A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Cichocki family of Poland.
serpentWisdom, healing and prudenceJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De gu. à une couleuvre ondoyante en pal, au nat., cour. d'or.”
The Cichocki arms were recorded in Poland, c. 1772.
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.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Poland in this period.
Reigning in Poland when the Cichocki arms are first recorded.
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.
The surname Cichocki is a topographic name that originated in Poland. It is derived from the word cichy, which means quiet or silent. In the Polish language, adding the suffix -cki to a place name often indicated that a person was a landowner or originated from a specific village. By the year 1772, historical records confirm that members of the Cichocki family were well established in the Mazovia region. This area, located in the heart of Poland, was a center for noble families and agricultural development during the eighteenth century. Families with this name were often part of the landed gentry who managed local estates and participated in the social life of the province. Over many generations, the name spread from these rural roots in Mazovia to other parts of the country as family members moved for work, marriage, or military service.
A Polish adjective meaning quiet, silent, or calm.
