The Project "Online Dictionary of Surnames in Poland" Enters Its New Phase 2025 - 2030

We are delighted to share exciting news from the Institute of the Polish Language, Polish Academy of Sciences (IJP PAN) in Kraków.

The project “Internetowy słownik nazwisk w Polsce. Kontynuacja” (The Online Dictionary of Surnames in Poland: Continuation) has been awarded funding under the 14th edition of the National Programme for the Development of Humanities (NPRH), in the National Heritage module.

Led by Professor Katarzyna Skowronek, the research team includes distinguished scholars: Dr hab. Halszka Górny (professor at IJP PAN), Dr hab. Małgorzata Magda-Czekaj (professor at IJP PAN), Dr hab. Agnieszka Myszka (professor at the University of Rzeszów), and M.A. Alicja Głębocka (PhD candidate at the Faculty of Humanities, AGH University of Science and Technology).

The Online Dictionary of Surnames in Poland (ISNP), launched in 2014 and accessible at https://nazwiska.ijppan.pl , has become a vital resource for researchers in the humanities and social sciences, as well as for individuals exploring the etymology, geography, and genealogy of their own surnames.

This new phase (2025–2030) will significantly expand the dictionary’s scope and functionality. Planned enhancements include:

• Enlarging the surname database,
• Updating statistical data,
• Enriching existing entries with deeper linguistic and historical context,
• Introducing advanced search options for user-friendly navigation.

Upon completion, ISNP 2.0 will stand as the largest anthroponymic dictionary in Poland, covering approximately 50,000 surnames - those borne by over 90% of Poland’s population.

This project exemplifies the successful fusion of cutting-edge academic research with public engagement, making scholarly knowledge on Polish identity, history, and language accessible to everyone.

Congratulations to the entire team - and we look forward to the launch of ISNP 2.0!

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Official project page: https://nazwiska.ijppan.pl
Funded by: Narodowy Program Rozwoju Humanistyki (NPRH), Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego (MNiSW)
Implemented at: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN, Kraków

Ważny kamień milowy w onomastyce: Internetowy Słownik Nazwisk w Polsce rozpoczyna nowy etap

Z radością informujemy o ważnym wydarzeniu w Instytucie Języka Polskiego PAN w Krakowie. Projekt „Internetowy słownik nazwisk w Polsce. Kontynuacja” otrzymał dofinansowanie w 14. edycji Narodowego Programu Rozwoju Humanistyki (NPRH) w modułzie: Dziedzictwo Narodowe. Kierowany przez prof. dr hab. Katarzynę Skowronek, zespół projektowy tworzą wybitni specjaliści: dr hab. Halszka Górny, prof. IJP PAN, dr hab. Małgorzata Magda-Czekaj, prof. IJP PAN, dr hab. Agnieszka Myszka, prof. UR, oraz mgr Alicja Głębocka (doktorantka z Wydziału Humanistycznego AGH).

Internetowy Słownik Nazwisk w Polsce (ISNP), uruchomiony w 2014 roku i dostępny pod adresem https://nazwiska.ijppan.pl , stał się niezwykle cennym źródłem wiedzy dla badaczy z różnych dziedzin humanistycznych i społecznych oraz dla osób prywatnych poszukujących informacji o pochodzeniu, rozkładzie geograficznym i genealogii swojego nazwiska.

Nowy etap realizacji (2025–2030) znacznie poszerzy zakres i funkcjonalność słownika. Wśród zaplanowanych ulepszeń znajdują się:

• Powiększenie bazy nazwisk,
• Uaktualnienie danych statystycznych,
• Wzbogacenie istniejących haseł o nowe informacje językowe i historyczne,
• Wprowadzenie zaawansowanych opcji wyszukiwania.

Po zakończeniu prac ISNP 2.0 stanie się największym słownikiem antroponimicznym w Polsce, obejmującym około 50 tysięcy nazwisk – czyli takich, które nosi ponad 90% mieszkańców Polski.

Projekt ten to znakomity przykład połączenia nowoczesnej wiedzy naukowej z popularyzacją, dzięki czemu wiedza o polskim dziedzictwie, tożsamości i języku staje się dostępna dla szerokiego grona odbiorców.

Gratulujemy zespołowi i z niecierpliwością czekamy na premierę ISNP 2.0!

Research grant for the project “Greek divine onomastics and the functioning of polytheism in Asia Minor”

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The Scuola Normale Superiore announces a selection, based on work to date and interview, for 1 research contract as part of the research project “Greek divine onomastics and the functioning of polytheism in Asia Minor”.The contract is co-funded by the University of Toulouse, among the research theme “Divine Onomastics in Asia Minor”. The selected researcher will focus on Greek epigraphic material in Asia Minor to collect divine names (theonyms and epithets), record them in the MAP (Mapping Ancient Polytheisms) database and study them as a key to access both the communication strategies between the human and the divine spheres and the structuring of pantheons. The applicant will develop innovative methodologies in the field of Digital Humanities. His/her research will be presented at workshps and conferences, one of which will be organised in Pisa; several scientific publications are planned. 

Duration of the contract: 1 year 

Gross remuneration, inclusive of all taxes: € 25.000 

Deadline for applications: September, 27th at 04:00 PM (Italian time) 

Information about the selection procedure can be found below. Applicants are advised to read the official announcement (Bando) and to follow exclusively its detailed instructions should they decide to apply. 

REQUISITES 

The selection procedure is open to applicants who have completed a PhD in disciplines related to Ancient sciences or History of religions. Applicants who have completed the aforementioned degrees abroad may also apply, if that degree is recognized as equivalent to the corresponding Italian degree. Knowledge of English and French languages is also required to carry out the research activity.

Project "National and Ethnic Identities in Central and Eastern Europe through the Lens of Official and Unofficial Geographical Names" (2024-2028)

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The Department of Onomastics at the Institute of the Czech Language of the Czech Academy of Sciences, together with the Ethnological Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, has been involved in the AV21 Strategy since January 2024. 

The strategy is titled "Identity in the World of Wars and Crises," with a joint project focusing on "National and Ethnic Identities in Central and Eastern Europe through the Lens of Official and Unofficial Geographical Names."

IDENTITIES IN THE WORLD OF WARS AND CRISES

Coordinator

PhDr. Martin Klečacký, Ph.D.

Coordinating institute(s)

Masaryk Institute and Archives of the CAS
Institute of Ethnology of the CAS

Research Programme Period:

2024–2028

The current war in Ukraine, the growing turmoil in the Balkans, as well as the tensions between China, Taiwan and other countries are only the most visible manifestations of the "new Cold War", of how fragile and unstable the current world order is. Challenging the current boundaries between states, whether through brute military force or through the use of propaganda and manipulation, is closely related to the question of identity as a key tool of self-identification and demarcation vis-à-vis the other. This process can be examined at the level of individuals as well as entire societies, nations or transnational entities. Indeed, a similar questioning of traditional arrangements is taking place within the functioning of Western society as a whole. Deepening social inequalities, accompanied by new culture wars, are leading to the obscuring of previously constituted patterns of identification and their gradual replacement by new identities. Alongside established ethnic or religious models, new gender, social or political-emancipatory types of identity are emerging. A low level of understanding of these new challenges, often threatening the world as we know it, can have serious consequences.

This interdisciplinary and comparative programme responds to the current disbalance in the value and geopolitical ordering of the contemporary world and explores the formation and negotiation of identities within and between diverse communities and states. Particular attention is paid to regions whose development has major implications for life in the Czech Republic and whose research has been underestimated in recent times: China, Russia, Ukraine and the Balkans. At the same time, the global anchoring of the programme will enable a broader contextualisation of activities focused on current social challenges within the Czech Republic, at the level of empirical research on identities in different segments of society, which should provide the basis for the formulation of concrete measures responding to dynamic changes in this area.

GOALS

• To contribute to a better orientation of individuals and society in contemporary crises of various types
• To improve the awareness of key public actors on identity issues and 'identity politics'
• To examine in an interdisciplinary perspective the formation and negotiation of identities within and between different communities and states, both in the present and from a micro- and macro-historical perspective
• To examine, in an interdisciplinary perspective, the formation and application of regionally or socially conditioned identification in relation to the strengthening of territorial and social cohesion within the Czech Republic and with regard to the impact of social crises (migration, war, etc.)
• To contribute to research on cultural heritage as one of the key tools of national identification and state representation
• To strengthen cooperation between research institutes within and outside the CAS

Partner institutes

• Institute of Archaeology of the CAS, Brno
• Institute of Archaeology of the CAS, Prague
• Institute of Botany of the CAS
• Institute of Philosophy of the CAS
• Institute of History of the CAS
• Oriental Institute of the CAS
• Institute of Psychology of the CAS
• Institute of Slavonic Studies of the CAS
• Institute of Sociology of the CAS
• Institute of Art History of the CAS
• Institute of Computer Science of the CAS
• Institute of Czech Literature of the CAS
• Institute of the Czech Language of the CAS
• Institute of Contemporary History of the CAS
• Institute of State and Law of the CAS
• Global Change Research Institute of the CAS

Cooperating partners

• Agency for Migration and Adaptation AMIGA
• Center of Social and Psychological Sciences
• Czech Society for Slavonic, Balkan and Byzantine Studies
• Eötvös Loránd University
• Estonian Academy of Sciences
• Faculty of Humanities, Charles Unversity in Prague
• Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University
• Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University
• Faculty of Arts, Charles Unversity in Prague
• History of Science in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe
• Holiday Films
• Hussite Theological Faculty, Charles Unversity in Prague
• Jawaharlal Nehru University
• Kathmandu University
• Ludwig-Maximilians-University
• National Library
• Faculty of Education, Masaryk University
• Faculty of Education, Charles Unversity in Prague
• Sinopsis
• Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Science
• Gonzaga University
• University of Regensburg

Adoption Name Stories

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NAME STORIES: EXPERIENCES OF NAMES & NAMING IN ADOPTIVE FAMILY LIFE.

A RESEARCH PROJECT FUNDED BY THE LEVERHULME TRUST

The names and adoption study is about personal names and identities and is funded by The Leverhulme Trust. It focuses on adoptees and adopters as people whose experiences of the multiple ‘identity’ and ‘belonging’ functions of forenames and surnames are especially likely to be significant and complex.

Our study uses life-story interviewing and creative life-writing methods to capture ‘name stories’ through which adults describe and make sense of their adoption-related naming and identity experiences.

The study will fill important knowledge gaps about the significance of name-linked identities in contemporary societies. We hope findings from the study will strengthening academic and everyday understandings of the place of names in adoptive identities and in adoptive family life, and will feed in to adoption policy and practice.

Interested in finding out more or taking part?

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN NAME STORIES PROJECT

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The University of Michigan Name Stories Project was developed by Angelé Anderfuren (Lecturer in the UM – Ann Arbor English Department Writing Program). It was partially funded by the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor LEO Inclusive Teaching Professional Development Fund.

This project aims to pique the curiosity about the world we inhabit everyday, encouraging viewers and participants to look closer and consider not only where they are, but the history of that place and what it meant then, now, and will mean for the future. The project shares the stories behind names. It inquires about the history of the names of places on and around the UM-Ann Arbor campus, exploring the people the places are named after, as well as the history of the names themselves. The project also includes student explorations of their own name histories.

The initial stories in this project were developed and written by Angelé Anderfuren. Additional stories will be written and edited by students in English 125 classes, overseen by Angelé.

Project "The Power of Labels: The Meaning and Use of Names for Identities and Conditions"

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2022 KR. 1.273.650

Katrine Kehlet Bechsgaard

Title and degree: Postdoctoral Fellow, PhD

Institution: University of California, Berkeley

Grant type: Reintegration Fellowships

What

What are the societal and social causes and effects of the ways in which minority identities and conditions are named? This is the question that the project seeks to answer. I will study official and unofficial labels used for various identities and conditions based on for example ethnicity, sexuality, and mental conditions, such as nydansker, transkønnet, and autist, in order to gain knowledge of developments, perceptions, patterns, and phases of label use.

Why

Throughout time, identities and conditions have changed both names and connotations. Danish outdated examples include kejthåndet, fruentimmer, fremmedarbejder, homofil and DAMP-barn. Currently, there is a massive focus on naming and labeling of identities and conditions in the public debate in the Western world, and we need better understandings of the causes and effects of attaching labels to various groups in society as well as how labels and attitudes towards them change over time.

How

The project will get to the core of the nature of naming minority groups and look for developments and patterns in the ways in which these labels have been used and perceived over the past three decades. To track recent developments in which labels are used, and how they are used, I will collect data from Danish newspapers from the past three decades as well as do in-depth interviews with individuals belonging to minority groups.