Polish names: features and meaning

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

For people interested in different cultures, it would be useful to learn a little about the life of other countries. This article will give you a piece of Poland, namely, you will learn a little about the history of Polish names: their features, distribution and the meaning of some of them.

Polish names: origins

Poles are extremely religious people, they attach great importance in life to family and church traditions. Therefore, it is often religious and family traditions that become the basis for choosing a name for a child. So, in a Polish family, you can meet several generations of Stanislavs (with an emphasis on “and”) or Malgorzhat. Of course, in Russia you can also observe such continuity, especially in rural areas, but for Poland at one time such a phenomenon was very common.

In addition, one of the main sources from which parents take names for their children are Catholic saints. That is why Polish names are replete with nicknames of Greek, Hebrew, Latin origin. It would seem that Poland -the country is also Slavic, close to us in spirit, and, therefore, in terms of the nominal fund, but the difference in religions has made tangible differences between familiar to us and Polish names. However, nicknames that are of Slavic origin and spread even before the introduction of Christianity undoubtedly remain in Poland. Some Polish names can be placed in both categories. This is due to the fact that many saints with Slavic nicknames were canonized (for example, Stanislav, Vlodzimierz). Names of Lithuanian origin are used (one of the most popular is Olgerd), German (Ferdinand, Adolf). Proper Polish names originated during the Middle Ages.

Peculiarities of naming in Poland

Until recently, a child born in a Polish family could have several names at once. Now their number is limited to two (maximum - three) by law. The middle name is chosen by the girl or boy at the age of nine or ten, when the time comes for the first communion. Usually this is the name of one of the saints whom the child wants to see as his patron. However, the second name is practically not used in everyday life (unless the person likes it more than the first).

Popular Polish names and their meanings

At different times, different names were popular. So, quite recently, among the favorite nicknames of the Poles were:

• Mateusz is God's gift;
• Shimon - heard by God;
• David is beloved;
• Casper - treasure keeper;
• Hedgehogs - farmer;
• Lech is an intercessor.

Popular and beautiful Polish names for girls are also interesting. Not so long ago, this list was in the lead:

• Julia - fluffy;
• Zyuzanna - lily;
• Olivia - olive tree;
• Nikola is the winner of nations;
• Natalia is blessed.

Now Poles gravitate toward nicknames of Polish origin (or largely adapted), so you can meet more and more men named Bogumil, Bartosz, Dymytriusz, Kazimierz and girls named Małgorzata, Dagmar, Magdalena, Agnieszka.