[quote=@UltikanaRe] Hm, I was looking here and noticed some things: [url]http://www.heraldica.org/topics/odegard/titlefaq.htm[/url] The titles for everything is always: Jean, Comte de . This leaves me wondering if I should make my family name Dobersburg... [/quote] In most cases a last name and family house name were separate things. In both French and German case with house names that have prefixes "zu", "von" or "de", these are not the surnames of family members. They simply mean from where their house comes from or which area they rule. For example, the person who founded my family house was a knight by the name Karl Schultz and he was granted a fief - a small village or Rastenburg. So when his house was founded his name literally meant "Karl of Rastenburg". Even though the head of the house may have moved on to a different location (e.g I've become duke of Manburg), most houses didn't change the name accordingly because certain family names hold weight and are well renowned. Habsburgs are a prime example. French house of Valois hails from the old medieval region in northern France called Valois, hence the name. :) If your family was French nobility before coming to Austria then their family name would still be French, e.g "de Fleurs" would simply mean you are from a town/castle/village of Fleurs (probably doesn't exist but it doesn't really matter) and could keep it despite owning land in Manburg.