# Surnames in Poland



## selekkkkka

I have another question: does the surname thing work the same in Poland as in England, in other words, when a couple get married does the woman take on the man's surname and their children also carry the same surname?

Thanks!


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## kknd

This is the custom. As far as I remember wife needn't take on her husband's name (can maintain her maiden/previous surname, have barreled surname, but only consisting of two surnames or use husband surname), but the children has to inherit father's name (I'm not sure what's happening if he isn't husband of the mother).

Check wikipedia article on this subject for details.


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## selekkkkka

That's great, thanks for the information!


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## NotNow

Yes, they do. Or, I should say, the women I know took their husbands' names.  If a surname ended in _ski_ or _cki_, the wife used to use the feminine forms, _ska_ or _cka_, but that isn't done very much anymore.


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## BezierCurve

> If a surname ended in _ski_ or _cki_, the wife used to use the feminine forms, _ska_ or _cka_, but that isn't done very much anymore.


 
Indeed, Polish women abroad usualy take the male version of surnames. However, in Poland it is still unusual to call a woman "Kowalski" or "Nowacki". Such forms indicate clearly someone from abroad.


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## kknd

NotNow_ said:


> Yes, they do. Or, I should say, the women I know took their husbands' names.  If a surname ended in _ski_ or _cki_, the wife used to use the feminine forms, _ska_ or _cka_, but that isn't done very much anymore.



One has to remember that by Polish law surname of husband and surname of wife is treated as the same! In other words, these are just forms of one surname (i.e. 'They share [common] surname', whole family have the same surname and family's name has ending _-scy_ or _-ccy_ similar to English 'the ~'). Just for your information.


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## fragile1

When a couple get married there are many possibilities, it is just a contract:
1. a woman take a man's surname (if it is with -ski on the and change for -ska, f.e. a man Kowalski, his wife Kowalska)
 2. a man take a woman's surname,
3. a woman take as a second surname of her housband like womans surname befor Nowak married Mr. Kowalski =  woman Nowak-Kowalski. Always the first is from the time she was unmarried with that man.
4. same opposite - man can take a woman's surname as a second (not very common, but possible),
5. Both keep their surname from the past (among by intellectuals and artists).
When the future couple make a  Marriage Licence Application thay decide about the surname of their children.There is art. 1 § 1 kodeksu rodzinnego i opiekuńczego -civilian and familial code article 1 par. 1 if I will missed something in translation, please help some others with better english - 
Have a fun with our surnames 
Their is a plenty of possibilities.


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## fragile1

There is some other problem with inflection our surnames. If the surname for example Zimny, Zachodny, Cienki didn't change in the last generation tho future wife can keep the same. But usualy or if somebody doesn't know that the end is changing for Zimna, Zachodna, Cienka


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## fragile1

kknd said:


> One has to remember that by Polish law surname of husband and surname of wife is treated as the same! In other words, these are just forms of one surname (i.e. 'They share [common] surname', whole family have the same surname and family's name has ending _-scy_ or _-ccy_ similar to English 'the ~'). Just for your information.


 
Not exactly. Abroad of Poland it work like you wrote, but in Poland it could be:
hosband: Kowalski
wife: Nowak
children: Kowalski-Nowak, Nowak-Kowalski, Nowak, Kowalski
There is plenty of possibility


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## kknd

My mistake, thanks again for clarification about children!


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## selekkkkka

Thank you all of you for your help!


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## Marga H

fragile1 said:


> There is some other problem with inflection our surnames. If the surname for example Zimny, Zachodny, Cienki didn't change in the last generation tho future wife can keep the same. But usualy or if somebody doesn't know that the end is changing for Zimna, Zachodna, Cienka


That's right.I'd like only add that these surnames are similar to adjectives in Polish.
In case you are also interested in other endings of Polish surnames (historical ones, at present they are not in use but before the Second World War were popular and you can meet them for instanse in Polish novels):
Polish surnames end quite often - icz , for example Sienkiewicz.
The wife was pani Sienkiewicz*owa *and the daughter panna Sienkiewicz*ówna*
The same if surname ends with a consonant: pan Rosiak, pani Rosiak*owa*, panna Rosiak*ówna*
If a surname ends by -a there was another pattern:
pan Sapieha, pani Sapież*yna*(wife), panna Spież*żanka *(daughter )
(the same you have for some aristocratic titles for instance: hrabia (earl ), his wife: hrab*ina *, his daughter : hrabi*anka.*
Have fun!


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