Historic England wants to better understand the engravings which were carved onto stone or wood around doorways, windows and fireplaces between the 16th and 18th centuries to ward off evil.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of the government heritage agency, said: "Ritual marks were cut, scratched or carved into our ancestors' homes and churches in the hope of making the world a safer, less hostile place."
Also used on house and barns, examples of the markings have been found on the house in Stratford-upon-Avon where William Shakespeare was born and the Tower of London.
The most common symbol was the "daisy wheel" which resembles a flower and a compass in one eternal line, to apparently confuse evil spirits.
Duncan Wilson added: "They were such a common part of everyday life that they were unremarkable and because they are easy to overlook, the recorded evidence we hold about where they appear and what form they take is thin."