The coat of arms is a legacy design, with its earliest iteration having been granted for the colony of Jamaica in 1661 under Royal Warrant.

The present design was adopted after Jamaican independence in 1962, with slight modification.

According to the National Library of Jamaica, the records of the College of Arms, London, describes the coat of arms as follows:[1] For Arms, Argent on a Cross Gules five pine-apples slipped OR: and upon a representation of Our Royal Helmet mantled OR doubled Ermine, for the Crest, On a Wreath Argent and Gules, Upon a Log fesse wise a Crocodile Proper: And for the Supporters, On the dexter side a West Indian Native Woman holding in the exterior hand a Basket of Fruits and on the sinister side a West Indian Native Man supporting by the exterior hand a Bow all proper.

The original motto, INDUS UTERQUE SERVIET UNI is the Latin translation for "The Indians twain shall serve one Lord".

The United States has a similar motto, e pluribus unum, meaning "Out of Many, One" in Latin.