The birds have a small v-shaped comb and an abundant crest of feathers on the crown of the head.

[citation needed] The origins of the breed's name in the English language are uncertain.

[3] Its name could have also come from the Middle Dutch word pol 'head' (compare origin of poll tax), in reference to the Polish's dome-shaped skull.

[4] In some European countries the breed is known as "Dutch crest fowl" in the respective languages.

[5] In Poland it's known as Polish crest fowl (Czubatka Polska)[6][7] The old type of the breed, less numerous, was still cultivated in Poland, where it's now known as Old-Polish crest fowl (Czubatka staropolska)[8] Though the derivation of the Polish breed is unclear, one theory suggests that their ancestors were brought by Asian Mongols to Central and Eastern Europe during medieval times, and thus, could have originated in Poland.