Blog
How would you design your own coat of arms?
If you could design a coat of arms, what would be on it? And just as importantly, why? Many of us like to think that back in the mists of time, our ancestors had impressive heraldry. For example, we might hope that the design on an ancestor's coat of arms represents...
The image, history and reality of Scotland’s famous clans
We thank our friends at Scotland Magazine for providing this fascinating article about the image, history and reality of Scotland's famous clans. Scotland Magazine is a bi-monthly publication for all who love Scottish culture, travel and history. As such, they...
Free trial copy of Scotland Magazine!
Our friends at Scotland Magazine are offering a free trial copy for all Hall of Names customers. This great bi-monthly publication is for all who those who love Scottish culture, travel and history. What is in the magazine? There's something new and interesting...
Competition to win tickets to ‘Canterbury Tales’
It's Facebook competition time again, and this time the prize is a family ticket to 'Canterbury Tales'. This is a superb visitor attraction in the town of Canterbury, Kent. Plus, with the Easter holidays just around the corner, it is a great day our for the family!...
Ten things you might not know about Ireland
Do you want to discover ten things you might not know about Ireland? With more than 22,000 Irish name histories on our database, we are often contacted by Irish people who want to know more about their surname history. Plus, others are trying to trace Irish family...
St Patrick’s Day
Every year on March 17th, St Patrick's Day is celebrated, not just in Ireland but worldwide. But what are the origins of St Patrick’s Day and how is it celebrated? Of all the saints' days, St Patrick's Day seems to be the one that is most popularly supported, even by...
Our competition winner
Following our recent Facebook competition, we are thrilled to announce our competition winner! To celebrate International Women's Day, we offered the amazing prize of a beautiful wine set. We asked our Facebook followers to tell us about an inspirational woman in...
Double-barrelled surnames: A changing tradition
Where did double-barrelled surnames originate? They are more popular than ever, and customers often ask us if we have them on our Hall of Names database. Sadly, we don’t and in this article we explain why. We look at the early origins of the tradition, and how it was...
Competition to win a coat of arms wine set!
It is International Women's Day! To celebrate, we have just launched a fantastic Facebook competition to win a coat of arms wine set! This beautiful special occasion gift is worth £63.99 and is ideal for weddings and anniversaries. Plus it's a great idea for a...