A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Bukowski family of Poland.
Reg. 3872 · Polish, A–C
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
saltireResolution, and St Andrew's cross
cross symbolChristian faith and service
lambGentleness, patience and faith
lanceKnightly service and the tilt
swordJustice, and military honour
roundelA coin, and one who has been to the crusades
Colours
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Green (Vert)Means: Hope
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“Ec.: au 1 de gu. à l'agneau d'arg., pass. sur une terrasse de sin.; au 2 de gu. à trois lances de tournoi d'or, deux passées en saut., la troisième renv. et br. en pal; au 3 d'azur à un poignard renv. d'arg., garni d'or, accosté de deux fers-à-cheval adossés du sec., et acc. en p. d'un troisième fer-à-cheval du même; au 4 de gu. à une boule de sin., supp. une croisette pattée au pied fiché d'or; la boule traversée par trois épées d'arg., garnies d'or, deux en saut., les pointes en bas, la troisième en pal, la pointe en haut. Sur le tout de gu. au griffon d'arg. Quatre cq. cour. C.: 1° un bouquetin iss. et cont. de sa.; 1. d'or et de sa.; 2° un griffon iss. et cont. d'arg., senestré d'un huchet de gu., vir. d'arg., posé en pal, le pavillon en haut et tourné à sen.; 1. d'arg. et de gu.; 3° cinq pl. d'aut., alt. de gu. et d'arg.; 1. d'or et de gu.; 4° un dextrochère, arm. d'arg., brandissant le poignard du 3; 1. d'arg. et d'azur.”
Polandc. 1782
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Map of Poland showing where the Bukowski arms are recorded
The Bukowski arms were recorded in Poland, c. 1782.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Mazovia.
Mazovia held Warsaw, the Polish court and the assemblies where the szlachta met. Poland's nobles were unusually numerous and every one of them bore arms, and Warsaw is where those arms were argued over and recorded.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
Region
Mazovia
First recorded
1782
Granting Authority for the Bukowski Arms
Ennoblement by the Sejm
Author: Olek Remesz · CC BY-SA 3.0
The body that granted and recorded arms in Poland in this period.
Stanisław August Poniatowski
Sovereign of the period
Stanisław August Poniatowski
1764–1795
Reigning in Poland when the Bukowski arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Poland
Polish noble families shared a single coat of arms across many different surnames, creating large clans rather than individual designs. These symbols were held collectively by all members of the clan regardless of their specific family name. When a new family joined the nobility, they were adopted into an existing clan and began using that group's established shield.
Granting authority
The Sejm, which was the Polish parliament, held the power to grant noble status and the right to bear arms.
How they got arms
Families typically received their coat of arms through a formal act of ennoblement granted by the Sejm for distinguished service.
Where arms were recorded
These grants were officially recorded in the Crown Metrica, which served as the central archive for state documents starting in the sixteenth century.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Poland.
Origin & History of the Bukowski Family in Poland
The name Bukowski is a classic example of a Polish toponymic surname, which means it was derived from a specific geographic location. The root of the name comes from the Polish word "buk," meaning beech tree. Families who took this name likely originated from a village named Bukowo or Bukow, where beech forests were a prominent feature of the local landscape. By 1782, records confirm that members of the Bukowski family were well-established in the Mazovia region of central Poland. During this period, the family was part of the local social fabric in a territory known for its deep historical ties to the Polish crown and its agricultural traditions. Because surnames often identified where a person came from, the name Bukowski served as a permanent link between the family and their ancestral home in the Mazovian countryside.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
buk
A type of deciduous tree known as the beech tree.
This name
BukowskiA topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or in a beech forest.
also spelled
Bakowsky
Bakowskie
Bakowsk
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Rymut, Kazimierz. Nazwiska Polaków: Słownik historyczno-etymologiczny. 1999
Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych (Central Archives of Historical Records), Księgi grodzkie i ziemskie województwa mazowieckiego (District and Land Records of the Mazovian Voivodeship)
Digital archive packCoat of arms PNG, gold border print PDF, vector SVG and the certificate of authenticity. Sent to your email in minutes.
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
saltireResolution, and St Andrew's cross
cross symbolChristian faith and service
lambGentleness, patience and faith
lanceKnightly service and the tilt
swordJustice, and military honour
roundelA coin, and one who has been to the crusades
