A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Grudzinski family of Poland.
Reg. 3857 · Polish, G–I
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
towerGrandeur and solidity, and a stronghold defended
bearStrength, cunning and protection of kin
roseThe seventh son, and beauty with grace
fleur de lisPurity, light, and the sixth son
shipEnterprise, and a great voyage undertaken
Colours
Gold (Or)Means: Generosity
Red (Gules)Means: Military strength
Black (Sable)Means: Constancy
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)
“Ec.: au 1 d'or à une jeune fille, hab. de gu., la jupe du premier, cour. du même, posée de front, assise, les bras levés, sur un ours pass. de sa. (Rawicz); au 2 de gu. à une rose d'arg., barbée de sin. (Poray); au 3 d'azur à la fasce d'or, acc. de six fleurs-de-lis du même (Wierzbna); au 4 de gu. à une nacelle d'or (Lodzia). A la fasce de sa., br. sur la ligne du coupé. Sur le tout d'or à un mur non-crén., occupant la moitié inférieure de l'écu, sommé de trois tours crén., le tout de gu., et sur le seuil de la porte, ouv. à deux battants, un chevalier de profil, tenant de sa main dextre une épée d'arg. (Grzymala V.) C.: les trois tourelles du surtout, accostées, placées devant une queue de paon au nat. T.: deux chevaliers, arm. de toutes pièces, la visière levée, tenant chacun une hallebarde.”
PolandPrusse, c. 1786
Where the Grudzinski Arms Were Recorded
Mazovia
Map of Poland showing where the Grudzinski arms are recorded
The Grudzinski arms were recorded in Prusse, c. 1786.
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
Prusse
First recorded
1786
Granting Authority for the Grudzinski 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 Grudzinski 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 Grudzinski Family in Poland
The surname Grudzinski is a locative name, which means it was originally derived from the name of a specific place. In Polish naming conventions, the suffix "-ski" typically indicates that a family held land or originated from a village with a similar root word. The root "grud" relates to hard, frozen earth or clods of soil, suggesting that the family’s ancestral home was likely located on rugged or difficult terrain. By 1786, records confirm that members of the Grudzinski family were well-established in the Mazovia region of central Poland. During this period, Mazovia was a center of agricultural life and local administration. Families living there were often tied to the land and played an active role in the development of rural communities. Over time, as the family grew and moved, the name traveled with them, serving as a permanent link to their origins in the Mazovian landscape.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
gruda
A hard lump of earth, clod, or frozen soil.
This name
GrudzinskiRefers to a person who lived in or originated from a place called Grudza or Grudzin.
also spelled
Groodna Groodzinski
Grudzinski
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Krzysztof Kwaśniewski, Nazwiska polskie, 1990
Kazimierz Rymut, Nazwiska Polaków: Słownik historyczno-etymologiczny, 1999
Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych, Księgi metrykalne parafii rzymskokatolickich z terenu Mazowsza
Digital archive packCoat of arms PNG, gold border print PDF, vector SVG and the certificate of authenticity. Sent to your email in minutes.
fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
towerGrandeur and solidity, and a stronghold defended
bearStrength, cunning and protection of kin
roseThe seventh son, and beauty with grace
fleur de lisPurity, light, and the sixth son
shipEnterprise, and a great voyage undertaken
