Our Slavic ancestors – fans of the god of thunder and lightning of Perun – nourished the deep faith in the magical power of the word. The names that they gave to their children during the solemn ceremony of the tonsure were called to “ensure their fulfillment of the wishes of the group, which she expressed in the name”. So, for example, a boy named Bozlislav was supposed to be distinguished by extraordinary courage, and a praise – to glorify God … Slavic pagan names were replaced by Christian names over time: Hebrew, Greek, Latin and German, which, however, quickly survived. At baptism, giving the child the names of people, which were prompted to the face of saints or the face of blessed ones, he was there to be a tribute as it were
The first to use surnames in Poland was the gentry. However, studies conducted recently have shown that the names appeared in large cities already in the late XIII-beginning of the XIV century, in the XV-XVI centuries they were accepted by the gentry, and in the XVII and XVIII centuries-peasants-peasants. The formation of surnames, therefore, is associated not only with the social class, but with the population density. In the Polish cities, especially in Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk, the surnames appeared quite early. In the oldest city book of Krakow, under the date of 1392, we read: Mikolai Stuzennik, Pavel Depupka, Jan Ugrodzinsky, Jan Opolsky, and only names are nearby: Yakush, Petrash, Yanush, etc. p. After 1350, the combination of the name and surname becomes the rule. We do not know, however, whether these names were hereditary. The mechanism of the emergence of surnames concerned, of course, representatives of all social groups. Therefore, we meet with Count Mosquito, Count of Losch and such gentry emblems as a calf and a pig. Surnames were also made from names, including both diminutive and affectionate and derogatory forms. For example, on behalf of Peter, the surnames of Petrash, Petrashka, Petrashak, Petrushko, Petrukha, Petron, Petrus, Pyoshak, Pyshik, Petrashkevich, Petrovich, Petrovsky, Petrazhitsky, Podshikovsky and many others are taking place