Heraldic clan

Gozdawa coat of arms, with heraldic clan of over 300 family surnames
Coat of arms of heraldic clan Ostoja, a powerful group of knights and lords in late-medieval Europe

A heraldic clan (ród herbowy), in Poland, comprised all the noble (szlachta) bearers of the same coat of arms. The members of a heraldic clan were not necessarily linked by consanguinity. The concept was unique to Polish heraldry.