A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Fok family of Poland.
Reg. 3867 · Polish, D–F
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
stagPeace and harmony, and one who will not fight unprovoked
unicornPurity, and extreme courage in defence of honour
Colours
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Green (Vert)Means: Hope
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
Historical info
Source
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)
“De gu. à un cerf d'arg. et une licorne du même, ramp. et affr., soutenus d'une terrasse de sin. Cq. cour. C.: une aigle iss. d'arg., cour. d'or (Armes dites Kraus).”
PolandLithuanie, c. 1772
Where the Fok Arms Were Recorded
Mazovia
Map of Poland showing where the Fok arms are recorded
The Fok arms were recorded in Lithuanie, 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
Town
Lithuanie
First recorded
1772
Granting Authority for the Fok 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 Fok 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 Fok Family in Poland
The family name Fok has deep roots in the Mazovia region of Poland, where records confirm members of the family were established by 1772. The name itself is likely derived from the Middle Low German word *fokke*, which historically referred to a type of triangular sail used on ships. This suggests that the earliest ancestors to carry the name may have been involved in maritime trade or lived in coastal areas before migrating inland toward the central plains of Poland. Over time, families with this name integrated into the local Mazovian society, transitioning from potential seafaring origins to the agricultural and administrative life common in the region during the late eighteenth century. By the time they appear in the official records of the 1770s, the Fok family had become a settled part of the local population, contributing to the social and economic fabric of their community.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
foka
A marine mammal known as a seal.
This name
FokA nickname for a person resembling a seal or working in seal hunting.
also spelled
Focke
Fock
Related arms
Fockvariant spelling
Fockevariant spelling
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Dziadulewicz, Stanisław, Herbarz rodzin tatarskich w Polsce (1929)
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
stagPeace and harmony, and one who will not fight unprovoked
unicornPurity, and extreme courage in defence of honour
mountThe ground held, and steadfastness upon it
stagPeace and harmony, and one who will not fight unprovoked
unicornPurity, and extreme courage in defence of honour
