Duchy of Nysa
The surname "Kopernik", "Copernik", "Koppernigk", in various spellings, is recorded in Kraków from c. 1350, apparently given to people from the village of Koperniki (prior to 1845 rendered "Kopernik", "Copernik, Copirnik", and "Koppirnik") in the Duchy of Nysa, 10 km south of Nysa, and now 10 km north of the Polish-Czech border. Nicolaus Copernicus' great-grandfather is recorded as having received citizenship in Kraków in 1386. The toponym "Kopernik" (modern "Koperniki") has been variously tied to the Polish word for "dill" ("koper") and the German word for "copper" ("Kupfer"). The suffix "-nik" (or plural, "-niki") denotes a Slavic and Polish agent noun.