A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Zaremba family of Poland.
Reg. 1592 · Polish
Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Symbols on this shield
cross symbolChristian faith and service
lionCourage, strength and royalty
Colours
Purple (Purpure)Means: Royal majesty
Silver (Argent)Means: Peace and sincerity
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)
“De pourpre au lion naiss. d'or (ou de sa.), mouv. d'un mur d'arg., maconné de sa., percé de quatre archières de gu., bordées d'or, en forme de croisettes, posées 3 et 1. Cq. cour. C.: le lion iss.”
Polandc. 1772
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Map of Poland showing where the Zaremba arms are recorded
The Zaremba 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 Zaremba 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 Zaremba 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 Zaremba Family in Poland
The Zaremba family name has deep roots in the historical region of Mazovia, where members of the family were well-established by the late eighteenth century. The name itself is derived from the old Polish verb *zareba*, which refers to a defensive barrier made of felled trees used to protect settlements or forest clearings. This suggests that the earliest ancestors of the family were likely pioneers or frontier guards who helped clear land and secure the borders of the Mazovian plains. By 1772, the family was integrated into the local social structure, living through a period of significant political change as the region faced the first partition of Poland. Their presence in this area reflects the broader history of families who lived in the rural heartland of Poland, working the land and contributing to the development of local communities over many generations.
Related Branches & Arms
Root word
zarembiać
to cut or to notch
This name
Zarembarefers to a person with a scar or a notch on their body or clothing
also spelled
Saremba
Zarembe
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
cross symbolChristian faith and service
lionCourage, strength and royalty
cross symbolChristian faith and service
lionCourage, strength and royalty
