According to current maps, there are nine places in Poland called Maków. One of these villages, located in Maków Powiat in the Masovian Voivodeship, is now known as Maków Mazowiecki.
Older maps, however, show that this same village was simply called Maków. When was the name of this village changed from Maków to Maków Mazowiecki? The multi-volume series Place Names of Poland: History, Origin, Changes (Nazwy Miejscowe Polski: Historia, Pochodzienie, Zmiany) edited by Kazimierz Rymut provides some clues as to when this name change occurred. The entry for Maków Mazowiecki appears in Nazwy miejscowe Polski : historia, pochodzenie, zmiany. [T.] 6, L-Ma.
Maków Mazowiecki, mto, ostroł.: in Macov (1065) KMaz I 13, fals. XIII; Macow 1417 SHGMz(AG 801); Makow (1421)1456 SHGMz(MK 3, 80v); Makow, opidum (1414-25)1456 SHGMz(MK 3, 97); Makow 1430, Makowo 1432 MkM II nr 614, 354; Makow 1461 SHGMz(Ep. 9, 26) Makowo 1477 SHGMz(Ep. 13, 120); Makow (1490) Płoc I nr 251; Macow, oppidum 1582 ŹDz XVI 391; Makow 1783 MpPerMz; Maków 1827 Tabella II 3; Maków 1884 SG V 928-9; Maków Mazowiecki 1937 MPol XX nr 69, poz. 104; Maków Mazowiecki 1952 UW 14; Maków Mazowiecki, -kowa -kiego, makowski 1971 UN 129, 5. – Od n. os. Mak, z suf. -ów, -owo, por. też ap. mak, przym. makowy. W XX w. dodano człon Mazowiecki. Lit.: ZMaz 251; RymN-miast 143. UB
What is clear from this entry, up through 1884, the village was called Maków (or Macov, Macow, Makowo in older references), but in 1937 the name was listed as Maków Mazowiecki.
More information about when this name change occurred are detailed on the website Maków Mazowicki Naszemiasto.
“Maków Mazowiecki, formerly known as Maków Łomżyński or Maków nad Orzycem (the name Maków Mazowiecki was adopted in 1928), is one of the oldest towns in Masovia. It received city rights from Duke Janusz Mazowiecki in 1421.”
According to this information, the name of the vilage of Maków was officially changed to Maków Mazowiecki in 1928, during the time of the Second Polish Republic.
Copyright © 2026 by Stephen J. Danko
