Heraldry and the Custer Surname

Families named Custer carry an English surname with a long history. The usual explanation, from Elsdon Smith, is “one who made feather beds and cushions”.

• The Census Bureau's 2010 surname file lists Custer with 10,790 bearers, at rank 3,324. That puts it inside the top 5,000 US surnames.
• Trade names like this once told neighbours apart by their work.

Heraldry and the Custer name

Sharing the Custer name is not the same as sharing a crest; arms were granted to individual families. For the full story, order the Custer surname pack.