Olszowski Coat of Arms and Surname Origin

Olszowski is best understood together with Olszewski: both are Polish spellings of a single family name. Read literally, Olszowski points to “From Olszewo, place of alders”.

Olszowski and Olszewski

Olszowski writes “o” in place of the “e” found in Olszewski, a common scribal difference. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists. Related forms: Olszewska and Olshevsky.

Heraldry and the Olszowski name

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Olszowski, so the heraldry linked to Olszewski is a starting point, not an automatic right.

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