<P> The usage of personal names in Poland is generally governed by civil law, church law, personal taste and family custom . </P> <P> The law requires a given name (imię) to indicate the person's gender . Almost all Polish female names end in a vowel - a, and most male names end in a consonant or a vowel other than a . There are, however, a few male names that end in a, which are very old and uncommon, such as Barnaba, Bonawentura, Boryna, Jarema, Kosma, Kuba (a diminutive of Jakub) and Saba . Maria is a female name that can be used also as a middle (second) name for males . </P> <P> Since the High Middle Ages, Polish - sounding surnames ending with the masculine - ski suffix, including - cki and - dzki, and the corresponding feminine suffix - ska / - cka / - dzka were associated with the nobility (Polish szlachta), which alone, in the early years, had such suffix distinctions . They are widely popular today . </P> <P> Minor regional spelling differences also exist depending on whether the surname originated in Polish, Czech or Slovak (- sky / - ský). </P>

What does the ski mean in polish names