Abakanowicz is a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

originating from the

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...

of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

under the

Abdank coat of arms Abdank is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by several szlachta families in the times of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Blazoning Gules '' łękawica'' argent, crest: łąkawica as in arms. History According to ...

Polish heraldry Polish heraldry is the study of the coats of arms that have historically been used in Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It treats of specifically Polish heraldic traits and of the Polish heraldic system, contrasted with heraldic sys ...

.A. Boniecki, ''Herbarz polski'', t. 1, Warszawa 1899, s. 17.S. Uruski, ''Rodzina. Herbarz szlachty polskiej'', t. 1, Warszawa 1904, s. 1.

History

The Abakanowicz family is of

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

descent.S. Dziadulewicz, ''Herbarz rodzin tatarskich'', Wilno 1929, s. 365. A branch of the Krzeczowski clan, they possessed the rights and privileges due

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

in the

. The founder of the family was Abul Abbas Fursowicz Krzeczowski, the co-owner of Krzeczowice, who is mentioned in 1565 and 1569. His sons were Józef, Suleiman, Eliasz and Ahmet Abbas-Kanowicze, who are mentioned in a royal document from 1631. Ahmet's son was Janusz known as Abakanowicz, whereas Janusz's son was Jerzy. It is assumed, that Jerzy (Jur) converted to Catholicism, because documents indicate that from the time of Jerzy Jurewicz Abakanowicz, the lord of Podruksze-Lachowszczyzna rodzina the family is documented as professing

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. Jerzy and Adam Abakanowicz signed the 1763 manifest of the

Szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...

Vilnius Voivodeship The Vilnius Voivodeship ( la, Palatinatus Vilnensis, lt, Vilniaus vaivadija, pl, województwo wileńskie, be, Віленскае ваяводства) was one of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania's voivodeships, which existed from the voivodeship's ...

. In the rolls of nobility in the

Kovno Governorate Kovno Governorate ( rus, Ковенская губеpния, r=Kovenskaya guberniya; lt, Kauno gubernija) or Governorate of Kaunas was a governorate ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Kaunas (Kovno in Russian). It was formed ...

in the years 1849 and 1860 Michał, Ignacy and Jan, the sons of Kazimierz, and the grandchildren of Jerzy, lord of Podruksze-Lachowszczyzna are listed. It was borne by at least three notable personalities: *

Bruno Abakanowicz Bruno Abdank-Abakanowicz (6 October 1852 – 29 August 1900) was a Polish mathematician, inventor, and electrical engineer. Life Abakanowicz was born in 1852 in the Russian Empire (now Lithuania). After graduating from the Riga Technical Univ ...

(1852–1900), Polish mathematician and inventor * Lt.Col. Piotr Abakanowicz (''Barski''; 1890–1948), an officer of the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stret ...

Magdalena Abakanowicz Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz-Kosmowska (20 June 1930 – 20 April 2017) was a Polish sculptor and fiber artist. She was known for her use of textiles as a sculptural medium and her outdoor installations. She is widely regarded as one of Poland ...

(1930–2017), an artist

References

{{surname Surnames of Polish origin