Polish Baby Names

After BEING introduced to Christianity in 966, Poland today remains 95 percent Roman Catholic. Thus, it is not unexpected to see that many popular names are taken from the Bible or from beloved saints of the church, in addition to traditional Polish names and those taken from popular kings and queens. Diminutive forms of names are quite popular, and most children are addressed by a diminutive or nickname rather than their formal first name. German domination in World War II also influenced the bestowal of names in Poland. During the occupation, many German names were given to Polish children. However, after the end of the war, anti-German sentiment was high and those with German surnames hastened to change them. German names in general became greatly disfavored. The first surnames in Poland started out as appellations used by the wealthy to connect themselves with their estates. The suffix ski or -chi was added to the name to indicate nobility. By the 16th century, 75 percent of the nobility possessed surnames having this termination. Polish kings often granted the right to use the suffix as a reward for those showing honorable or valorous service. In time, the lower classes began applying the suffix to personal names, and it came to be thought of as meaning "son of." The terminations -ak, -ck, -czak, -czek, -czyk, and -yk are diminutives. Women's surnames end in -a. Many Polish immigrants to the United States added the termination ski to their surnames, in the hope of achieving prestige among fellow immigrants who knew nothing of their family background.