In heraldry, a label is a narrow horizontal strip with pendant points, usually placed near the top of the shield. It is best known as a mark of cadency, especially in English heraldry, where it traditionally identifies the eldest son during his father’s lifetime. This use makes the label a symbol of inheritance, expectation, succession, and living relationship between generations. Unlike many charges that express personal virtues, the label speaks primarily about position within a family: the heir apparent, not yet fully in possession, but visibly connected to the arms he will one day inherit.

The label can also function as a charge in its own right, particularly in royal and noble arms. The most familiar modern example is in the arms of the Prince of Wales, who bears the royal arms differenced by a white label of three points, along with other distinctions. Labels of different numbers of points, colors, or charges on the pendants have long been used to distinguish branches of royal families and noble houses. The College of Arms explains cadency and the structure of armorial bearings, while examples of labels appear throughout British royal heraldry and European dynastic practice.

A label may have three, five, or more points, and its pendants can be charged with small symbols such as crosses, fleurs-de-lis, hearts, or anchors to create precise distinctions. In civic and institutional arms it may also indicate historical patronage, feudal connection, or descent from a ruling house. Useful terminology appears in Parker’s A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry, with broader examples available through Heraldry of the World and the Heraldry Society. In coats of arms, the label is a small but highly meaningful sign of lineage, precedence, and dynastic continuity.