Bratwurst Boy 8 | 11878
17 Oct 2008 / #181
What an argument...his real family name was Kopperlingk, he latinized his name later to Kopernikus as it was custom at that time...the Poles made it to Kopernik...
So who cares if you can find Koperniks in Poland?
So who cares if you can find Koperniks in Poland?
He several times signed as his name Kopperlingk, possibly because his father's family business in the city of Thorn/Torun was copper and therefore the Low German Kopper (High German Kupfer) and the -lingk ending indicated someone who dabbled in copper. It has been the custom of German people to take on the occupations or the town names as last names.