Collected Precedents of the S.C.A.: Polish

Name Precedents: Polish

Laurel:	Date: (year.month.date)	Precedent:
François la Flamme	2004.02	This name is being returned for lack of a given name as required by RfS III.2.a, "Personal Names", which states in part that "A personal name must contain a given name and at least one byname". Teofilia was submitted as a given name as stated in the LoI: Teofilia is dated to before 1607 by Zofia Teofilia Danilowicz, mother of Jan Sobieski III, b 1607 (<http://www.geocities.com/a_gulinski/poczela.htm>) This website is a genealogy website. Genealogy sources often standardize and/or modernize names. While this practice aids in presentation of a genealogist's research, it is not useful for our purposes. Nebuly provided significant commentary regarding the person mentioned in this webside, and regarding the name Teofilia in general: Although it may be true that Zofia Teofilia Danilowicz appears as the mother of Jan III Sobieski on the cited web page, I doubt that this is a period form for her name, especially since it is grammatically incorrect for Polish. I have examined the web site and find that it is a purported genealogy of the Guli{n'}ski family, with information indiscriminately pulled from a wide array of sources. Spellings of names on the site are heavily modernized, and information is often unreliable. For example, Jan III Sobieksi's father, Jakub Sobieski, had four sons (Stone, p136), but the Guli{n'}ski site lists only three sons. We do not generally regard genealogical sources as sufficient for documentation, and given the mistakes and modernization of names, the site should be regarded with extreme suspicion. It was unclear to me whether the cited individual had two given names and a patronym, or a single given name and compound patronym. That is, the name might mean "Zofia, daughter of Teofil Danilowicz." The element Teofilia would thus be the masculine given name Teofil in its genitive form. Some digging into the genealogy of Jan III revealed that his maternal grandfather was Stefan {Z.}ó{l/}kiewski (Stone p236). This at least rules out the possibility that Teofilia was a patronymic. However, it still seemed unlikely that Teofilia was a second given name. Knab (s.n. Teofila) says that it was a "more popular name in the 17th century [than today]," but does not say when the name was introduced. I suspect that its use and popularity originated with Jan III's wife Zofia. Imitation of popular royalty and saints is a hallmark of Polish naming practice. However, double given names are extremely rare in period Polish and when they do occur in Slavic languages, one name is Christian and the other is a Slavic use name. Since both Zofia and Teofilia are Christian given names, this makes it doubly unlikely that we here have an example of a double given name. I believe I have the answer as to the origin and meaning of Teofilia in the cited name. My clue came when I noticed that the wife of Jan III was Marie Casimira d'Arquien, a French-born woman who moved to Poland at a young age to serve as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Louise Marie, wife of King Jan Kazimierz (Stone, p162). Now since Jan III's wife Marie was French, there is zero possibility that the Polish name element Casimira came to her from her birth heritage. What I do know is that King Jan Kazimierz and his queen Louise Marie built a favorable political faction around themselves by marrying off the queen's "nieces" (highly favored ladies-in-waiting). It seems likely that Jan III's wife was called Casimira because of her status in the royal court, and public use of the name would have strengthened political ties to the royalty. That is, the only logical reason for the intrusion of Casimira into an otherwise French name is to show political allegiance in the nobility. My best guess is the name Zofia Teofilia Danilowicz exemplifies another such case of political allegiance to a noble named Teofil. This would make the name inappropriate as a feminine given name, though it could still be used as a nickname in a three element Polish name. In addition, the birthdate information given for Zofia in the LoI is incorrect. She did not give birth to Jan III Sobieski in 1607, but rather she herself was born in that year. She married Jakub in 1627 and gave birth to the future Jan III in 1629. This means that even if Teofilia had been a second given name, it is quite firmly post-1600. Based on this information, Teofilia is only documented as a second element in a feminine name, most likely as a byname of allegiance of the type described by Nebuly. Lacking clear evidence of Teofilia used as a feminine given name, it is not registerable in that position. As a result, the submitted name has no given name and is, therefore, not registerable. At this time, we only have evidence of use of bynames of allegiance (such as Casimira in the name of Marie Casimira d'Arquien, b. 1641) from sometime in the mid to late 17th C. If evidence can be found that the use of bynames of allegiance were a practice in Poland during period, then Teofilia would be registerable as the second element in a three element feminine name. For example, if the submitter added a feminine given name then this name would be registerable as [feminine given name] Teofilia Karaszkiewicza. [Teofilia Karaszkiewicza, 02/2004, R-Atlantia]
François la Flamme	2004.01	Submitted as Wojeick z Krakow, the submitter allowed any changes. Nebuly provided commentary regarding aspects of this name: The submitted and documented spellings of the given name do not match. [...] Knab (p129, s.n. Wojciech) documents Wojciek to 1399, which at least has all the same letters as the submitted spelling. However, judging by entries in the SSNO (s.n. Wojciech), the most common period spelling was Woyczech. The byname is grammatically incorrect, since the Polish preposition z takes the genitive form of the town's name. The name should be corrected to Wojciek z Krakowa. As no documentation was presented and none was found to support Wojeick as a plausible form in period, it is not registerable. We have changed this name to the form suggested by Nebuly in order to correct the spelling and grammar issues in order to register this name. [Wojciek z Krakowa, 01/2004, A-East]
François la Flamme	2003.12	This name is being returned for (1) lack of evidence of significant contact between speakers of Polish and French (or Hungarian and French, depending upon how you view the given name) in period, and (2) grammatical issues with the byname. Listed on the LoI as Kinga la Roux, this name was submitted as Kinga de la Roux, the byname was changed at Kingdom to better match available documentation. The LoI provided documentation of Kinga found in Polish records in period: Feminine given name recorded in Poland as Kinga in 1266, Kynga in 1275, and Kince c1320, all of which apparently refer to the same person. Kinga appears to be a diminutive of Kunegunda, or at least this individual was known by both names. [Taszycki, Witold, S{l'}ownik Staropolskich Nazw Osobowych, 7 vols. Vol. 2, Wroclaw: Polska Akademia Nauk, 1965-1987, pp 583b-584a] [Taszycki, Vol.2, p 584a] The LoI also notes that the person referenced in these records is a woman who went on to become a saint. Nebuly identifies that the woman in question is culturally Hungarian, even though she is found in Polish records: The submitter has successfully documented period use of the Hungarian name Kinga, but has failed to address the other reason for her previous return. Yes, the submitter has found Kinga in Polish records, but that does not make it a Polish name. I can find records of Suleiman the Magnificent in French, but that doesn't make Suleiman a French name. Likewise, all the citations in the SSNO for Kinga refer to the Hungarian princess by that name. It is perhaps a unique name in period, and is strictly Hungarian. We need evidence of significant contact between Hungary and France to register this name. Based on this information, the submitted name combines either Polish and French or Hungarian and French in a name. Regardless, neither combination has previously been addressed. As no evidence of significant contact was provided and none was found, this name must be returned for lack of documenation of this lingual mix. Regarding the submitted byname, the form la Roux is not grammatically correct. Colm Dubh's article "An Index to the Given Names in the 1292 Census of Paris" (http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/names/paris.html) lists the masculine byname form le Rous (Lyon le Rous) and the feminine byname form la rousse (Aalis la rousse), both meaning 'the red'. Aryanhwy merch Catmael's article "Names Found in Commercial Documents from Bordeaux, 1470-1520" (http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~sfriedemann/names/bordeaux.htm) shows an inherited surname form: Leroux. Kingdom provided information from consultation with the submitter: [The] submitter will accept no changes to the given name, and for the byname will only accept de la Roux or la Roux or la Rous. No evidence was found to support de 'of' used with any form of a byname la Rousse 'the red'. The byname forms la Roux and la Rous combine the feminine la with Roux and Rous, both of which are masculine. As none of these byname forms are grammatically correct, they are not registerable. [Kinga la Roux, 12/2003, R-Artemisia]
François la Flamme	2003.04	The submitter requested an authentic name for 14th to 16th C Polish with the meaning 'John the elder, who travels'. There are two problems with this name. First, no documentation was presented and none was found to support two descriptive bynames in Polish. Second, no evidence was found to support any form of Podró{z.}nika as a plausible byname in period. Nebuly found information information regarding the elements in this name: The name Jan (John) appears in Polish at least as early as 1202 (SSNO, s.n. Jan), and is one of the most common Polish names for the next several centuries. Rymut documents Starszy to 1417 (s.n. Stary), and it does mean "the elder/older" as given in the LoI. The word podró{z dot above}nika is the feminine form of podró{z dot above}nik, and so is grammatically out of place in an otherwise masculine name. I can find no evidence that this was a period byname, and think it unlikely a person would be known by two descriptive bynames. The only byname I've found with the submitter's intended meaning is Wandrownyk (SSNO, s.n. W{e,}drownik), but again I think the name "The older John, the wanderer" is unlikely for having two descriptive bynames. This name would be registerable as Jan Starszy 'John the elder' or as Jan Wandrownyk 'John the wanderer'. However, both of these options are major changes. As the submitter did not allow major changes, we must return this name. [Jan Starszy Podró{z.}nika, 04/2003 LoAR, R-East]
François la Flamme	2003.03	Submitted as Zofia Borek, the submitter requested authenticity for 15th C Poland. All forms of the name Zofia that the College was able to find dated to period were spelled -phia rather than -fia. We have changed the given name to the form Zophia to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. The byname Borek was submitted as "a generic toponym meaning 'small forest'". Evidence was found of Borek used as a masculine given name in period. In some of the dated examples, it is not possible to tell if Borek is being used as a second given name or as a patronymic byname. However, none of the examples found showed Borek used in a context that is identifiable as a toponymic byname. Lacking evidence that the byname Borek was used as a toponymic byname, we must assume that it derived solely as a patronymic byname from the masculine given name Borek. Since this byname is being used with the feminine given name Zophia, Polish grammar requires that it be modified to a feminine form. Nebuly provided information regarding likely feminine forms of this byname: Since the client expresses a desire for a period name, I recommend we register Zophia Boreka. I do have doubts about Borek being a patronymic byname and not simply a second given name in the noted citations. The proper patronym form appears to be Borkow. Because of this, I think Zophia Borkowa would be the most authentic possibility, but given Rymut's [Kazimierz Rymut, Nazwiska Polak�w] citation of Borek as a surname, a claim against which I have no counter-evidence, the name Zophia Boreka should be registerable if not fully authentic. Based on the citation of Borek as a surname in Kazimierz Rymut, Nazwiska Polak�w, Boreka would be the most likely feminine form of this byname. Therefore, we have changed this name to use Boreka in order to register this name and to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. [Zophia Boreka, 03/2003, A-Middle]
François la Flamme	2003.01	The submitter requested authenticity for Polish. The documentation submitted indicates that Wilhelm "is dated to 1423 in the Slownik Staropolskich Nazw Osobowych [VI: 96]". (This source is often abbreviated as SSNO.) Aryanhwy merch Catmael inquired of several people regarding aspects of this name and SSNO in general. Among the commentary she passed on was information from Talan Gwynek, who explained that "some of the documents cited in SSNO are actually in German and use Germanized forms even of some native Polish names". Given this information, the example of Wilhelm that appears in SSNO may be from a German record of a Polish person. As we were unable to confirm that Wilhelm was actually used as a Polish form of William, we were unable to confirm that this name is authentic for Polish as requested by the submitter. [Wilhelm Michalik, 01/2003 LoAR, A-Middle]
François la Flamme	2003.01	[Name change from Monika Elzbietka Poznanska] No documentation was presented and none was found that Moniczka was used in period. Moniczka was documented from William F. Hoffman and George Wieslaw Helon, First Names of the Polish Commonwealth: Origins and Meanings (p. 258). Nebuly provided information regarding this source: The book is explicitly post-period, with emphasis on coverage of names that have been used in Poland since the 18th century. The client's name as currently registered is more authentic than the newly submitted form - the SSNO has Monika dated to 1499 (s.n. Mo{n'}ka) - although a period Polish woman's name would not have had a double given name. As there are so few sources on Polish names currently available in English, we are not willing to place this source on the list of name sources to avoid. However, it should be used with care. [Moniczka Elzbietka Poznanska, 01/2003 LoAR, R-Calontir]
François la Flamme	2002.11	Submitted as Goimir Gora, the submitter requested authenticity for Polish and allowed any changes. The LoI noted that "[t]he submitter requests that [the byname] be changed as necessary to create the meaning 'of the mountains.'" Nebuly found the Polish byname with this meaning: As submitted, the name means Goimir, son of Gora (a diminutive of Georgii, according to Wickenden) or might be a double given name (Slavic plus Christian name). I don't find Goimir or anything similar in Polish, though I do find Gojmir in modern Serbo-Croat (Bosanac). The Polish word for mountain is actually g�ra, not gora. The correct period form of a Polish byname meaning "of the mountains is apparently Goraysky (SSNO, s.n. Gorajski, dated 1462). The -y- forms the plural, and the -ski ending forms the locative by turning it into a genitive form. I don't find a Russian equivalent for the byname in Wickenden. We have changed the byname to the period form found by Nebuly to partially meet the submitter's request for authenticity. As we were unable to find a Polish form of Goimir, we were unable to make this name completely authentic for the submitter's requested culture. [Goimir Goraysky, 11/2002, A-Æthelmearc]
François la Flamme	2002.09	Submitted as Agnieszka the Wanderer, the submitter requested authenticity for 13th C Polish. Nebuly found information about period forms of this name: The submitted spelling Agnieszka is the standard modern spelling for that name in Polish. It is my experience working with the SSNO that soft consonants were not indicated in period spellings (there wouldn't be an i after n in the name), and this is supported by the spellings in the SSNO: Agnesca, Agneschka, Agneszka. Since the client asks for a 13th century name, I'd recommend changing the given name to Agneszka. The byname the Wanderer is ruled SCA-compatible, and there is a period Polish equivalent. The Polish for "wanderer" is w�ndrownik, which appears under that heading in the SSNO in the name Stanek Wandrownyk, dated 1397. The name is registerable as submitted, but if the client would likea fully authentic Polish name, the period feminine equivalent would be Agneszka Wandrownyka. We have changed the given name to the form recommended by Nebuly in order to register this name and to partially meet the submitter's request for authenticity. As she only allowed minor changes, and changing the language of the byname from the English the Wanderer to the Polish Wandrownyka is a major change, we were unable to change the name to the completely Polish form recommended by Nebuly. The byname the Wanderer is a Lingua Anglica translation of the Polish byname found by Nebuly and therefore does not count as a weirdness. [Agneszka the Wanderer, 09/2002 LoAR, A-Meridies]
François la Flamme	2002.07	Submitted as Danil Batory, the submitter requested a "name correct for the Polish/Lithuanian Commonwealth". The submitted Batory is a Hungarian rather than a Polish or Lithuanian form. Nebuly found a Polish form of this name: The name Danil appears in the SSNO (s.n. Daniel), and is dated to 1393. The byname Batory is Hungarian, meaning "from Bátor" (Kázmér, s.n. Bátori), and is therefore inconsistent with the client's desire for a Polish/Lithuanian name. The SSNO does have one instance of Bathoricz dated 1310 (s.n. Batorzyc [sic]), which is a Polish form of the Hungarian name (The Polish locative ending -icz is substituted for Hungarian -y). I suggest we register Danil Bathoricz, in accordance with the client's wishes. We have changed the byname to the form suggested by Nebuly to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. [Danil Bathoricz, 07/2002, A-West]
François la Flamme	2002.04	This name was originally submitted as Vachlav Rodacki and changed at kingdom, as the submitter requested an authentic 13th C Eastern European name. Paul Wickenden of Thanet provided the following documentation for this Polish form: As the client has requested a period name (and permits changes), I would propose Rodaky, which is dated to 1472 in the Slownik Staropolskich Nazw Osobowycz (IV: 469). Ibid (VI: 84) has Waczslaw dated to 1305 and Waczlaw dated to 1390. I suggest that Waczlaw Rodaky would be a lovely Eastern European name. [Waczlaw Rodaky, 04/2002, A-Middle]
François la Flamme	2002.03	Submitted as Wladyslaus of Poznan, the submitter requested authenticity for "14th C Polish" (which was rendered as "later period Poland" in the LoI) and allowed any changes. Nebuly provided the typical construction for a byname indicating a man was from Poznan: The submitted name is Latin and English. Since the client desires an authentic later period Polish name, I recommend the spelling Wladyslaw Pozna�ski. The -slaus ending is Latin, which all but disappeared in later Polish records. Also, almost all Polish locatives are formed by adding iski to the towm[sic] name. We have changed the name to the form suggested by Nebuly to meet the submitter's request for authenticity. A byname literally meaning 'of Poznan' would be z Poznania. Since the z [placename] construction is much rarer in period than a -ski construction, Pozna�ski better fits his desired time period and language/culture. A question was raised in commentary regarding whether or not this submission was a conflict with any of the kings of Poland named Wladyslaw, since Poznan was once a capital of Poland. If none of the kings of Poland were known as Wladyslaw z Poznania or a different name meaning 'Wladyslaw of Poznan', a submitted name Wladyslaw z Poznania would not conflict with them per the following precedent: Regensburg being the capital of the Upper Palatinate of Bavaria, the LOI questioned whether the name conflicted with those Dukes of Bavaria named Wilhelm. However, the Dukes in question never seemed to have been called of Regensburg; the name no more conflicts with the Dukes of Bavaria than John of London would conflict with King John (whose capital was London). [Wilhelm von Regensburg, Ansteorra-A, LoAR 06/93] Regardless of whether or not any of the kings of Poland named Wladyslaw were known as Wladyslaw z Poznania, they would not conflict with a submitted name of Wladyslaw Pozna�ski because Pozna�ski is a descriptive byname referring to a person's ethnicity, not a locative byname. This issue, upheld as recently as November 2001 (Eiríkr inn danski, Atlantia-A), has been addressed in these rulings: [<name> Lietuvos, meaning <name> the Lithuanian>] While prior Laurel precedent has returned the form '{Name} the {Nationality}', we do not find this presumptuous of the ruler of the country in the same way or to the same degree that, say, '{Name} of {Nation}' would. Hence, we do not find that this name conflicts with <name>, King of Lithuania. (LoAR 12/91 p.12). <Given Name> the Breton should no more conflict with <same Given Name>, Duke of Brittany, than Richard the Englishman would with Richard, King of England. [Note that this overturns a precedent of Master Baldwin's regarding Wladislaw Poleski] (LoAR 10/90 p.2). These precedents address descriptive bynames based on nationalities and regions. That John Londoner would not conflict with King John (whose capital was London) is a logical extension of this policy. So, Wladyslaw Pozna�ski would not conflict with any of the kings of Poland named Wladyslaw who had their capital at Poznan. A clarification: This is a resubmission. The submitter's previously submitted name Wladyslaus Polonus was returned by Laurel in July 2000 for conflict with various kings of Poland of that name. Polonus is a Latin byname which could be translated as either 'the Pole' or 'of Poland'. As one of the translations has the form [monarch's given name] of [area the monarch ruled], it was a conflict with the kings of Poland named Wladyslaw. As of the October 1990 ruling cited above, the Polish form Poleski 'the Pole' would not conflict with these kings. [Wladyslaw Pozna�ski, 03/2002, A-Æthelmearc]
François la Flamme	2002.02	The LoI stated that "The Catholic Online Saint's Index http://saints.catholic.org/stsindext.html#T list 10 different saints by the name of Theofilus, ranging in dates from 181 to 1676." These articles do not give an indication of which languages used the form Theophilius to refer to these saints. We would need such information to determine if a hypothetical Theophilia would be registerable in combination with a Polish byname. Nebuly searched for Teofilia in Polish: I have checked my various Polish sources for evidence of Teofilia, and can find none. I do find the masculine name Theophilo as an ecclesiatical name in 15th century Poland (SSNO, s.n. Teofil), but this does not justify Teofilia. Slavic cultures did not form feminine names by tacking on feminine endings, as seems to have happened with some regularity in other parts of Europe. [Teofilia Karaszkiewicz, 02/02, R-Atlantia]
François la Flamme	2002.02	This name is being returned for lack of documentation of Teofilia as a feminine given name. The name was documented from William F. Hoffman and George W. Helon, First Names of the Polish Commonwealth: Origins and Meanings. Nebuly says of documentation from this source: The submitted documentation from Hoffman & Helon is explicitly post-period. As the authors themselves state on page 4, this book is designed for use by descendants of Poles who emigrated to English-speaking countries, and a large part of the work was based on First Names in Current Use in Poland. The book is in no way, shape, or fashion intended to be used by medieval recreationists and there are other far superior books for this purpose. The same criticism can be levelled at the use of Hoffman's Polish Surnames, which is another genealogical reference work. While both works are excellent for their intended niche, they are of no value in documenting medieval Polish practice. Given this information, these sources should not be used for documentation of SCA name submissions. [Teofilia Karaszkiewicz, 02/02, R-Atlantia]
François la Flamme	2001.11	Submitted as Ekaterina �w Pultusk, no documentation was provided and none was found for the locative byname form �w Pultusk in Polish. Therefore, we have changed it to the form Pultuska, a byname which refers to a woman from Pultusk. [Ekaterina Pultuska, 11/01, A-Caid]
Elsbeth Anne Roth	2001.07	The name was documented as having a Polish given name with an Italian byname, but no evidence was provided that Poland and Italy were in sufficient cultural contact that the combination is registerable. However, the given name seems not to be limited to Poland: for instance, it was borne by the daughter of Henry the Fat, Duke of Saxony, who later married Lothar II, Holy Roman Emperor. The contact between Germany and Italy was sufficient to allow registration. [Richenza d'Assisi, 07/01, A-Lochac]
Elsbeth Anne Roth	2000.04	As Polonus means 'the Pole' or 'of Poland', this name conflicts with the three kings�: Wladyslaw I (king of Poland from 1306), Wladyslaw II (king from 1386) and Wladyslaw III (king from 1434). [Wladyslaw Polonus, 04/00, R-Æthelmearc]
Elsbeth Anne Roth	1999.08	... z domu Piast means "the House of Piast" which was the founding royal dynasty of Poland, ruling from 965-1370. Barring evidence that the general populace used the name, we consider it presumptuous ...[Judwiga Czarna Pika ze Smocza Jamy, 08/99, A-Caid]
Jaelle of Armida	1998.11	[Katarzyna Wilk] The byname is in the masculine form, not the feminine... Polish requires names to agree in gender with the bearer, and the submitter does not take changes, we must return this name. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR November 1998, p. 15)
Jaelle of Armida	1998.03	[Kazimierz Dimidowicz Dziecielowski] The submitter provided a letter from William F. Hoffman, author of Polish Surnames,: Origins and Meanings, giving the evidence for the name. Hoffman says that, Kazimierz is a modern (but probably pre-1600) Polish spelling of the name Kazimir, which can be found dating as far back as the 12th century. Since Hoffman is a recognized expert in the field of Polish names, though his speciality is the 19th century, and since the name in other spellings is documentably period, we are willing to accept Hoffman's opinion, and register the name as submitted. (Jaelle of Armida, LoAR March 1998, p. 12)
Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year)	1995.09	[Ladislaus de Brady] In the absence of any evidence for Polish/English names, this combination seems a bit too improbable to register. (Talan Gwynek, LoAR September 1995, p. 26)
Da'ud ibn Auda (2nd tenure, 2nd year)	1994.09	Submitted as ...Mieleska, there already exists a feminine occupational surname meaning "miller"; as such, there is no need to construct such a name, especially without input from someone with a good knowledge of the language. We have therefore substituted the documented byname. (Agnieszka Mlynarska, 9/94 p. 10)