia.
The griffin is a mythological creature, which is a hybrid of an eagle and a lion. It is sometimes used as a symbol of strength, military courage, and leadership.
Design Your Own Family Crest
Use this template to design a crest for your family. It’s common for family crests to use drawings of animals or other objects to communicate something about the family. You can divide your crest into four sections with different symbols in each space or choose one symbol for the whole space. Sometimes animals are used as symbols, for example, a lion or an elephant might mean strength or an owl might mean wisdom. Which animals will you use? What do you think they say about you?
The Washington Coat of Arms
Explore the Digital Encyclopedia to learn about the Washington Family's Coat of Arms.
George Washington's Book Plate
George Washington placed book plates in his books to identify the books as belonging to him. The book plates featured his coat of arms.