STOSUNEK SPOŁECZNOŚCI POLSKIEJ NA LITWIE DO PROCESU LITUANIZACJI NAZWISK W REPUBLICE LITEWSKIEJ W LATACH 1918–1940
The Attitude of the Polish Community in Lithuania towards the Process of Lithuanisation of Surnames in the Republic of Lithuania in 1918–1940

Summary/Abstract: At the end of the 19th century, the leaders of the Lithuanian national movement considered the surname as a serious proof of Lithuanian ethnic identity and even believed that one could identify a person’s ethnic origin from its sound. At that time, the Lithuanian national movement considered it a serious problem that some Lithuanian surnames were influenced by the languages of other nations, losing their authentic form and often taking on the appearance of Slavic surnames. Efforts were made to restore authentic Lithuanian surnames to Lithuanians. With the restoration of Lithuanian statehood in 1918, the conditions were ripe for the Lithuanianisation of the surnames of the country’s population. This article briefly introduces the process of Lithuanianisation of surnames that took place in the Republic of Lithuania in 1918–1940 and analyses how this process was perceived and reacted to by the Polish community living in the country. The process of Lithuanization of surnames that took place in the Republic of Lithuania in 1918–1940 showed that the Poles of the country, similary to the Lithuanians, viewed the surname as a sign confirming national identity. Therefore, the Polish community was very attentive to the process of surname Lithuanisation in Lithuania and urged their compatriots to defend the authenticity of their surnames. The threat of losing a Polish surname was considered to be equivalent to the loss of their national identity.

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