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Sowa (surname)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sowa
Origin
Language(s)Polish
Japanese
MeaningPolish/Slavic: Owl
Other: Unknown
Region of originPoland, Central/Eastern Europe
Ghana
Japan
Other names
Variant form(s)Sova (Czech, other Slavic form; Yiddish: סאָווע Sóve)

Sowa (Polish pronunciation: [ˈsɔva] ) is a surname with multiple origins, including Polish, Ghanaian, and Japanese.

Etymology

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Europe

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Among individuals of European origin, the surname Sowa is derived from the Polish noun "sowa" (owl). In some cases, it may be an alternative spelling of the surname Sova, which is a Ukrainian, Czech, Belarusian, Slovak and Russian cognate. Both are derived from Proto-Slavic *sova.

Polish name expert Kazimierz Rymut mentions the name in his book Nazwiska Polaków (The Surnames of Poles).[1] Rymut says the name appears in records as early as 1404 and comes from the noun sowa, which means "owl". Fred Hoffman, author of Polish Surnames, explains that a common practice in the early days of surname adoption was its bestowal upon people as a nickname because of their connection to the meaning behind the name,[2] which was, in this case, an owl.

Other countries

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The surname is also found in Ghana and Japan, with unrelated etymologies.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rymut, Kazimierz, Nazwiska Polaków, Jan 1991, 312 pages.
  2. ^ Hoffman, William F. "Fred", Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings