Common Polish Myths

So many misconceptions have been passed down. Although there may be a shred of truth, for the most part, these are Urban Legends.

Surnames Changed at Ellis Island

This is the most frequent one heard. Untrue. The passenger manifests were written at the originating port. Most of our ancestors were illiterate and didn’t know how to spell their own names to be able to double check spelling.

• https://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/07/02/name-changes-ellis-island?fbclid=IwAR1lam51bplEykz_ixXSND1evEGa1gHmHz12Ycb_m0B6QgXHzjXPh-acj7M

Descendant of Polish Royalty/Polish Princess

Although Poland had throughout the centuries kings and queens the system varied slightly from the one in England or France, those of upper class had noble or landed gentry status.

• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_(zbiorowo%C5%9B%C4%87_spo%C5%82eczna) (use google translate for English)

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szlachta

• https://sites.google.com/view/polishgenealogygroup/internet-tools/history/nobility

Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms/Crests were/are for a specific family and transferrable to descendants on specific conditions. Be wary of companies offering you your Coat of Arms for a fee.

• example: https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fen.calameo.com%2Fread%2F0024908861e0e30b2d467&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF9mNaLvWZz_vb4iv8D17Unu5UbnQ

Surnames are from a specific village or a sign of nobility

Maybe this was true eons ago (like 1000 AD). Like most civilizations, the surname could have evolved from occupation (Jan “The Miller”), animal, nationality, familial connection (son of Jan), birthplace or location they lived, etc. However, once surnames were used, they were passed down within the family regardless of new occupations, new locations, etc. for more info check info here:

• https://sites.google.com/view/polishgenealogygroup/internet-tools/names-and-surnames