"-ski" last names more desirable in Poland?

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. However, this is not exactly true, exactly as in France or Germany where not all people with a de or von in their names were formally nobles: the adjectival suffix -ski, -skii or -sky is found in many other Slavic languages, and in Poland, the adjectival form of a name was not reserved to the szlachta.

Based on origin, Polish family names may be generally divided into three groups: cognominal, toponymic and patronymic.

NPosuniakThreads: 11 Posts: 122 Joined: Jun 25, 09	Jul 13, 09, 00:55 / #
I read on here somewhere that -ski last names were originally used to designate royalty or elite families. Correct? If so, are the non -ski's jealous of the -ski's?

SeanBMThreads: 41 Posts: 8,726 Joined: Mar 10, 08	Edited by: SeanBM Jul 13, 09, 01:14 / #
NPosuniak: are the non -ski's jealous of the -ski's? Only in heavy snow ;)

ZIMMYThreads: 10 Posts: 2,353 Joined: Feb 21, 09	Jul 13, 09, 03:54 / #
NPosuniak: are the non -ski's jealous of the -ski's? No, Polish people are incapable of jealousy. Those who are have some German blood in them.

NPosuniakThreads: 11 Posts: 122 Joined: Jun 25, 09	Jul 13, 09, 04:22 / #
SeanBM: Only in heavy snow ;) haha. thanks.

TorqThreads: 65 Posts: 4,024 Joined: Apr 10, 09 MEMBER	Edited by: Torq Jul 13, 09, 09:47 / #
NPosuniak: I read on here somewhere that -ski last names were originally used to designate royalty or elite families. Correct? That is correct. -ski last names were the names of noblemen. In the times of the First Republic szlachta (noblemen) constituted 10% of Polish population. That's why those names were very desired by, for example, newly rich peasants who very often changed their names to noble ones (i.e. Kaczmarek -> Kaczmarski). Many Polish Jews also changed their names to Polish sounding ones and they very often chose -ski names. -icz names were also noble names but they were associated with eastern part of Commowealth. In a present day Poland -ski names are very popular, but they are no longer associated with nobility.

SeanBMThreads: 41 Posts: 8,726 Joined: Mar 10, 08	Jul 13, 09, 10:53 / #
"ski" is only for males, "ska" is used for females. So brother and father will have a different ending to their sister and wife.

Mr GrunwaldThreads: 34 Posts: 2,358 Joined: Dec 16, 08	Jul 13, 09, 11:09 / #
NPosuniak: I read on here somewhere that -ski last names were originally used to designate royalty or elite families. Correct? If so, are the non -ski's jealous of the -ski's? Originally yes, but not everyone ZIMMY: No, Polish people are incapable of jealousy. Those who are have some German blood in them. I somehow have German blood in me and im not "jealous" of other ski havers, it's what you do that is important :) Nobles oblige!

ZiemowitThreads: 10 Posts: 1,063 Joined: May 8, 09	Edited by: Ziemowit Jul 13, 09, 13:18 / #
Noblesse oblige, oui, nevertheless specialists in genealogy say that the surname ending in -ski isn't in any way - contrary to common belief - connected formally to the nobel status of a family or person.

optsThreads: 12 Posts: 333 Joined: Jul 29, 06	Jul 13, 09, 13:26 / #
What about those last names that end in "cki"?

Cardno85Threads: 33 Posts: 858 Joined: Jul 11, 08 MEMBER	Jul 13, 09, 13:33 / #
opts: What about those last names that end in "cki"? Those belonged to Noblemen that were not good spellers.

Bratwurst BoyThreads: 11 Posts: 14,563 Joined: Apr 2, 07	Jul 13, 09, 13:42 / #
Lot's of "-ski's" in Germany today...:)

noskiThreads: 2 Posts: 31 Joined: Oct 26, 07	Jul 13, 09, 13:57 / #
Bratwurst Boy: Lot's of "-ski's" in Germany today...:) what about yesterday!

NPosuniakThreads: 11 Posts: 122 Joined: Jun 25, 09	Jul 20, 09, 08:22 / #
wheelbarrow: If that is true why does this woman have the name of Elizabeth Filarski I thinks SeanBM meant historically. Not a standard followed today that says no woman can be a ski. There are millions of women with the last name "ski" currently.

ZiemowitThreads: 10 Posts: 1,063 Joined: May 8, 09	Jul 20, 09, 09:10 / #
Millions of women with the last name ending in -ski seems to be a bit of exageration to me. The reason for such an ending in a woman's surname is beacuse daughters of Polish immigrans got their name after the father whose name ended in -ski (it is only in Poland where the ending changes depending on the sex of the person). It is also true the other way. If a boy child got the name afer his unmarried mother, his name could for example be Andrew Filarska instead of Andrew Filarski.

Bratwurst BoyThreads: 11 Posts: 14,563 Joined: Apr 2, 07	Jul 13, 09, 14:23 / #
noski: what about yesterday! Yesterday too I think.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrpolen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Germans

optsThreads: 12 Posts: 333 Joined: Jul 29, 06	Jul 13, 09, 18:46 / #
Cardno85: Those belonged to Noblemen that were not good spellers. Why did you say that? :)

Cardno85Threads: 33 Posts: 858 Joined: Jul 11, 08 MEMBER	Jul 13, 09, 18:51 / #
opts: Why did you say that? :) It was a joke (albeit much funnier in my head!), i was insinuating that the -cki ending was made up because of someone wanting a more noble name but spelling it wrong. Made me laugh...but then I am very simple.

pgtxThreads: 49 Posts: 6,327 Joined: Feb 14, 09 MEMBER	Jul 20, 09, 09:14 / #
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. However, this is not exactly true, exactly as in France or Germany where not all people with a de or von in their names were formally nobles: the adjectival suffix -ski, -skii or -sky is found in many other Slavic languages, and in Poland, the adjectival form of a name was not reserved to the szlachta. Based on origin, Polish family names may be generally divided into three groups: cognominal, toponymic and patronymic. -sky problem

NPosuniakThreads: 11 Posts: 122 Joined: Jun 25, 09	Edited by: NPosuniak Jul 20, 09, 09:25 / #
Ziemowit: Millions of women with the last name ending in -ski seems to be a bit of exageration to me. It was supposed to be hyperbole, not literal. All I meant is that -ski's marry women and then the women are -ski's too. (PS. polish population in US alone is 10,000,000ish so maybe millions of female ski's might not be incorrect???)

sapphireThreads: 28 Posts: 1,418 Joined: Dec 7, 06	Jul 20, 09, 14:21 / #
I used to like ska music, but Im not much into skiing... I was just beginning to think I was on to a winner and my partner might be a secret noble man, but you have shattered my illusions in one line :(.... Torq: no longer associated with nobility. NPosuniak: ski's marry women and then the women are -ski's too arent they ska's?

BartolomeThreads: 2 Posts: 1,345 Joined: Sep 14, 06	Jul 20, 09, 15:30 / #
NPosuniak: If so, are the non -ski's jealous of the -ski's? No, only of the '... von ...' (:

NPosuniakThreads: 11 Posts: 122 Joined: Jun 25, 09	Jul 20, 09, 18:57 / #
sapphire: arent they ska's? are you a ska or a ski?

JMW009	Jul 20, 09, 19:52 / #
so basically we're all nobles..all the skis, skas, icz's...any exceptions\|?

MatyjaszThreads: 2 Posts: 1,786 Joined: Jul 20, 06	Jul 20, 09, 20:58 / #
sapphire: arent they ska's? In Poland they are -ska's, in America they are ski's. JMW009: so basically we're all nobles..all the skis, skas, icz's...any exceptions\|? Some peasents also had the -ski ending so you never can be sure. :)

tatt2dmoonThreads: 4 Posts: 31 Joined: Jul 25, 09	Aug 1, 09, 01:50 / #
How about " zki " ?? My maiden name ends in zki and my father is from Danzig 1929. After the war my grandfather was forced to change it to " cki " , my Aunt's was changed to cka. So yes for female & male are different. Thank you for putting that question in my head to rest, never knew this. In the usa it is still the original as on my fathers birth certificate as - zki

ZiemowitThreads: 10 Posts: 1,063 Joined: May 8, 09	Aug 1, 09, 10:17 / #
I believe names in -zki are germanized versions of names of Polish origin ending in -cki or -ski. In the Freie Stadt Danzig or parts of Poland which belonged to the Reich in 1772-1918 they may have been fairly frequent.

tatt2dmoonThreads: 4 Posts: 31 Joined: Jul 25, 09	Aug 1, 09, 10:33 / #
Ziemowit: In the Freie Stadt Danzig or parts of Poland which belonged to the Reich in 1772-1918 they may have been fairly frequent. That would be the time of my grandfathers place & birth so makes sense then, they were also German speaking.