Przemianki, czyli miana towarzyskie jako znak inicjacji w polskich cechach rzemieślniczych

Abstract

The subject of the paper are the so-called przemianki (social names), which were excerpted from the Opole guild book of potters from 1727–1820 available in the State Archives in Opole. This topic is an important supplement to the findings concerning the Polish anthroponymy, because, as historians claim, these names, which have a nickname character (e.g. Placzybabka, Marionek, Fiolla, Goniwiecha), later became official surnames. The personal names are shown in the context of the functioning of the social group of the eighteenth- nineteenth-century craftsmen, in particular, the role of guilds in the training of young professionals and the associated customs are shown. The social names are the proof of the existence of rites of passage in Polish guilds and a relic of ancient rites of initiation.