"-ski" last names more desirable in Poland?

NPosuniak 8 | 91

13 Jul 2009 / #1

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?

SeanBM 35 | 5,797

13 Jul 2009 / #2

are the non -ski's jealous of the -ski's?

Only in heavy snow ;)

ZIMMY 6 | 1,601

13 Jul 2009 / #3

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.

OP NPosuniak 8 | 91

13 Jul 2009 / #4

Only in heavy snow ;)

haha. thanks.

Torq

13 Jul 2009 / #5

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.

SeanBM 35 | 5,797

13 Jul 2009 / #6

"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 Grunwald 32 | 2,176

13 Jul 2009 / #7

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

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!

Ziemowit 14 | 4,263

13 Jul 2009 / #8

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.

opts 10 | 260

13 Jul 2009 / #9

What about those last names that end in "cki"?

Cardno85 31 | 973

13 Jul 2009 / #10

Those belonged to Noblemen that were not good spellers.

Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,867

13 Jul 2009 / #11

Lot's of "-ski's" in Germany today...:)

noski 1 | 27

13 Jul 2009 / #12

what about yesterday!

Bratwurst Boy 12 | 11,867

13 Jul 2009 / #13

Yesterday too I think..

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrpolen
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Germans

opts 10 | 260

13 Jul 2009 / #14

Those belonged to Noblemen that were not good spellers.

Why did you say that? :)

Cardno85 31 | 973

13 Jul 2009 / #15

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.

wheelbarrow

20 Jul 2009 / #16

"ski" is only for males, "ska" is used for females.

If that is true why does this woman have the name of Elizabeth Filarski

OP NPosuniak 8 | 91

20 Jul 2009 / #17

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.

Ziemowit 14 | 4,263

20 Jul 2009 / #18

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.

pgtx 29 | 3,145

20 Jul 2009 / #19

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.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_name

OP NPosuniak 8 | 91

20 Jul 2009 / #20

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???)

sapphire 22 | 1,241

20 Jul 2009 / #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 :(....

no longer
associated with nobility.

ski's marry women and then the women are -ski's too

arent they ska's?

Bartolome 2 | 1,085

20 Jul 2009 / #22

If so, are the non -ski's jealous of the -ski's?

No, only of the '... von ...' (:

OP NPosuniak 8 | 91

20 Jul 2009 / #23

arent they ska's?

are you a ska or a ski?

JMW009

20 Jul 2009 / #24

so basically we're all nobles..all the skis, skas, icz's...any exceptions|?

Matyjasz 2 | 1,544

20 Jul 2009 / #25

arent they ska's?

In Poland they are -ska's, in America they are ski's.

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. :)

tatt2dmoon 3 | 27

1 Aug 2009 / #26

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

Ziemowit 14 | 4,263

1 Aug 2009 / #27

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.

tatt2dmoon 3 | 27

1 Aug 2009 / #28

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.