Sowa (surname)
Encyclopedia
Sowa is a surname of Polish origin.
. Polish name expert Prof. Kazimierz Rymut mentions this name in his book Nazwiska Polaków (The Surnames of Poles). Professor Rymut says the name appears in records as early as 1404 and comes from the noun 'sowa', which means 'owl
'. Even today, this word may be found in any common Polish dictionary, as well as Belorussian, Russian
or Ukrainian
. 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, which was in this case, an owl.
or Polish
, depending on which country ruled the region at the time. In almost all cases, the church records were kept in German, and sometimes in Latin
. The majority of the names will be found in the records of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of the time, though there were also some records in the Reformed Lutheran and Catholic Church records.
Etymology
The surname Sowa finds its origins as a literal unadulterated word in the Polish languagePolish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
. Polish name expert Prof. Kazimierz Rymut mentions this name in his book Nazwiska Polaków (The Surnames of Poles). Professor Rymut says the name appears in records as early as 1404 and comes from the noun 'sowa', which means 'owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
'. Even today, this word may be found in any common Polish dictionary, as well as Belorussian, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
or Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
. 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, which was in this case, an owl.
Ostpreussen (East Prussia) Germany
The Sowa surname first appears on church records in the late 17th century in the small towns and hamlets of the Soldau region of Ostpreussen, Preussen, Germany. This area is located in the north-central area of modern-day Poland and is known as Działdowo. There is also another branch of the Sowa family which is known to have resided at that same time period in south-western corner of modern-day Poland. Why these distinct branches of the Sowa family are separated by such a great distances is currently unknown. Some discussion has been given to a religious rift. The Lutheran families went to the north, while the Roman Catholic families went to the south. Earlier history for the Sowa surname is currently unknown due to lack of records for that period. Due to the geopolitical history of the region, the inhabitants may have spoken either GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
or Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, depending on which country ruled the region at the time. In almost all cases, the church records were kept in German, and sometimes in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. The majority of the names will be found in the records of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of the time, though there were also some records in the Reformed Lutheran and Catholic Church records.
Pronunciation
There are several historical spellings and pronunciations for the surname Sowa, probably dependent on the linguistical influence of the particular time. In earlier dates, the surname appears as Szowa, a Polish spelling rendition, and would be pronounced in English as 'Sho-vah'. In later times, the 'z' was dropped, probably due to increasing German influence, so that it appeared as 'Sowa'. Despite the change in spelling, and according to German pronunciation practice, the name was still pronounced the same, the 'so' combination having the same sound as an 'sh' combination in English. Today, the surname continues the 'Sowa' spelling, but has lost a bit of the original pronunciation. In English it is most commonly and correctly pronounced as 'So-wah', and in Polish as 'So-vah'.North America
In North America, it seems that there were three major points of settlement, all in the United States. These were Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Texas. It is presumed that these three locations were chosen due to the large populations of German immigrants, and climatic and geographical similarities to homeland Germany, thus providing comfortable environment. Today, Sowas are found throughout North America.Pennsylvania
Most members of the Sowa family in Pennsylvania settled in the areas surrounding the city of Reading. From here, it is also known that some members of the family migrated to Minnesota and elsewhere.Minnesota
The concentration point for Sowas in Minnesota were the areas surrounding the city of Popple Creek.Texas
The Sowa families of Texas emigrated primarily from the southwestern area of Poland mentioned previously. There has been little or no connection proven as yet between the Sowa families of Texas and those of Pennsylvania and Minnesota.Australia
The Sowa surname is found in Australia, probably due to documented migration in the late 19th century.Africa
The Sowa surname is also found in Ghana, some are spelled with an 'h' at the end 'Sowah'.Notable people
- John F. SowaJohn F. SowaJohn Florian Sowa is the computer scientist who invented conceptual graphs, a graphic notation for logic and natural language, based on the structures in semantic networks and on the existential graphs of Charles S. Peirce. He is currently developing high-level "ontologies" for artificial...
, a computer scientistComputer scientistA computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems.... - Edward F. Sowa, author and historian
- Michael SowaMichael SowaMichael Sowa is a German artist known mainly for his paintings, which are variously whimsical, surreal, or stunning. His paintings often feature animals and are titled in English and German...
, a German Artist - Richart Sowa, builder of Spiral IslandSpiral IslandSpiral Island is a name given to two floating artificial islands in Mexico built by British artist Richart "Rishi" Sowa. The first was destroyed by a hurricane in 2005; the second has been open for tours since 2008....
- Elizabeth Sowa, author and illustrator Hexagon, The