Paprotny

Recorded as Paprotny and Paprocki, this is an ancient Polish surname. It is topgraphical or possibly locational, from some place where ferns grew in abundance. The deriavtion is from the ancient word "paproc" meaning fern and the suffix "-ski" which in origin was similar to the French "de" or the German "von" and implied minor nobility through land ownership. There was a growing tendancy in Poland from the 18th century to add "ski" to almost any name, including many that has no relationship with the land at all, but that is not the case here. Unfortunately a great majority of early registers and records of Poland were deliberately destroyed during the Communist era, not just by the ignorant Communists, but often as during the French Revolution of 1792, because many people were fearful that these records would be used to persecute them. This happened in Russia in 1917 and onwards, and probably in Poland. However the result is that in Poland only now are the pieces of both genealogy and heraldry begining to be put together again. It is to be hoped that in the future much can be recovered.