A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Racz family of Poland.
Reg. 6089 · Polish, P–S
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
womanGrace, and the founding of a house
Colours
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)
“D'or à une femme, hab. d'azur, les cheveux blonds épars, cour. et ceinte d'or, les bras et les pieds nus, les bras levés, assise de face sur un ours pass. de sa. Cq. cour. C.: un ours iss. de sa., tenant de sa patte dextre une rose de gu., tigée et feuillée de sin., et placé entre une ramure de cerf d'or. L.: à dextre d'or et d'azur, à sen. d'or et de sa.”
Polandc. 1772
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Map of Poland showing where the Racz arms are recorded
The Racz 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 Racz 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 Racz 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 Racz Family in Poland
The surname Racz originates from the Slavic word for a crab or crayfish, which was often used as a nickname for people who lived near water or perhaps those who had a distinct way of walking. By the time the family was recorded in the Mazovia region in 1772, the name had become a well-established identifier for families living in the heart of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. During this period, Mazovia was a center of agricultural activity and local trade, and families like the Racz clan were typically part of the rural population or the lower nobility who managed the land. Because surnames were becoming more permanent during the eighteenth century, the presence of the name in parish registers and tax documents from that era suggests that the family had likely resided in the region for several generations before the first official records were written down. This history reflects the broader movement of families who settled in the fertile plains of central Poland to build lives centered around farming and community service.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
rak
A crustacean with a hard shell, specifically a crayfish or crab.
This name
RaczAn occupational or descriptive nickname for someone who caught crayfish or possessed crab-like physical traits.
also spelled
Rawits
Rawitz
Ravich
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Krzysztof Górski, Historia Mazowsza, 1994
Kazimierz Rymut, Nazwiska Polaków: Słownik historyczno-etymologiczny, 1999
Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych w Warszawie, Księgi metrykalne parafii mazowieckich
Digital archive packCoat of arms PNG, gold border print PDF, vector SVG and the certificate of authenticity. Sent to your email in minutes.
womanGrace, and the founding of a house
womanGrace, and the founding of a house
