Surnames began to be given to noble families from the 14th century to make it easier to distinguish people with the same name. On a wider scale, surnames became widespread only from the 18th century. Initially, they were given from the names of places, fathers’ names or professions.
How were names used in the past? Once upon a time, only the nobility wore them
Initially, people were identified by . However, it has been recognized that this is not sufficient. The first surnames were given to representatives of the nobility, because they took part in commercial transactions, spoke on political matters and inherited land. In situations where money was involved, more specific identification was needed. And it was for this reason that the townspeople began to receive surnames as another social group.
How were the names given? Jan, who lived in Dobrowola, received Dobrowolski. Surnames ending in -ski and -cki are said to be noble surnames. Initially, this was indeed the case, but over time, peasants also formed their own surnames in a similar way.
Check the origin of your surname. The Polish Institute of Polish Language will help you with this
To check where our surname comes from, just go to the website and enter a phrase in the white field. When you get the results, click on the magnifying glass. You will see details, including how many people have your surname, geographic distribution in Poland, history, and even occurrence in literature.
Source: Gazeta
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