[Andrew Howe]

Right now, among other things, I am trying to find the Crest/Coat of Arms, including the blazon, and shield of my families. Mainly Howe, but also my maternal family, Estock. I am also curious about the maternal family of my father, Houlihan, and the maternal family of my mother, Blancodini. I have only been able to find things about Howe, and there are many obsticals in my way. For one thing, as I said earlier, I can't find anything about my maternal families and my parents maternal families, which is surprising, even though I know that they may have not had one.Two, I am not completly sure of the origin of Estock, though I have it narrowed down to that it's either Slavic or Dutch. Three, and this one is big, there are two Howe families, one Irish, the other English. I am looking for the Irish, but the majority of websites have the English. Also, I don't completly trust houseofnames.com. It seems too commercial. Does anyone know anywhere that I can get straight information, preferably somewhere that I don't have to pay alot just to find that there is only information on the English Howes, or only has information from the 19th and 20th century?

From looking at the physical traits of my family, this is what I have deduced, I don't know if it will help.
-I have found that The Irish half of my family is a product of Celtic-Anglo-Saxon interbreeding, due to the fact that part of the Irish half of my family has dark hair and the rest have red.
-The Itallian and Czeckloslovakian Russian or Dutch half my family, is decendent of the Ostrogoths and/or some other Germanic tribe, because the pure Itallian part as well as the rest have primarily blonde hair, except for two uncles, one of which is only through marriage, the other having a differnet paternal family, and one aunt, who is only my aunt through marraige. I am trying to get this information so I have inspiration for when I make my persona a crest, shield, and blazon. Also, I am curious if there is anywhere that I can see a coat of arms that would accompany a blazon when I only know the blazon, and vice versa.

This is what I have found online-

NAME: HOWE
BLAZON: Argent a fess engrailed between three wolve's heads couped
sable.
CREST: Out of a ducal coronet or, a demi wolf rampant sable.
MOTTO:

NAME: HOWE
BLAZON: Or, a fesse between three wolves' heads couped sable.
CREST: Out of a ducal coronet or, a plume of five ostrich feathers
azure.
MOTTO: Uteunque placuerit Deo.

The following is a web page on Howe, it is really the only place with information on the Irish Howe family.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry..../howe.html

[Nathan Robinson]

Family crests (achievements, coat of arms) aren't really about your last name, but about your actual family. They would have been created for your specific family by somebody in your specific family. In other words, not everybody having the name "Howe" has a crest, let alone the same one. Very few families have their own. You can read a similar discussion in this other topic if you want.

[Andrew Howe]

Then, do you know of a legitimate service that I could use to find this information? I only know up to my biological great grandparents. My only hope would be to ask my relatives in Italy, since I know that I isn't uncommon for families in latin countries to keep a record of their entire family, but that would be maternal, so that wouldn't fit my main goal. Maybe I should ask my relatives if I have any relations in Ireland.

[James Cunniffe]

Being an Irish man myself a real Irish men do not have a coat of arms unless you have Anglo Irish blood which is Norman blood which is not Irish.Some Irish Kings took titles as Lords of ,Earl of ,Duke of ,ect. just to keep the peace ,as the planned war for freedom .

[Andrew Howe]

Well, yes, it is probable that I am of Norman discent, seeing as how the name "Howe" is an anglecized form of the Norse word "Hough"(Romanized), which means (roughly) "Large mound" or "Burial mound." Hough was(And still is) used as the name or part of the name of villages or hamlets thy were built on or around Houghs, large hills which had a flat top, much like a plateau, in Ireland an England. It was common practice for Dukes and Earls which took residence in these villages, and ocasionally residents, to take Hough as a surname if they didn't already have one. Those that immigrated to the United States usually had there name "Americanized" at Ellis Island and other immigration centers as Howe.

[Eric W. Norenberg]

[Paul Hansen]

It seems that the name Estock is not Dutch.

At least, it's not listed as a currently existing name by the Meertens Institute:
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nfb/index.php?taal=eng

To me, it also does not sound like a Dutch name, except maybe if it has taken it's meaning from the word "estoc" or "estoque" (the pointy sword). In that case it may have been the name of a tavern, where the owners took over the name of the tavern as their familyname.

[Stephen Curtin]

Hi Andrew

I'm just wondering if your sure that the Howe family that you belong to is the Irish one because you seem to be basing it on physical appearance (please forgive me if I am wrong). Unfortunately there are two problems with this. Firstly the Howe family originaly came to Ireland from England either during the Norman invasion or the plantations of the 16th and 17th centuries (most likely the latter) and so would be considered either an Anglo-Irish or an English family depending on which period. Secondly on a genetic level the peoples of Ireland and Britain are very similar and there are probably as many people in Britain with red hair as there are in Ireland. Sorry this probably wasn't all that helpful anyway good luck with your search.

[Andrew Howe]

Yes, I am sure I am of Irish discent, seeing as how my great-great-grandfather is the son of an Irish tmmigrant that came during the diaspora caused by the potato famine.

Eric, the "Estoc proper" pun does seem tempting.

[Stephen Curtin]

Hey Andrew you might wanna check out this site http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry..../howe.html
it has an Irish Coat of Arms for the Howe family but I could tell you if its legit or not anyway enjoy

[Andrew Howe]