Polish names have two main elements: the
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
, and the
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 ...
. The usage of
personal name
A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is known ...
s in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
is generally governed by
civil law, church law, personal taste and family custom.
The law requires a given name to indicate the person's gender. Almost all Polish female names end in a vowel ''-a'', and most male names end in a consonant or a vowel other than ''a''. There are, however, a few male names that end in ''a'', which are very old and uncommon, such as Barnaba, Bonawentura, Boryna, Jarema, Kosma, Kuba (a diminutive of Jakub) and Saba.
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
is a female name that can be used also as a middle (second) name for males.
Since the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
, Polish-sounding surnames ending with the masculine ''-ski''
suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry ...
, including ''-cki'' and ''-dzki'', and the corresponding feminine suffix ''-ska/-cka/-dzka'' were associated with the
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 ...
(Polish ''
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 ...
''), which alone, in the early years, had such suffix distinctions.
[ Zenon Klemensiewicz, ''Historia języka polskiego'' (History of Polish), PWN, Warsaw 1985, . (in Polish)] They are widely popular today.
Minor regional spelling differences also exist depending on whether the surname originated in
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
,
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
or
Slovak (''-sky/-ský'').
Given names
A child in Poland is usually given one or two names; Polish registry offices do not register more than two. Among Catholics, who form the vast majority of the population, it is customary to adopt the name of a saint as an informal, third given name at
confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
, however, this does not have any legal effect. (This is reminiscent of the pre-Christian rite of the "first haircut" ( pl,
postrzyżyny
The first haircut for a human has special significance in certain cultures and religions. It can be considered a rite of passage or a milestone.
Indian babies
Hindu babies
In Hindu tradition, the hair from birth is associated with undesi ...
), which also involved giving the child a new name.)
Parents normally choose from a long list of traditional names which may come from:
* a
Christian name
A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...
, i.e., a
Biblical name
Names play a variety of roles in the Bible. They sometimes relate to the nominee's role in a biblical narrative
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in C ...
or a
saint's name
A saint's name, which is usually also a biblical name, is the name of a saint given to individuals at their baptism or confirmation within the Catholic Church, as well as in certain parts of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches ...
* a
Slavic name of pre-Christian origin.
The names of Slavic saints, such as
Wojciech
Wojciech () is a Polish name, equivalent to Czech Vojtěch , Slovak Vojtech, and German Woitke. The name is formed from two components in archaic Polish:
* ''wój'' (Slavic: ''voj''), a root pertaining to war. It also forms words like ''wojown ...
(
St Adalbert),
Stanisław (
St Stanislaus
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Stanza, in poetry
* Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band
* Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise
* Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...
), or
Kazimierz
Kazimierz (; la, Casimiria; yi, קוזמיר, Kuzimyr) is a historical district of Kraków and Kraków Old Town, Poland. From its inception in the 14th century to the early 19th century, Kazimierz was an independent city, a royal city of the ...
(
St Casimir), belong to both of these groups. Slavic names used by historical
Polish monarchs, e.g.
Bolesław,
Lech
Lech may refer to:
People
* Lech (name), a name of Polish origin
* Lech, the legendary founder of Poland
* Lech (Bohemian prince)
Products and organizations
* Lech (beer), Polish beer produced by Kompania Piwowarska, in Poznań
* Lech Poznań, ...
,
Mieszko
Mieszko is a Slavic given name of uncertain origin.
Onomastics
There are three major theories concerning the origin and meaning of the name of Duke Mieszko I of Poland. The most popular theory, proposed by Jan Długosz, explains that Mieszko is ...
,
Władysław, are common as well. Additionally, a few names of
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
n origin, such as
Olgierd
Algirdas ( be, Альгерд, Alhierd, uk, Ольгерд, Ольґерд, Olherd, Olgerd, pl, Olgierd; – May 1377) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his bro ...
(
Algirdas
Algirdas ( be, Альгерд, Alhierd, uk, Ольгерд, Ольґерд, Olherd, Olgerd, pl, Olgierd; – May 1377) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his bro ...
),
Witold (
Vytautas
Vytautas (c. 135027 October 1430), also known as Vytautas the Great ( Lithuanian: ', be, Вітаўт, ''Vitaŭt'', pl, Witold Kiejstutowicz, ''Witold Aleksander'' or ''Witold Wielki'' Ruthenian: ''Vitovt'', Latin: ''Alexander Vitoldus'', O ...
) or
Danuta, are quite popular in Poland.
Traditionally, the names are given at a child's
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
. Non-Christian, but traditional, Slavic names are usually accepted, but the priest may encourage parents to pick at least one Christian name. In the past, two Christian names were given to a child so that they had two
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
s instead of just one. At
confirmation
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
, people usually adopt yet another (second or third) Christian name, however, it is never used outside church documents.
In Eastern Poland, as in many other Catholic countries, people celebrate
name days ( pl, imieniny) on the day of their patron saint. On the other hand, in Western Poland,
birthday
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many re ...
s are more popular. Today, in Eastern Poland, birthdays remain relatively intimate celebrations, as often only relatives and close friends know a person's date of birth. Name days, on the other hand, are often celebrated together with co-workers and other less-intimate friends. Information about whose name is associated with a given day can be found in most Polish calendars and on the Internet.
The choice of a given name is largely influenced by fashion. Many parents name their child after a national hero or heroine, or a character from a book, film, or TV show. In spite of this, a great number of popular names have been in use since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
.
Diminutive
A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...
s are popular in everyday usage and are by no means reserved for children. The Polish language allows for a great deal of creativity in this field. Most diminutives are formed by adding a suffix. For male names it may be ''-ek'' or the more affectionate ''-uś''; for female names it may be ''-ka'', or ''-nia'' / ''-dzia'' / ''-sia'' / ''cia'' respectively. For example,
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
(a name which was once reserved to refer to the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
; now the archaic form "Maryja" is used for this), has diminutives Marysia, Maryśka, Marysieńka, Mania, Mańka, Maniusia, etc.
Alternatively,
augmentative forms (Polish: ''zgrubienie'') may be colloquially used, often with scornful or disdainful intention. For example, Maria may be called Marycha or Marychna.
As in many other cultures, a person may informally use a
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
(''pseudonim, ksywa'') or instead of a given name.
In 2009, the most popular female names in Poland were Anna, Maria and Katarzyna (Katherine). The most popular male names were Piotr (Peter), Krzysztof (Christopher) and Andrzej (Andrew).
Surnames
Surnames, like those in most of Europe, are hereditary and generally
patrilineal
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
, being passed from the father to his children.
A Polish marriage certificate lists three fields, the surnames for the husband, wife, and children. The partners may choose to retain their surnames, or both adopt the surname of either partner, or a combination of both; the children must receive either the joint surname or the surname of one of the partners. However, a married woman usually adopts her husband's name, and the children usually bear the surname of the father. The wife may keep her
maiden name
When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also used ...
(''nazwisko panieńskie'') or add her husband's surname to hers, thus creating a
double-barrelled name
A double-barrelled name is a type of compound surname, typically featuring two words (occasionally more), often joined by a hyphen. Examples of some notable people with double-barrelled names include Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Sacha Baron C ...
(''nazwisko złożone''). However, if she already has a double-barrelled name, she must leave one of the parts out—it is illegal to use a triple- or more-barrelled name. An exception is when one of the surnames is composed of a surname proper plus
agnomen
An ''agnomen'' (; plural: ''agnomina''), in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the ''cognomen'' was initially. However, the ''cognomina'' eventually became family names, so ''agnomina'' were needed to distinguish between simila ...
(''przydomek''), e.g.,
Maria Gąsienica Daniel-Szatkowska, where "
Gąsienica Daniel is her husband's surname. It is also possible, though rare, for the husband to adopt his wife's surname or to add his wife's surname to his family name (an example is businessman
Zygmunt Solorz-Żak
Zygmunt Solorz-Żak (born Zygmunt Józef Krok, August 4, 1956 in Radom) is a Polish businessman. He is the second richest person in Poland and has repeatedly appeared on ''Forbes ranking of the world's billionaires, with an estimated net worth ...
, who did both, taking his wife's name on his first marriage, and later appending his second wife's name to it). Polish triple-barreled surnames are known to exist; an example is the one borne by , a university professor and writer, living in Canada.
The most widespread Polish surnames are
Nowak
Novak (in Serbo-Croatian and Slovene; Cyrillic: ), Novák (in Hungarian, Czech and Slovak), Nowak or Novack (in German and Polish), is a surname and masculine given name, derived from the Slavic word for "new" (e.g. pl, nowy, cz, nový, s ...
,
Kowalski
Kowalski (; feminine: Kowalska, plural: Kowalscy) is the second most common surname in Poland (140,471 people in 2009). ''Kowalski'' surname is derived from the word ''kowal'', meaning " lackmith".
" Jan Kowalski" is a name that is used as a p ...
,
Wiśniewski
Wiśniewski (; feminine: Wiśniewska, plural Wiśniewscy) is the third most common surname in Poland (111,174 people in 2009).Ministry of Interior (Poland). Statystyka najpopularniejszych nazwisk występujących w Polsce in 2009'' (The most popul ...
and
Wójcik.
Suffix -ski/-ska
"Ski" (also "Sky" in other regions) is a formative adjective, from the
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the Attested language, unattested, linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately ...
"
ьskъ", which defined affiliation to something. It was also used with names of territories and settlements to denote possession or place of origin.
[Stanisław Rospond, ''Gramatyka historyczna języka polskiego z ćwiczeniami'' (Polish historical grammar..), Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warsaw 2009, p. 114, . (in Polish)] The suffix, ''-ski'' (feminine: ''-ska''), has been restricted to the nobility in eastern Europe and some parts of central Europe since the High Middle Ages.
It was the equivalent to
nobiliary particles appearing in the names of nobility, such as in the Germanic ''
von
The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''.
Nobility directories like the ''Almanach de ...
'' or ''
zu''. Almost all surnames borne by the nobility with the ''-ski'' (or ''-sky'') suffix are preceded by a place name (toponymic) or other territorial designation derived from their main court, holdings, castle, manor or estate. For example, the Polish nobleman
Jan of Tarnów
Jan of Tarnów ( pl, italic=yes, Jan z Tarnowa equally ''Jan Tarnowski'' as well as ''Jan Tarnowski z Tarnowa''; c. 1349–1409) was a Polish nobleman ( szlachcic) from the Lesser Poland region.
Jan was owner of Tarnów, Wielowieś and Ja ...
whose name in Polish is "Jan z Tarnowa" was equally known by the name "Jan Tarnowski"; this highlighted his nobility unlike the preposition of "z" alone which could be construed as a regular
prepositional particle.
In the 19th century, a wave of seemingly noble sounding surnames began to appear among the
common population, where a significant number of the
bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
class, and even the
peasantry
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...
, began to adopt or bear the noble ''-ski'' suffix.
The ''-ski'' suffix was thus attached to surnames derived from a person's occupation, characteristics,
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
surnames, or
toponymic surname
A toponymic surname or topographic surname is a surname derived from a place name. s (from a person's place of residence, birth or family origin).
This caused a blur between the ''-ski'' bearing territorial toponymic surnames once a characteristic only borne by the nobility. As such, and contrary to a popular modern-day misconception, the fact of a person simply bearing the ''-ski'' suffix in their family surname or merely sharing the same toponymic surname as members of Poland's nobility, does not in itself denote that person too is a member of the nobility, of noble origin, or indeed connected to that particular family.
When referring to two or more members of the same family and surname, the suffix ''-ski'' is replaced with the plural ''-skich'', ''-scy'' or ''-ccy'' (plural masculine or both masculine and feminine) as well as ''-skie'' or ''-ckie'' (plural feminine).
The ''-ski'' ending and similar adjectival endings (''-cki'', ''-dzki'', ''-ny'', ''-ty'') are the only ones in Polish that have feminine forms, where women have the feminine version ending in ''-ska'' (''-cka'', ''-dzka'', ''-na'', ''-ta'') instead. Historically, female versions of surnames were more complex, often formed by adding the suffix ''-owa'' for married women and ''-ówna'' for unmarried women. In most cases, this practice is now considered archaic or rustic.
History, heraldry, and clan names
Family names first appeared in Poland around the 13th century and were only used by the upper
social class
A social class is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the Upper class, upper, Middle class, middle and Working class, lower classes. Membership in a social class can for ...
es of society. Over time the Polish nobility became grouped into
heraldic clans (Polish ''ród herbowy'') whose names survived in their shared
coats of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
. Members of one clan could split into separate families with different surnames, usually derived from the name of their holdings or estates. Sometimes the family name and the clan name (associated with the arms) would be used together and form a double-barrelled name. The opposite process happened as well: different families may have joined a heraldic clans by the means of
heraldic adoption
Heraldic adoption ( pl, adopcja herbowa), was in the Kingdom of Poland a legal form of ennoblement and adoption into an existing heraldic clan; along with assuming the coat of arms of that clan it took place as a result of an act issued by the King ...
.
To explain the formation of a particular Polish nobleman's name, e.g. Jakub Dąbrowski,
Radwan coat of arms
Radwan () is a Polish knights' clan (''ród'') and a Polish coat of arms used by the '' szlachta'' (noble families within the clan).
Blazon
Gules: a Gonfanon or surmounted by a Maltese Cross of the last. Crest – on a crowned helmet – thr ...
, the process might be the following. In Polish ''dąb'' means "oak",
[William F. Hoffman, "Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings" (Chicago, Cook county, ILLINOIS, U.S.A.]
POLISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
1993) ''dąbrowa'' means "oak forest" and ''dąbrówka'' means "oak grove". Then, by analogy with German surnames associated with noble provenance using
von
The term ''von'' () is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means ''of'' or ''from''.
Nobility directories like the ''Almanach de ...
, the equivalent Polish preposition is ''
z'', which means "from", followed by the name of the
patrimony or
estate. In Polish the expressions, ''z Dąbrówki'' and ''Dąbrowski'' mean the same thing: hailing "from Dąbrówka".
More precisely, ''z Dąbrówki'' actually means owner of the estate, ''Dąbrówka'', but not necessarily originating from there.
Thus ''Jakub z Dąbrówki herbu Radwan'' translates as "Jacob from Dąbrówka, with the Radwan coat of arms". But with the later addition of his
cognomen
A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...
or nickname, ''Żądło'', he would become known as, ''Jakub z Dąbrówki, Żądło, herbu Radwan'' - or he could be called just plain, ''Jakub Żądło''.
The most striking concept of the Polish heraldic system is that a coat of arms may originate from a single family, but come to be carried by several non-related families of the Polish ''szlachta'' (nobility). Unrelated families who have joined the nobility by
heraldic adoption
Heraldic adoption ( pl, adopcja herbowa), was in the Kingdom of Poland a legal form of ennoblement and adoption into an existing heraldic clan; along with assuming the coat of arms of that clan it took place as a result of an act issued by the King ...
can share the same coat of arms, even though that coat of arms bears the surname of the family who created it. Thus the total number of coats of arms in this system was relatively low — about 200 in the late Middle Ages. One side-effect of this unique arrangement was that it became customary to refer to noblemen by both their family name and their coat of arms/clan name. For example:
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Sariusz Zamoyski ( la, Ioannes Zamoyski de Zamoscie; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, and the 1st '' ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Cha ...
''herbu''
Jelita
Jelita is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by several szlachta families.
History
One of the oldest Polish coats of arms. First depicted on the seal of Tomisław z Mokrska from 1316.
Additionally, the Polish medieval chronicler, diplomat and ...
means ''Jan Zamoyski of the clan Jelita''.
From the 15th to the 17th century, the formula seems to copy the ancient
Roman naming convention
Over the course of some fourteen centuries, the Romans and other peoples of Italy employed a system of nomenclature that differed from that used by other cultures of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, consisting of a combination of personal and fami ...
with the classic ''tria nomina'' used by the
Patrician
Patrician may refer to:
* Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage
* Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...
s: praenomen (or given name), nomen gentile (or
gens
In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...
/Clan name) and
cognomen
A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...
(surname), following the Renaissance fashion. Thus, ''Jan Jelita Zamoyski'', forming a double-barrelled name (nazwisko złożone). Later, the double-barrelled name would be joined with a hyphen: ''Jan Jelita-Zamoyski''.
Example
Gradually the use of family names spread to other social groups: the
townsfolk (''burghers'') by the end of the 17th century, then the peasantry, and finally the
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
s. The process ended only in the mid-19th century.
After the First and Second World Wars some
resistance fighters added their wartime
''noms de guerre'' to their original family names. This was yet another reason for creating double-barrelled names. Examples include
Edward Rydz-Śmigły
Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły (11 March 1886 – 2 December 1941; nom de guerre ''Śmigły, Tarłowski, Adam Zawisza''), also called Edward Śmigły-Rydz, was a Polish politician, statesman, Marshal of Poland and Commander-in-Chief of Poland ...
,
Jan Nowak-Jeziorański
Jan Nowak-Jeziorański (; 2 October 1914 – 20 January 2005) was a Polish journalist, writer, politician, social worker and patriot. He served during the Second World War as one of the most notable resistance fighters of the Home Army. He is b ...
, and
Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski
Generał Tadeusz Komorowski (1 June 1895 – 24 August 1966), better known by the name Bór-Komorowski (after one of his wartime code-names: ''Bór'' – "The Forest") was a Polish military leader. He was appointed commander in chief a day bef ...
. Some artists, such as
Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński
Tadeusz Kamil Marcjan Żeleński (better known by his pen name, Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński or simply as Boy; 21 December 1874 – 4 July 1941) was a Polish stage writer, poet, critic and, above all, the translator of over 100 French literature , Frenc ...
, also added their
''noms de plume'' to their surnames.
Change of name
A Polish citizen may apply to the registry office (''Urząd Stanu Cywilnego'') with a request for a change of name or surname alongside the payment of a small administrative fee.
If the change of surname is not linked to marriage, the family surname is also changed in the successful applicant's documents. A note is added to the applicant's birth certificate in the system, informing of the subsequent change of name.
The request is not always successful. Certain types of request are certain to be refused: for example, the surname of a famous historical figure (where the applicant cannot demonstrate a close family connection to the surname), or where there is concern that the applicant is applying with the aim of evading criminal or civil responsibility.
Every application must give a motivation for the change of name; for example, the existing name being offensive or funny, the desire to revert to a previous name, a close attachment to family members (e.g. parent, step-parent) bearing a different surname, or being commonly known in unofficial contexts by a different name.
Polish names in diasporas
When Polish individuals emigrate to countries with different languages and cultures, the often-difficult spelling and pronunciation of Polish names commonly cause them to be misspelled, changed, shortened, or
calque
In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language wh ...
d.
For example, in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, ''w'' is often changed to ''v'' and ''sz'' to ''sh''. Similar changes occur in
French. Changes in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
can be even more extreme; a ''Spiczyński'' may become simply ''Spika'', for example, where a more rigorous transcription would produce ''de Spichiñ''.
Another typical change is the loss of the gender distinction in adjectival surnames, especially visible for those ending in ''-ski'' (fem.: ''-ska''), ''-cki'' (fem.: ''-cka'') and ''-dzki'' (fem.: ''-dzka''). Western languages do not distinguish between male and female surnames, even if the language has gender-specific adjectives (like German, French or Spanish). As the surname is, in most cases, inherited from the father (or accepted from the husband), the Western registries of birth and marriage ascribe the masculine form (the one ending in ''-i'') to the female members of the family. Slavic countries, in contrast, would use the feminine form of the surname (the one ending in ''-a''). So the form ''Anna Kowalski'' would never be met within Poland, whereas it is commonly found in the US, Germany or Argentina.
However, as an exception, feminine endings like ''-ska'' even apply to some women from non-Slavic countries, not just outside Poland or English-speaking ones, who have Polish parentage or are half-Polish, namely Britain's
Ella Balinska
Ella Balinska (born 4 October 1996) is an English actress. She is known for starring in the action-comedy film '' Charlie's Angels'' (2019) and the Netflix original series ''Resident Evil'' (2022).
Early life and education
Balinska was born on ...
, whose father has the masculine Balinski(-Jundzill), and Australians
Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska ( ; born 25 October 1989) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut on the Australian television drama '' All Saints'' in 2004, followed by her feature film debut in ''Suburban Mayhem'' (2006). She first became known to ...
and her sister Jess, who have the same ending as their mother's.
Another change is changing the final vowel ''-i'' of the endings ''-ski'', ''-cki'' and ''-dzki'' into ''-y''. These endings are common in Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian languages, as well as in English, but they never occur in Polish.
When transliterated into languages that use the
Cyrillic
, bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця
, fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs
, fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic
, fam3 = Phoenician
, fam4 = G ...
alphabet, such as Russian or Ukrainian, alterations are usually much less drastic as the languages involved are Slavic and less difficult for the natives, and feminine forms are preserved, although the ''-ski/-ska'' ending is altered slightly to the corresponding ending in Russian (-ский/-ская) or Ukrainian (-ський/-ська). Similar alterations occur to Polish names in Belarus, Lithuania, and Latvia.
Classification
Based on grammatical features, Polish surnames may be divided into:
* ''nominal'', derived from and
declined as a
noun
A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for:
* Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...
* ''adjectival'', derived from and declined as an
adjective
In linguistics, an adjective (list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word that generally grammatical modifier, modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun.
Tra ...
.
Adjectival names very often end in the suffixes, ''-ski'', ''-cki'' and ''-dzki'' (feminine ''-ska'', ''-cka'' and ''-dzka''), and are considered to be either typically Polish or typical for the Polish nobility. In the case of '-ski', it holds true if the surname contains the name of a city, town, village or other geographical location.
Based on origin, Polish family names may be generally divided into three groups: cognominal, toponymic and patronymic.
Cognominal
A Polish
cognominal surname (''nazwisko przezwiskowe'') derives from a person's nickname, usually based on his profession, occupation, physical description, character trait, etc. The occupational surnames often would come from the Medieval Polish serf-villages, where a whole village serving the prince, township or lord, or a few streets in a town block would be inhabited by the same kind of specialized workers, often a
guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
of professionals. These areas would often be separate from the rest of the town due to the danger of fire (bell-makers and smiths), area ownership by the guild, or due to unpleasant pollution (tanners, wool-workers). Such serf areas would bear the plural form of the profession name, such as Piekary (bakers), Garbary (tanners), Winiary (winemakers). Furthermore, the suffix -czyk, -yk, -ek was used to describe a profession as a diminutive, often, but not always, indicating a trainee - the learning assistant before achieving a full job title or seniority.
Examples of
cognominal surnames:
*
Kowal
Kowal may refer to:
*Kowal (surname)
Kowal is a Polish surname meaning "wikt:smith, smith". It may refer to:
* Andrzej Kowal (born 1971), Polish volleyball coach
* Aneta Kowal (born 1991), American model
* Austin Kowal (born 1985), American artis ...
,
Kowalski
Kowalski (; feminine: Kowalska, plural: Kowalscy) is the second most common surname in Poland (140,471 people in 2009). ''Kowalski'' surname is derived from the word ''kowal'', meaning " lackmith".
" Jan Kowalski" is a name that is used as a p ...
,
Kowalczyk
Kowalczyk is the fifth most common surname in Poland (98,739 people in 2009).Ministry of Interior (Poland). Statystyka najpopularniejszych nazwisk występujących w Polsce in 2009'' (The most popular surnames in Poland in 2009). The name comes ...
,
Kowalewski,
Kowalewicz – from ''kowal'' (blacksmith).
*
Młynarz,
Młynarski,
Młynarczyk – from ''młynarz'' (miller).
*
Nowak
Novak (in Serbo-Croatian and Slovene; Cyrillic: ), Novák (in Hungarian, Czech and Slovak), Nowak or Novack (in German and Polish), is a surname and masculine given name, derived from the Slavic word for "new" (e.g. pl, nowy, cz, nový, s ...
,
Nowakowski
Nowakowski ( ; feminine: Nowakowska; plural: Nowakowscy) is a Polish-language surname. Derived from place names such as Nowakowo, it is related to the surnames Nowak and Nowakowicz.
People
* Anton Nowakowski (1897–1969), German organist and ...
,
Nowicki
Nowicki ( ; feminine: Nowicka; plural: Nowiccy) is a Polish and Jewish surname. It comes from place names such as Nowice, which are derived from the Polish adjective nowy ("new"). The surname is somewhat more frequent in central Poland. It has m ...
– from ''nowy'' (the new one). (Nowak is the most popular Polish surname.
"Nowak."
MoiKrewni.pl )
* Lis, Lisiewicz
Klaus Lisiewicz (born 2 February 1943) is a German former football player who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from ...
, Lisowski – from ''lis'' (fox).
* Kołodziej, Kołodziejski, Kołodziejczak, Kołodziejczyk – from ''kołodziej'' (wheelwright).
* Kuchar
Kuchar ( fa, كوچار, also Romanized as Kūchār; also known as Kūchār-e Kaltūnābād) is a village in Nosratabad Rural District (Qazvin Province), Nosratabad Rural District, in the Central District (Alborz County), Central District of Albor ...
, Kucharski, Kucharczyk – from ''kucharz'' (cook)
* Piekarski, Piekara, Piekarczyk – from ''piekarz'' (baker)
* Bednarski, Bednarek – from ''bednarz'' (barrel maker), or Garcarek – from ''garncarz'' (potter)
* Krawczyk – from ''krawiec'' (tailor), Szewczyk – from ''szewc'' (shoemaker), Tokarczyk – from ''tokarz'' (wood-turner)
Toponymic
Toponymic surname
A toponymic surname or topographic surname is a surname derived from a place name. s (''nazwisko odmiejscowe'') usually derive from the name of a village or town, or the name of a topographic feature. These names are almost always of the adjectival form. Originally they referred to the village owner (lord). In the 19th century, however, surnames were often taken from the name of a person's town.
Examples of toponymic surname
A toponymic surname or topographic surname is a surname derived from a place name. s:
* Brodowski – of Brodowo
* Tarnowski – of Tarnów
Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Tarnów ...
* Wrzesiński – of Września
Września (german: Wreschen) is a town in west-central Poland with 28,600 inhabitants (1995). It is situated in the Września County, Greater Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Poznań Voivodeship (1975–1998), on the Wrześnica R ...
* Krakowski – of Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
* Mazur, Mazurski – of Masuria
Masuria (, german: Masuren, Masurian: ''Mazurÿ'') is a ethnographic and geographic region in northern and northeastern Poland, known for its 2,000 lakes. Masuria occupies much of the Masurian Lake District. Administratively, it is part of the ...
Patronymic
A patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
surname (''nazwisko odimienne'') derives from the given name of a person, and usually ends in a suffix suggesting a family relation.
Examples of patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
surnames:
* Adamczyk – derived from Adam
* Łukaszewski – derived from Łukasz (Luke).
Other
* There is a class of surnames derived from past tense participles. These names usually have the formally feminine (-ła) or neuter (-ło) ending of the (ancient, now obsolete) gender-neutral active past participle, meaning "the one who has ... ome, applied, accomplished, settled, searched, found, etc.. Domagała, Przybyła, Napierała, Dopierała, Szukała or Podsiadło, Wcisło, Wlazło, and Przybyło are examples of these names. A smaller number of surnames use the masculine ending, for example, Musiał or Niechciał.
* Another class of surnames uses the Latin disjunct ''vel
Vel ( ta, வேல், lit=Vēl) is a divine javelin or spear associated with Murugan, the Hindu god of war.
Significance
According to Shaiva tradition, the goddess Parvati presented the Vel to her son Murugan, as an embodiment of her shakti, ...
'' ("or"). This arises when an ancestor was known by a given family name and under an alias
Alias may refer to:
* Pseudonym
* Pen name
* Nickname
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film
* ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006
* ''Alias the ...
. A case in point was when a soldier took part in an uprising
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
and then pursued by the authorities, assumed another name. Subsequently, rather than lose one of his identities, he merged them using the disjunct, ''vel'' to indicate he was known under one or other name. For example, . The family then kept the form.
Feminine forms
Adjectival surnames, like all Polish adjectives, have masculine and feminine forms. If a masculine surname ends in ''-i'' or ''-y''; its feminine equivalent ends in ''-a''.
The feminine form is not just a common usage form, it is also the form of the surname that appears in all official records, such as birth, death and marriage certificates, identity cards, and passports. A female first name coupled with a male surname or vice versa sounds incongruous and wrong to the Polish ear.
Surnames ending with consonants usually have no additional feminine form. In the past, when the masculine form ended in a consonant, the feminine surname could have been derived by adding the suffix '' -owa'' (possessive form) for married women and the suffix '' -ówna'' (patronymic form) for maiden surname.[''Practical Handbook of the Polish Language'', 1935]
p. 106
/ref> For example, Cezaria Baudouin de Courtenay, after her marriage to Janusz Jędrzejewicz
Janusz Jędrzejewicz (; 21 June 1885 – 16 March 1951) was a Polish politician and educator, a leader of the Sanacja political group, and 24th Prime Minister of Poland from 1933 to 1934.
Life
He joined Józef Piłsudski's Polish Socialist Part ...
, was named Cezaria Baudouin de Courtenay Ehrenkreutz Jędrzejewiczowa. The unmarried daughter of Jędrzejewicz would have the official surname Jędrzejewiczówna. In modern times, Jędrzejewicz may be both a masculine and a feminine surname.
Another pair of archaic feminine forms are these derived from the masculine surname based on a nickname ending in vowel: "-ina" for married ( Puchała –> Puchalina) and "-anka/-ianka" for unmarried ( Przybyła –> Przybylanka).
Still another archaic feminine forms are for surnames ending in ''-g'' or syllables starting with '-g': in this case the unmarried feminine form would use the suffix ''-żanka'': Fertig -> Fertiżanka, Szeliga -> Szeliżanka.[
]
Neuter form
The neuter form ("rodzaj nijaki") may be used in reference to neuter nouns such as ''dziecko'', "child." For example, when talking about a child of the neighbours one may say "To małe Kowalskie jest bardzo spokojnym dzieckiem" ("That Kowalski little one is a very quiet child"), or in plural: "Wasilewskie wyjechały do babci" ("The Wasilewskis children went away to see their grandma"). Unlike the feminine form, this form is never used in official documents; it is an informal form used mostly in spoken language.
Examples of feminine and neuter forms
Nominal surnames may or may not change with gender. Like other Slavic languages, Polish has special feminine suffixes which were added to a woman's surname. A woman who was never married used her father's surname with the suffix ''-ówna'' or ''-'anka''. A married woman or a widow used her husband's surname with the suffix ''-owa'' or ''-'ina'' / ''-'yna'' (the apostrophe means that the last consonant in the base form of the surname is softened). Although these suffixes are still used by some people, mostly the elderly and in rural areas, they are now becoming outdated and there is a tendency to use the same form of a nominal surname for both a man and a woman. Furthermore, the forms "-anka" and "-ina/-yna" are going out of fashion and being replaced by "-ówna" and "-owa" respectively.
Examples of old feminine forms:
Plural forms
Plural forms of surnames follow the pattern of the masculine and feminine forms, respectively, if such exist. For a married couple or a family where there is a mix of males and females, the masculine plural is used. Plural forms of names rarely follow the patterns of regular declension, even if the name is identical with a common name.
Declension of adjectival surnames
The table below shows the full declension of adjectival surnames ending in -ki (-ski, -cki, -dzki), using the surname "Kowalski" as an example.
Formal and informal use
Poles pay great attention to the correct way of referring to, or addressing other people, depending on the level of social distance, familiarity and politeness. The differences between formal and informal language include:
* using surnames or given names
* using or not using honorific titles, such as ''Pan'' / ''Pani'' / ''Państwo'';
* using the third person singular (formal) or the second person singular (informal) forms.
Formal language
''Pan'' / ''Pani'' / ''Państwo''
''Pan'' and ''Pani'' are the basic honorific styles used in Polish to refer to a man or woman, respectively. In the past, these styles were reserved for hereditary nobles, and played more or less the same role as "Lord" or "Sir" and "Lady" or "Madame" in English. Since the 19th century, they have come to be used in all strata of society and may be considered equivalent to the English "Mr." and "Ms." or the Japanese "san" suffix, while nobles would be addressed "Jego/Jej Miłość Pan/Pani" (His/Her Grace Lord/Lady). There used to be a separate style, ''Panna'' ("Miss"), applied to unmarried women, but this is now outdated and mostly replaced by ''Pani''.
"Państwo" is widely used when referring to a married couple (instead of using ''Pan'' and ''Pani'') or even a whole family.
Examples:
* Pan Kowalski + Pani Kowalska = Państwo Kowalscy
* Pan Nowak + Pani Nowak = Państwo Nowakowie
Titles
When addressing people, scientific and other titles are always used together with "Pan" and "Pani" and the name itself is dropped. However, when a person is spoken of but not addressed directly, then both the title and the name are used and the words "Pan"/"Pani" are often omitted.
Examples:
* "Panie profesorze" ("Professor"), "Pan profesor powiedział" ("Professor (X) said" or "you have said, professor")
* "Pani doktor" ("Doctor"), "Pani doktor powiedziała" ("Doctor (X) said" or "you have said, doctor")
but:
* "Pan profesor Jan Nowak" or "profesor Jan Nowak" or "profesor Nowak",
* "Pani doktor Maria Kowalska" or "doktor Maria Kowalska" or "doktor Kowalska"
Given name / surname order
The given name(s) normally comes before the surname. However, in a list of people sorted alphabetically by surname, the surname usually comes first. Hence some people may also use this order in spoken language (e.g. introducing themselves as ''Kowalski Jan'' instead of '' Jan Kowalski''), but this is generally considered incorrect or a throwback to the Communist era when this order was sometimes heard in official situations. In many formal situations, the given name is omitted altogether.
Examples:
* Pan Włodzimierz Malinowski
* Pani Jadwiga Kwiatkowska
On the other hand, it is not common to refer to public figures, while not addressing them, with "Pan" or "Pani". This is true for politicians, artists, and athletes.
* "Jan Kowalski był dziś w Gdańsku." ("Jan Kowalski was in Gdansk today") and not "Pan Jan Kowalski był dziś w Gdańsku."
* "Jan Kowalski uważa, że" or "Minister Kowalski uważa, że" ("Mr Kowalski maintains that") is better than "Pan Kowalski uważa, że".
* "Film reżyserował Jan Kowalski." ("The film was directed by Jan Kowalski.") and not: "Film reżyserował pan Jan Kowalski."
* "Złoty medal zdobyła Anna Kowalska." ("The gold medal was won by Anna Kowalska.") and never: "Złoty medal zdobyła pani Anna Kowalska."
In such circumstances, preceding a name with "Pan" or "Pani" would usually be seen as being ironical.
Semi-formal levels of address
In situations of frequent contact, like at work, people who do not change their status from formal to familiar levels may remain for years at a semi-formal level, using the formal "Pan"/"Pani" form followed by the given name. That way of calling people is used not only to address them but also to refer to them to a third person with whom one remains at the same level of semi-formal contact.
If two people do not have the same status, such as an employer and employee, a subordinate person is addressed by his or her given name by their superior, but the subordinate never uses the given name of the superior but instead uses the title.
* the superior to a subordinate: "Panie Włodzimierzu!", "Pani Jadwigo!";
* a subordinate to the superior: "Panie Dyrektorze!" (literally: "Mr Principal!"), "Pani Kierownik!" (literally: "Mrs Manager!").
This style is to a certain degree similar to the Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
, Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
or Icelandic usage.
If a superior wants to behave more politely or show a friendly attitude towards the subordinate, a diminutive form of the given name may be used: "Panie Włodku!", "Pani Jadziu!". That, however, is usually not practised when the subordinate is much older than the superior, as it may be felt by the subordinate as being overly patronised by the superior.
It is rude to call a person by a surname in the presence of unknown people. In a random crowd, for example, a person calling another person should use a form of "Proszę Pana/Pani" ("I'm asking you, Sir/Madam") or use the semi-formal form with first name, like "Panie Włodzimierzu" ("Mr. Włodzimierz"). That comes from a general rule that one has the right to be anonymous in a crowd of unknown people, and the rule is observed in most Western countries. To disclose one's given name does not fall under that rule, as many people are "Włodzimierz", for instance.
Semi-informal and informal forms of address
Informal forms of address are normally used only by relatives, close friends and co-workers. In such situations diminutives are generally preferred to the standard forms of given names. At an intermediate level of familiarity (for example, among co-workers) a diminutive given name may be preceded by formal the ''Pan'' or ''Pani'' (semi-informal form of address):
* Pan Włodek (but also standard semi-formal form "Pan Włodzimierz") - in direct address "Panie Włodku" (standard: "Panie Włodzimierzu")
* Pani Jadzia (but also "Pani Jadwiga") - in direct address "Pani Jadziu" (standard: "Pani Jadwigo")
Using the honorific style with a surname only, if used to refer to a given person directly, is generally perceived as rude. In such case, it is more polite to use just the form "Pan", without given or family name.
It is very rude to address someone whom one does not know well without using "Pan" or "Pani", and with the second person singular instead of the polite third person singular pronouns and verb forms. Traditionally, the act of moving from this form to a friendly "you" must be acknowledged by both parties and it is usually a mark of a close friendly relationship between the two people. The change can only be proposed by the older or more respected person; a similar suggestion initiated by the younger or less respected person will usually be perceived as presumptuous and arrogant.
Multiple surnames of married women
Although a remarried woman who takes the new husband's surname does not formally retain the surname(s) from the previous marriages, on biographical occasions all her surnames may be listed as follows: "Maria Piłsudska
Maria Piłsudska (née Koplewska; 1865 – 17 August 1921), was the first wife of Poland's Marshal Józef Piłsudski and ostensibly the first lady of Poland during most of his service as Poland's Chief of State.
Life
She was born in 1865 in ...
, ''de domo'' Koplewska, ''primo voto'' Juszkiewicz, ''secundo voto'' Piłsudska", where ''"de domo
When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also u ...
"'' literally meaning "of house" is basically the same as ''née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
'', ''" primo voto"'' marks the surname by the first marriage, ''"secundo voto"'' marks the surname by the second marriage, etc.
See also
* Family name
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 ...
* Family name affixes
Family name affixes are a clue for surname etymology and can sometimes determine the ethnic origin of a person. This is a partial list of affixes.
Prefixes
* A – (Romanian) "son of"
* Ab – (Welsh, Cornish, Breton) "son of"
* Af – (Danish, ...
* History of Polish
The Polish language is a West Slavic language, and thus descends from Proto-Slavic, and more distantly from Proto-Indo-European. More specifically, it is a member of the Lechitic branch of the West Slavic languages, along with other languages sp ...
* Name of Poland
The ethnonyms for the Poles (people) and Poland (their country) include endonyms (the way Polish people refer to themselves and their country) and exonyms (the way other peoples refer to the Poles and their country). Endonyms and most exonyms ...
* Polish clans
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 ...
* 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 ...
* Slavic names
Given names originating from the Slavic languages are most common in Slavic countries.
The main types of Slavic names:
* Two-basic names, often ending in mir/měr (''Ostromir/měr'', ''Tihomir/měr'', '' Němir/měr''), *voldъ (''Vsevolod'', ...
* Slavic name suffixes A Slavic name suffix is a common way of forming patronymics, family names, and pet names in the Slavic languages. Many, if not most, Slavic last names are formed by adding possessive and other suffixes to given names and other words. Most Slavic sur ...
* T–V distinction
The T–V distinction is the contextual use of different pronouns that exists in some languages and serves to convey formality or familiarity. Its name comes from the Latin pronouns '' tu'' and '' vos''. The distinction takes a number of forms ...
References
External links
Meaning of Polish Lastnames / Surnames
Repartition of Polish surnames in present day Poland (interactive maps) according to the 2001 census
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polish Name
Slavic-language names
Names by culture