A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Dahlen family of Poland.
Reg. 5908 · Polish, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
cantonA mark of honour granted by the sovereign
armA person of action, industrious and laborious
mulletThe third son, and a divine quality from above
eagleNobility, strength and a keen mind
Colours
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Black (Sable)Means: Constancy
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“Ec.: aux 1 et 4 d'arg. à un bras, arm. au nat., tenant une épée, mouv. du canton sen. du chef; aux 2 et 3 d'azur à la barre d'arg., acc. de deux étoiles d'or. Sur le tout d'or à l'aigle de sa., bq. et m. du champ. Cq. cour. C.: l'aigle du surtout. L. d'arg. et d'azur.”
Polandc. 1772
Where the Dahlen Arms Were Recorded
Mazovia
Map of Poland showing where the Dahlen arms are recorded
The Dahlen 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.
Region
Mazovia
First recorded
1772
Granting Authority for the Dahlen 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 Dahlen 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 Dahlen Family in Poland
The surname Dahlen is rooted in the Germanic linguistic tradition, where it typically functions as a topographic name derived from the word "Tal," meaning valley. Families bearing this name often lived in or near low-lying areas, which helped distinguish them in local records during the Middle Ages. By 1772, members of the Dahlen family were well-established in the region of Mazovia. This area, located in east-central Poland, served as a crossroads for various cultures and migrations during the eighteenth century. Because Mazovia was a center for trade and agriculture, families like the Dahlens often integrated into the local social fabric by working as skilled tradespeople or landowners. Their presence in this specific territory suggests a history of movement from Germanic lands toward the east, where they adapted to the changing political and social landscape of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
Dahl
A Germanic term referring to a valley or low-lying land.
This name
DahlenA topographic surname denoting someone who lived in or near a valley.
also spelled
Daelen
Dahlin
Dahlenne
Dalen
Related arms
Dalenvariant spelling
van Dalenvariant spelling
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Bahlow, Hans, Deutsches Namenlexikon: Familien- und Vornamen nach Ursprung und Sinn erklärt, 1967
Gottschald, Max, Deutsche Namenkunde: Unsere Familiennamen, 1971
Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych (Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw), Księgi metrykalne parafii rzymskokatolickich z terenu Mazowsza (Parish registers of Mazovia), 1772
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