Popular patronymic surnames ending in -uk derived from names of Latin origin in the Hajnówka district, region of Bialystok

Abstract

The aim of the article is to describe popular patronymic surnames ending in -uk derived from names of Latin origin used in the Hajnówka district in the region of Bialystok. The vast majority of the district residents are Orthodox and speak a Ukrainian or Belarusian dialect. The article addresses the following specific objectives: – Determine the number of people using a given surname in Poland ; – Determine the number of districts and major cities where the bearers of a particular surname live; – Identify the districts and major cities where the name is most common; – Determine the main clusters of people wearing a surname in eastern Poland; – Determine the number of bearers of a given surname in the Hajnówka district; – Determine the proportion of bearers of a given surname in the county Hajnówka compared to the population of Poland; – Rank the Hajnówka district in terms of the number of people bearing a given surname in Poland ; – Establish the etymology of the surnames; – Describe the adaptation of the name which the surname is based on to the system of the recipient language ; – Provide a brief description of the functioning of the surname, including changes to its spelling; – Provide counterparts of the name the surname is based on in neighbouring literary languages.