> I am just starting to look into my family name coat of arms ( code > of arms ) and some backgroung history and origins. > > Please tell me good sources from which to start investigating if > possible on the web. > > My father family name is: DESIDERIO Mother family name: PRESUTTI > both of Italian origin. > > I thank you all that tell me any information regarding my lastnames > and web sites on which to find some origin backgroung, history and > coat of arms ( code of arms ) > > Mario <mandm@flashnet.it> There is no such thing as a "family name coat of arms". Coats of arms (not codes of arms) belong to individuals, and are inherited by their descendants. The great majority of people don't have one, and you are not entitled to use one which is born by somone else just because you have the same surname, any more than you are entitled to anything else which is their property. You need to do the genealogy first - if that leads you back to an armiger (someone who bore a coat of arms) that is a bonus. The is a good international newsgroup on heraldry (the science of coats of arms and associated matters) at rec.heraldry, but you might do better with an Italian group if there is one, since the detailed rules vary from one country to another. There is an excellent website at www.heraldica.org. -- Don Aitken Don Aitken <don-aitken@freeuk.com>