Plural Forms
Plural forms of the surnames follow the pattern of the masculine and feminine forms respectively, if such exist. For the married couple or the whole family (bi-gender situation: mixture of males and females), the masculine plural is used. Plural forms of the names quite rarely follow the patterns of regular declension, even if the name is identical with a common name. Uneducated people often use plural of the common names for plural of surnames, and the feminine plural form of the adjectival surnames (felt as a neutral one, in fact non-existent) in bi-gender situation.
| Surname masculine | Plural masculine or both masculine and feminine | Surname feminine | Plural feminine | Plural of the common name (for comparison) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kowalski | Kowalscy | Kowalska | Kowalskie | --- |
| Wilk (translating to 'wolf') | Wilkowie | --- (Wilkówna, Wilkowa) | --- (Wilkówne, Wilkowe) | wilki, wilcy |
| Zięba (translating to 'finch') | Ziębowie | --- (Ziębianka, Ziębina, new: Ziębówna, Ziębowa) | --- (Ziębianki, Ziębiny, new: Ziębówny, Ziębowe) | zięby |
Read more about this topic: Polish Name
Famous quotes containing the word forms:
“[In government] the problem to be solved is, not what form of government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)