Burke's General Armory

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

When elements from two or more different arms are combined to form a single coat of arms you have a "composed" coat of arms.

As a US citizen, you have three options: (1) is to simply assume arms and go on your merry way; (2) involves applying to one of the European heraldic jurisdictions for a de novo grant, a process that has a great deal of snob value (in North America) but is expensive; (3) or you can register your assumed arms in Spain or South Africa. The last option is the least expensive insofar as having your arms actually certified as yours, and yours alone, by a functioning governmental heraldic authority.

Of the three options, I tend to favour the third if one can not afford the $3000+ fees one is going to incur in dealing with the Scottish, Irish, or English heraldic authorities. Choosing between Spain or South Africa is really a matter of personal preference, with Spain being the least expensive option -- a few hundred dollars, at most.

As far as the design of your proposed composed arms, there are several gentlemen here on XMTS who could give you assistance in that area; without wishing to advocate a monopoly of talent, I'd suggest you might want to speak with Harold Cannon (here or on Facebook) and have him work with you on the design of your arms, as well as guiding you through the process of registering those arms in Spain, or South Africa.